Page 12 of A Song for the Dead

“Okay, thanks.” Jenna smiled at him. “Mind if we take a look inside her truck? We’re trying to find clues to locate her.”

“Go ahead. It’s open.” George grimaced. “I hope you find her. This time of the year isn’t safe around these parts.”

Kane pulled open the truck door in a grind of metal on metal. “You can say that again.”

Inside smelled musty and the seats had seen better days. He found her insurance and registration in the glovebox but little else. No scraps of paper or signs she’d been anywhere in particular. He bent to peer under the seats, looked through the back and found nothing. He turned to Jenna. “Nothing of interest here.” He looked at George. “Do you recall if she was carrying a purse and a phone?”

“Yeah, she called us to haul the truck back here and had a phone in her hand when I last saw her. She was carrying a purse because she stuffed a few things inside it from inside the truck before leaving.”

“You haven’t heard from her since she left, have you?” Jenna moved to his side.

“Nope.” George’s gaze narrowed. “I said I’d call if I could find a decent replacement engine. I have her details, but I’ve had no reason to call her.”

“Okay, thanks, George.” Jenna smiled at him. “We’ve held you up long enough.” She headed for the Beast.

Kane slid behind the wheel. “Beauty parlor next?”

“I’ve already spoken to the proprietor. Freya had a key and went in to clean when they shut down for the night.” Jenna clicked in her seatbelt. “It was closed before she arrived, so she didn’t come into contact with anyone. The time she arrived is debatable too, because as Freya works all over, there’s no telling what time she arrived or left the beauty parlor. The owner said as long as the place was cleaned, the hours she worked didn’t matter.” She glanced at Kane. “George mentioned the general store. We’ll try there next.” She glanced at her watch. “Time is getting away from us. I want to drop by Nanny Raya’s and get Tauri before it gets too cold. I promised he could see the spider outside Aunt Betty’s. I figured we’d walk him down Main so he could see some of the other Halloween displays.”

Raising his eyebrows, Kane glanced at her. “Do you think seeing them might frighten him?”

“I don’t think so because he knows they’re not real and they’ve been making Halloween masks all week in kindergarten. They have ghosts and pumpkins all over the room.”

Kane nodded. “Yeah, I guess we should carve a jack-o’-lantern from a pumpkin for him as well. I remember making them with my dad. We could do it together. What do you think?”

“It was the best time for me too.” Jenna laughed “I’m really enjoying having Tauri, he brings back so many happy memories. Now all we need is a pumpkin.”

Kane stared along the sidewalk. “I did see a pile for sale along here somewhere.”

“We’ll look for one after we’ve collected him.” Jenna smiled. “It will all be part of the fun.”

Pulling up in a space outside of the general store, he climbed out. “Wait there, Duke. We’ll be walking along Main anytime soon.” He shot a glance at Jenna. “Do you want to eat at Aunt Betty’s tonight? I figure he’d like it and it would give us more time with him before he goes to bed. It won’t take long to move the horses into clean stalls when we get home. I’ll muck them out in the morning and turn them out into the corral.”

“Okay, but we’ll grab a pie to go.” Jenna rolled her eyes. “If you eat at six, you’ll be starving by eight.”

Grinning, Kane followed her into the general store. “Sure. You twisted my arm.”

After speaking to the manager, Kane listened with interest. “So, Freya worked alongside a few people. Any of them happen to be male?”

“Yeah, Elliot Cummings.” The manager raised both eyebrows. “They seemed to get along just fine.”

Nodding, Kane looked at him. “Would you describe Elliot Cummings as just a workmate or was there anything between him and Freya?”

“I’m not too sure.” The manager’s eyebrows joined in the center in a frown as if he was trying to recall their interactions. “I did hear him ask her out at one time.”

“What did she say?” Jenna was making notes.

“Oh, that she works twenty-four/seven and doesn’t have the time for dating.” The manager shrugged. “It was quiet between them after that.”

Kane straightened. “And before that, had they become close?”

“Hmm, don’t quote me, but I have seen them in the break room drinking coffee and chatting, but then Elliot seemed to ignore her or she did him.” The manager looked at Jenna. “I never heard any harsh words between them.”

“When was the last day she worked?” Jenna’s pen raised from her notebook as she looked at him.

“Saturday, she took her break around five, finished her shift at eight, she goes from here to the beauty parlor.” The manager shook his head. “She was a good worker. I heard on the news that she’s missing. I hope she’s okay.”

As he nodded, Kane’s mind flashed to the crime scene. There would be no way anyone survived that much blood loss. He cleared his throat. “We do too. We’ll need the details of Elliot Cummings. We’re interviewing everyone who knew Freya. Do I need a warrant?”

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