Page 42 of Ranger Belief
“I’m sorry. That’s tough. But boy, she’s gonna be a beauty when you’re done with her.”
Ryker bent down to examine some scrap of metal and spent the next few minutes talking about carburetors. Taking the hint,Jonah hung back, letting his colleague take the lead. He could already see a connection building between the two men, and that would only encourage Eddie to open up.
Finally, Ryker shifted the conversation to the case. He pulled up a photo of Mitchell on his phone. “Hey, man, I’m hoping you can help us out. Do you know this guy?”
“That’s Mitch. Mitchell Caldwell. We went to high school together.” Eddie frowned. “Why are you asking about Mitch? Last time I heard, he was in prison for stalking and attacking some woman…” His eyes widened. “Oh wait, you…Mitch is here? In town?”
“His mom denies it, but Mitch has been spotted in the park. We also found evidence that someone is camping illegally in Piney Woods.” Ryker’s tone was friendly, but his gaze sharp. “You haven’t seen Mitch hanging around, have you? He hasn’t contacted you?”
Eddie shook his head. “I don’t mess with the likes of people like Mitch anymore.”
“We spoke to your ex. She didn’t have nice things to say about Mitch.”
He looked surprised, and then it faded into resignation. “I’m sure she didn’t. Georgia always hated him. Rightfully so, as it turned out.”
“She said you and Mitch were friends in high school.”
“We were.” He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes shooting to Jonah. Redness formed along the back of his neck. “Look, I haven’t been completely honest with you. But I need to know that the two of you will keep what I say between us.” He met Jonah’s gaze. “I don’t want to lose my job.”
“That’s not a promise I can make. What I can say is that our interest is in finding a killer.” Jonah let some sympathy bleed into his voice. “Laney’s not unreasonable. She clearly isn’tlooking to fire you, so if I were you, I’d be honest and we’ll see what happens after that.”
Eddie seemed to mull that over and then sighed. “Yes, Mitch and I used to know each other in high school. I was something of a wild child back then. When my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, it was a wake up call. My mom died when I was a kid, and my dad was all I had. I straightened up, got my GED, and went to community college.” He leaned against the workbench behind him. “Shortly after starting at Piney Woods, I met Georgia. We fell in love fast and hard. But there were problems from the start. She’d had a tough childhood, and somehow, I had it in my mind that I could save her. As you can imagine, that didn’t go well.
“My dad was getting sicker and sicker. My marriage was on the rocks.” Eddie swallowed hard. “I started drinking and was a functional alcoholic for several years, but when my dad died last spring, things spiraled out of control. I could hold it together at work somewhat, but not well. I was late often, my work was sloppy. Most of my memories from that time are a blur. That’s why I didn’t recall Ava at all.”
Jonah was curious about where this was going. He nodded to show he was still listening.
“Then I had a fight with Georgia. I didn’t lie about what happened. I did accidentally hit her, but I was pretty drunk and not in the best frame of mind. The restraining order she took out against me was the wake-up call I needed. I stopped drinking the next day and put myself in AA.” He hooked his thumbs in his pockets. “I did lie about where I was on the night Ava and Tyler were murdered. I was at an AA meeting.”
“Where was the meeting held?”
Eddie gave the name of a local church and included his sponsor’s contact information. “I was also there on the nightNolan and Lisa were murdered. I had nothing to do with their deaths.”
“Why didn’t you just say so?” Jonah asked.
“I didn’t want Laney to find out. I love my job, and I’m afraid that if she knew how long I’d been working drunk…” Eddie swallowed hard. “People gave me a pass last spring because they thought I was grieving my dad. And I was. But if they knew I’d been drunk…they’d treat me differently.”
“Not Laney.” Jonah knew that with certainty. “You could’ve told her privately. She would’ve kept your secret.”
“Yes, but she’d also be looking for any sign that I’d fallen off the wagon. I don’t want that.” Eddie shifted his boot-clad feet. “I’m only telling you now because it’s clear you suspect me of something. I didn’t have anything to do with these murders. If Mitch is in town, he hasn’t contacted me. And I hope he never does. That chapter of my life is over.”
Jonah studied the other man for a long beat. Eddie met his gaze without wavering. He was still fidgety, fiddling with his belt loops constantly, but it seemed more of an absentminded gesture.
Still, Jonah wasn’t ready to completely buy his story yet. “Would you be surprised to learn that Mitch worked as a volunteer at the Spring Jamboree? He was at the wildlife center with Ava. You would’ve supervised them both. Are you telling me you didn’t recognize your high school buddy?”
Eddie blinked. “He what?” He straightened. “No, he didn’t. Michael Caldwell did. That’s Mitch’s older brother.”
“No, it wasn’t. Michael Caldwell was deployed during the Spring Jamboree.”
Jonah let the silence stretch out. It took a couple of beats for Eddie to connect the dots.
His mouth dropped open, and he gaped like a fish pulled from a stream. His hands shot up, palms facing Ryker and Jonah. “I didn’t know. I swear it.”
Jonah’s gaze narrowed. “Mitch didn’t say anything?”
“No, and I had no reason to doubt it. He and Michael look like twins.” Eddie dropped his hands. “Again, I wasn’t in a great headspace back then, and I was drinking. Maybe now I might’ve realized, but back then…” He shook his head. “It didn’t even occur to me.”
“Do you think it’s possible Mitch is guilty of the murders?” Ryker asked.
