Page 90 of The Girl in the River

Ellie was right. Something bad had happened to her.

Every hour that passed felt like an eternity and his fear that Mia was never coming back mounted. He missed her and he missed Pixie. He walked to his back patio and stared out at the woods. There had been so many murders in Bluff County the last two years. Was his darling Mia going to be another?

How could he go on without her? Without the little girl he loved like a daughter? And what would happen if Mia didn’t come back and that man she’d married demanded to have Pixie?

A knock sounded at the door and he hurried to it, hoping it was Ellie Reeves with answers. But his mother stood on the stoop, holding a casserole dish in one hand.

Her eyes crinkled with worry as she raked her gaze over him. “You look terrible, honey.”

He didn’t bother to argue. She stormed past him, her heels clicking on his wood floor as she made her way to the kitchen. He followed, his mind already ticking away an excuse to get rid of her.

She set the dish on the counter with a smile. “I made you a roast with those tiny little potatoes and peas that’s your favorite.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Mom.”

She pinched his cheek with her fingers like she did when he was a little boy. “Your color is bad, too. Have you eatenanythingthe past few days?”

He released a wary sigh. “I haven’t exactly been hungry. I keep worrying about Mia.”

“I’m so sorry, darling,” she murmured. “Have you heard anything?”

He hadn’t told her everything yet. And he sure as hell didn’t feel like getting into it now. “Nothing concrete,” he said. “I did find out she had a sister, and she and her husband were murdered. Detective Reeves thinks it might be connected to Mia’s disappearance.”

His mother gasped and shock glazed her expression. “Do they know who murdered them?” she whispered.

He shook his head, his chest hurting with the effort to breathe. “Not yet. But they think it may be linked to a man named Kevin Moon. They’re investigating him now.”

His mother swayed slightly then caught hold of the counter for support. “Oh, honey. I… don’t know what to say.”

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY

LIZARD CREEK

Guilt seized Ellie as she realized Thelma might have died because she’d pointed them toward Patty. Sheriff Kincaid spoke to the rescue worker as they pulled her from the car, his body rigid, jaw clenched. Cord stood back with his SAR team member while Derrick circled the muddy car that had been dragged from the water, analyzing it.

“I met Thelma at Moondoggy’s. She seemed like a nice lady. Did you know her personally?” Ellie asked the sheriff.

“Not well. She was a good waitress,” Kincaid answered. “Friendly to everyone.”

Ellie crossed her arms. “You realize this was no accident, don’t you?”

“Why do you say that?” His mouth thinned into a frown.

“I saw the black paint on her rear bumper.” She arched a brow. “Don’t tell me you didn’t.”

Sheriff Kincaid walked to the back of the car and peered at it, then gave a nod. What else could he do? She wasn’t stupid, nor did she intend to let this slide.

“I’ll have a forensic team process the vehicle and look into the accident.”

“Not an accident,” Ellie said again.

“She could have been hit by a car at another time or she may have backed into someone else’s vehicle herself before she crashed here.”

“Sure, that could have happened. But it’s suspicious. First Jesse’s disappearance five years ago. Then we find Patty’s body and we know she was murdered. Now Thelma.”

He adjusted his Aviator sunglasses. “What did Thelma say to you when you talked to her?”

She decided to toss out some bait. “Nothing really. But she may or may not have mentioned Patty Lasso.”

---