Page 75 of Unexpected Danger
A denial Brodie fervently believed was a lie.
“We brought her in for questioning,” Rivas continued, “and Mohr mentioned she hadn’t heard us when we knocked on the door.”
“What was she doing in Rowland in Haack’s truck?”
“We obtained a search warrant for the apartment, but found no one else. We weren’t surprised, since only Ms. Mohr entered the home, as shown on the neighbor's camera. But get this—and I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you—Haack is a lunatic. He’s tacked up numerous photos of Ms. Siegler on a bulletin board inside what appeared to be his room.”
Brodie clenched his fists. Dustin Haack was clearly obsessed with Londyn. What would he do if he ever caught her? “How would he get pictures of her? Were they ones he’d taken?”
“Some appeared to be, yes. Several were taken through the window in her apartment, I assume unbeknownst to her. There was one with three people—Ms. Siegler, Haack, and another woman of about their age. After some digging, we determined her to be a coworker named Jasmine Frewing. While finding this was interesting, suffice it to say, we failed to locate Haack. Dorena Mohr verified that he’s still in Pronghorn Falls.”
Brodie’s heart pounded loudly in his ears. Did Haack intend to fool people into thinking he traveled to Rowland? Brodie closed the door of his truck, put his phone on hands-free free and started the engine. “Did Mohr give any details about why she drove Haack’s truck and why she was in his apartment carrying things out?” Brodie put the truck in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot. The sooner he arrived at the ranch to make sure Londyn was all right, the better. He’d deal with the potential horse thief later.
“She did. Quite an interesting story. Seems Haack has a sick grandmother that he needs to see, and since he’s in Pronghorn Falls on work and unable to take time off, he asked if Mohr would drive down and get a few things for him so he could flyout of Pronghorn Falls to Washington state in a couple of days, where his grandmother supposedly lives.”
Did Haack even have a grandmother in Washington State? “Haack works in Rowland, not Pronghorn Falls.”
“According to Mohr, he was working in Pronghorn Falls.”
Brodie could almost see Rivas shrug. “Haack sends Mohr down here in his truck to gather the things.”
This was beginning to sound like a ploy. “This woman just believes him and drives all that way to do a favor for him?”
“When asked about her relationship to Haack, Mohr said they recently started dating after Haack had a traumatic breakup with his former girlfriend.”
Haack had a former girlfriend? That was news to Brodie. He’d have to ask Londyn for details.
Rivas continued. “According to Mohr, the former girlfriend broke Haack’s heart, and he was struggling with some depression after the breakup. Mohr, herself, recently went through a difficult divorce, so she said when they found each other, it was just meant to be. She mentioned, and I quote, ‘Dustin is sweet, charming, thoughtful, and my dream guy’. It was about the only time she spoke in a tone that was anything but annoyed and exasperated. The woman doesn’t know the meaning of respect.”
“I doubt Dustin Haack is anyone’s dream guy. More like a nightmare. If he’s so sweet, why would he have all those photos of Londyn Siegler tacked up on his bulletin board? Didn’t Ms. Mohr find that bizarre at the very least?”
“One would think. He’s obviously someone able to deceive those who are naïve, as I believe Ms. Mohr is.”
“True. We may be able to find out more information from her. Hopefully, between both of our agencies, we will be able to track this guy down. My question is why would any woman want to date him when he’s wanted by the police?”
Rivas was silent for a moment. “Not sure other than maybe she didn’t realize he’s wanted.”
“It’s been in the newspaper, the local TV station, and on online news outlets. She would have to live in a cave not to know.”
“As we are both aware, there are several reasons women are drawn to criminals. One being maybe she believes he’s innocent of any wrongdoing. Two, of course, is the rebound from her divorce, although I’m far from a psychologist.”
Brodie knew they could discuss the topic for hours and fail to understand why women like Ms. Mohr would desire anything to do with a man who was wanted by local law enforcement.
“Apparently, Haack gave Ms. Mohr food and gas money. He said she could stay at his place overnight and then return to Pronghorn Falls with the list of items he asked her to gather.”
Brodie turned onto Main Street. The latest scenario brought about more questions than it answered. “All right, thank you. I appreciate the update.”
“We’ll still be on the lookout for him here just in case he returns,” said Rivas. “No doubt about it, the guy is cagey and has thought out this most recent ruse.”
Brodie made a mental note to contact the small airport and apprise them of the APB. Airport personnel would need to keep watch if a man matching Dustin’s description attempted to fly out of Pronghorn Falls. Although he strongly believed the grandmother in Washington State thing was nothing more than a scheme.
“Thanks for all your help, Rivas. Here’s hoping our agencies can nab this guy.”
He’d barely hung up when Mom’s number and image flashed across the screen.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Brodie, Londyn left a note that she went for a walk. That was several hours ago, and I can’t find her.”
