Page 83 of The Girl in the River

Mark sat shaking his head, obviously struggling to make sense of these revelations.

“Mark, did Mia ever mention anyone by the name of Patty Lasso?”

His brows pinched together. “No. Who is she?”

“She was Jesse’s assistant at the boutique where she worked.”

“Boutique?”

“Yes, she designed clothing and opened her own store in Red River Rock. Did she mention an interest in fashion or designing?”

He shook his head again, then a flicker of something registered in his eyes. “She did make her wedding dress, though, and Pixie’s dress for the wedding. I… remember being surprised that she knew how to sew but she said her grandmother taught her.” He rubbed his hand over his forehead.

“The change in careers could have been another ploy to disguise her identity. If whoever was after her looked for a designer, they wouldn’t think to look for her at a gardening center.”

Mark looked up bleakly. “Or she left me so she could start over somewhere else.”

“You don’t believe that and neither do I,” Ellie said softly.

“I don’t know what to think,” he said, sounding defeated.

“Believe that Mia wouldn’t leave Pixie,” Ellie said.

He nodded. “I do believe that.”

“The woman I mentioned, Patty Lasso,” Ellie continued. “Her body was discovered in a whiskey barrel in the river yesterday. We suspect she was murdered about five years ago. When I questioned the sheriff and Patty’s landlord, they said she left town two days before Jesse did.”

Mark’s gaze locked with hers, the wheels starting to turn.

“It’s possible Jesse knew who killed Patty. She may even have witnessed her murder and she’s running from the killer. If she thought he’d found her, she could have left you and Pixie to protect you or—”

“Or he got her,” Mark muttered in a raw whisper.

“We can’t give up on her, Mark. She needs us.”

ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN

LIZARD CREEK

Cord’s nerves were raw from worrying about Ellie, his eyes gritty from lack of sleep. He tried to take a nap when he got home but images of her lying in those bushes beaten to a bloody pulp refused to let him rest.

Just like he knew she’d refuse to turn the case over to Sheriff Waters.

On some level, he understood. She was friends with Mia and if whoever assaulted Ellie had taken Mia, the young woman was in serious danger.

If she was still alive.

Besides, he didn’t know if Waters was all that competent. Certainly not as competent as Ellie.

His phone buzzed with work. “Got a call about a possible car crash around Lizard Creek. Not sure yet if it’s a rescue or recovery mission but gather a team and head up there.”

“Copy that.” He ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, snagged his keys and hurried outside to his truck, grateful for work to distract him. Traffic was thick with the holiday crowd and big kick off for the whitewater rafting season, slowing him as he left town and drove toward Lizard Creek.

Fifteen miles north of Red River Rock, the place was not a popular tourist spot because of the stories about the river lizards that inhabited the marshy banks. The creek fed into the river, inciting tales about monsters hiding in the murk who preyed on other animals and children.

He didn’t believe that last part but smalltown folklore had a way of taking on its own life.

He passed an outfitters store and headed onto the country road leading north of Red River Rock, not surprised that traffic had thinned out. By the time he reached the coordinates his boss had sent, Milo, two other SAR members and a medic team were there.

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