Page 52 of Begin Again
“Turner over in Spruce told me a bit about what’s going on, said we have your missing husband’s vehicle here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sheriff Wilson points toward the old Jeep and I nod. “That’s an ’87, isn’t it? Real good condition.”
Is he really commenting on the car right now?
Why am I surprised? Everyone does when they see it. Daddy always loved it and was so excited when Nick fixed it up during our first summer together in Haven. It gave him one final opportunity to drive it before…Well, you know.
I frown. There’s something about this man I don’t like, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Or maybe I’m just annoyed he’s too busy being enamored with the vintage car instead of worrying about the case.
“’85, actually.”
“Oh, right. Said that in the BOLO.” Wilson nods, walking back to his truck and digging through until he finds a pair of gloves. He continues searching before he looks over his shoulder. “You have a spare set of keys?”
“It’s open. I accidentally pulled the handle when I saw it.”
He pulls the gloves over his hands and says, “Well, let’s take a look, shall we?”
Before he starts to search the vehicle, another car pulls into the lot, and the sight brings a wave of relief crashing over me.Spruce County Sheriffit reads on the side of the SUV and Beau doesn’t waste time. He jumps out, still dressed in civilian clothes from earlier at the station. Rhett says something like “Nice of you to join us,” but Beau ignores him, beelining for me. “You okay?”
I nod, I’m just grateful he’s here. I don’t think I could handle this alone with Sheriff Wilson.
“Anything, Rhett?” Beau calls when we approach the vehicle.
“Clean as a whistle!” Sheriff Wilson yells from inside the cab.
The way Nick liked it.
Beau pulls the Jeep’s BOLO up on his phone. “The license plate matches, so we know it’s theirs.”
“But we don’t have anything connecting it to him.”
I roll my eyes. “Who else would have driven it out here?”
“There were a handful of other guys with him last weekend, huh?”
“You cannot be serious.” I huff, earning a warning look from Beau. “Yes, eight or nine of them, including Nick.”
“Well, which is it? Eight or nine?”
I look at Beau, who pleads with his eyes. “Nine.”
“So, any of them could’ve—”
“No, any of them couldnothave brought this out here! The others are all accounted for, the only one not is my fucking husband, Sheriff Wilson. And the sweatshirt sitting on the passenger seat is one ofhis. That leads me to believehewas the one driving the vehicle.”
Sheriff Wilson shares a look with Beau, who offers him a small shrug, but I see the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. For someone who’s just as much at fault for this, he’s enjoying the show a little too much.
“If you check the glove compartment, you might find his wallet. He used to leave it there when on the trail.” Even though I always told him not to.
Wilson walks around to the passenger side, opens the compartment, shoves his hand as far as it will go, and comes out…empty. A second later, his eyes narrow toward the center of the cab. “Wait a minute. I might’ve found something.” Sheriff Wilson’s words sink like a rock in my stomach. That can’t be good…Can it? I look at Beau, but he hasn’t taken his eyes off Wilson’s back since he dove back into the car. The older man comes out and drops something into the palm of his hand, examining it before he encloses the object in a tight fist. “Can you describe your husband’s wedding ring, Mrs. Villa?”
When I look at Beau for confirmation, he nods, urging me to answer the question. “It’s a silver band, with a stripe of black titanium. The titanium would be scratched to hell because—”
“Can you think of any reason your husband would leave his ring in the car?” Wilson lifts the object he’d been toying with moments before, holding the circle between his thumb and index finger. “Seems a little suspicious, don’t you think, Turner?”
Beau stands with his hands on his hips, chewing on the thought. His gaze moves from me to the ring and back. “Does Nick normally take his ring off to go hiking?”
