But they wouldn’t tell him where Rex was now.
Even put his own shoe next to the boots. He was a size eleven. These were probably about size ten which would be a perfect match. There was some dirt on the outside of the boots. Dark soil. Just like the expensive soil Evan had been talked into buying by the landscapers. They had said it contained sheep manure and his plants would grow well in it. Colorado’s soil was not meant to grow flowers. He had agreed. Reluctantly, because that increased his budget, but now he was glad he had. It wouldmake the soil easier to match because sheep manure couldn’t be found in many places in Colorado other than farms and potting beds.
Evan made a note to ask the evidence team if the imprints also matched the ones outside his window.
The boots had him convinced now. Rex was his guy. But had Rex fled the state? Or was he up in the mountains somewhere, hiding out, camping and hunting? He might have to see if his boss would allow the chopper to fly over some areas around the picnic area where Toby was found and the forest close to the house. He might have great areas to hide out in the remote mountains, but he couldn’t get far on foot. And from what Evan knew, there were no missing vehicles, and the ATV was still in the garage.
He headed back inside and toward the bedrooms, wanting to see how much Rex had packed. The carpet down the hall was old and worn. Dirt stains and other stains showed through what was a light color at some point. The first bedroom belonged to Toby.
It was small and didn’t take long to go through. It also wasn’t the room he was interested in. The next room was Rex’s, and sure enough, like Keith said, the closet was empty. Could he take all his clothes and still escape on foot? Backpacks could fit a lot, but it was strange to Evan that he would take everything and hike into the mountains.
He’d called Denver International Airport and asked them to keep an eye out for Rex, sending his driver’s license photo and telling TSA that Rex was considered dangerous. Be careful and call the Denver police on duty at the airport if he was spotted.
There wasn’t much else of interest in the room. In fact, the room was bare. The last bedroom was sort of an office, or maybe more of a man cave. On one side there were shell casings with gunpowder and the equipment to load and make theirown ammo. While that was interesting, Evan knew the brothers hunted and many hunters did that. But the big thing was, Toby wasn’t supposed to be around any weapons while on parole.
There was also the little fact that the casings, .45 caliber, matched the size of the bullet used to shoot Autumn, Toby and Penny. But why leave this out in the open?
If Keith had seen this on a walkthrough, he wouldn’t have approved of Toby staying here. There was a good chance that Rex had hidden all of this. Maybe even Toby didn’t know about it.
Across the tiny room was a desk with a photo album. It was flipped open to the middle. Rex and Toby didn’t seem like family-photo-album kind of guys, but who was Evan to say? He went over and peered at the pictures.
They must’ve been taken about the time Mckenna was abducted. Rex would have been working at her parents’ ranch. Toby would have been around the same age as Mckenna.
They were having fun, drinking beers. With about six pictures per page, Evan stared at each one closely. Why was this open to this page? It was just a bunch of party pictures. The kind that most people forgot and stuffed away into a closet once they were adults. He leaned closer. Then it hit him—it was one of the infamous parties at Penny’s house.
He was about ready to leave when the last picture caught his eye. He stared at it, taking in everyone in the photo.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Evan muttered.
The rocks rolled down the hillside because Mckenna had knocked them loose. Maybe the wind had blown hard enough to move them. Mckenna ran different scenarios through her mind, hoping she was right.
There couldn’t be anyone there. She’d made sure she wasn’t followed. But she wasn’t a trained agent. She was a victim specialist. Why was she doing this? About ready to scramble back up the hill and get back to her car, Mckenna turned and then she saw them—the aspen trees.
Their trunks curved in the same direction like dancers, frozen in time. It was beautiful.
And frightening.
Her breathing became short and ragged. Fear gripped and paralyzed her. She needed to get out of here. Now. But her feet wouldn’t move. Trying to get control over her constricting chest, she gazed around and spotted the mining camp building on the other side of the aspen trees.
There was a window, broken out. Parts of the glass were jagged. Other parts were smooth where Autumn had taken her shirt and being the smart girl she was, smoothed down the glass and protected them so she and Lily could escape. Her shirt was still on the edge of the window, flapping in the breeze. It was like a ghost waving to her, letting someone know that this was the spot where a horrible crime had happened.
She’d found it. Mckenna had done what law enforcement hadn’t been able to by figuring out where they were all kept. And she’d faced her fear. Pulling out her phone, Mckenna snapped pictures of the trees, the building and then zoomed in on the shirt. She wanted to make sure she could show Evan.
Now it was time to leave.
Her breathing was still short, sharp gasps. Mckenna worked on inhaling deeply, calming down. She had turned and was pushing herself as fast as she could go when she once more thought she heard a cry for help.
Was she imagining things?
Maybe Autumn’s ghost was here with the shirt.No.She heard it again.
“Help!”
That was a human, and it wasn’t her imagination.
Was it a trap? She should get to her vehicle and get out of here. Call 911. That was what any normal person would do. But Mckenna couldn’t do that. She remembered being huddled in that room. Afraid she wouldn’t ever see her family again.
Hoping. Praying. Making promises with God and the Universe. If they saved her, she would give back. She’d quit partying. She’d help others.