Page 40 of Stolen Angels

“Copy that.”

Sucking in a breath to ward off a cough, Ellie threw up a hand in greeting, introducing them.

“Are you Curtis Banks?” Ellie asked.

His thick brows bunched together in a question. “Yeah. Why?”

“We just spoke with Jasper Truman. He said he was here with you yesterday and the night before. Is that right?”

Banks flicked ash from his cigarette onto the ground, confusion crossing his face, and Cord walked along the pond bank searching for signs of Ava. “Yeah, we been buddies for a while. Said he was having girlfriend troubles, so we met up to fish.”

“Did you two ride together?”

“Naw, he got here a little while before me. Left this morning to pick up more bait and hasn’t come back.” He took another drag of his cigarette. “What’s going on? Something happen to him?”

Ellie studied his body language for indicators he was lying, but he genuinely looked concerned about his buddy. “His daughter Ava disappeared yesterday morning. His wife thought Jasper might have taken her from the bus stop.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Little Ava’s missing?”

“Yes,” Ellie said. “Do you know anything about that?”

He shook his head. “No, hell no. Cell service is spotty here and we didn’t bring a radio. Whole idea is to get away to unwind.”

“Did Jasper talk about his daughter?” Ellie asked.

The man tossed his cigarette butt into the dirt and smashed it with his muddy boot. “Just that he was missing her and was going to see her at Christmas. Said he might cave and buy her the puppy she’s been wanting.”

“He was here with you the entire time?” Ellie asked.

“Yeah, until this morning.” He shoved his hat back and wiped sweat from his forehead. He dug his phone from his pocket then accessed a photo of Jasper holding up a trout he’d caught. “Made his day, catching this big one.”

Ellie glanced at Cord, who was leaning against a tree listening. Banks sounded convincing, and the time stamp on the photo confirmed he’d been there, which meant Jasper had an alibi for the time Ava disappeared. “Do you know Jasper’s girlfriend?”

The big man shrugged. “Met her a couple of times. Don’t know what Jasper saw in her. He said he broke it off, that she was demanding and wasn’t good with Ava.”

“Do you think she’d take Ava to hurt him or force him into seeing her again?”

The man worked his mouth from side to side as if thinking. “I doubt it. Don’t think she cared that much about him. Money was all that mattered to her.” He rubbed his beer belly. “Jasper said she got knocked up a while back and talked about selling the baby. Got a pretty penny for it.”

Ellie went still, sweat beading on her skin. If Autumn had borrowed one of Jasper’s vans and had been driving it, Ava might have thought it was her father and climbed inside it with her.

But what would she have done with her?

Forty-Three

Raven Landing

Priscilla Wilkinson couldn’t shake the news story about the missing child in Crooked Creek from her mind as she did her annual hike to Raven Landing, her favorite scenic attraction near Raven Cliff Falls. She and her sister Renee used to bring Renee’s little girl Kaylee here every year to look for the ravens who usually traveled in pairs, their wide black wings flapping as they soared across the clear blue sky. Some dipped and landed, then perched on the overhang as if to look down at the world with watchful eyes.

“What’s the difference between crows and ravens?” Kaylee had asked.

“Ravens are larger than crows, the size of a Red-tailed Hawk,” Renee had explained.

“They’re beautiful, Mama,” Kaylee said as she skipped rocks across the creek water.

Grief clumped in Priscilla’s throat.Dear God, it’s been a year since little Kaylee disappeared.She understood the horror of what the Truman family was going through. She’d lived it herself with her sister. Worse, the cop who’d investigated had arrested Renee and accused her of criminal negligence that had led to her daughter’s death.

They never found a body.

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