She studied the photograph of Darnell Woodruff then realized she knew the name. He’d been at the center of a recentnews report, his release instigated by true crime podcaster Caitlin O’Connor, who worked with the Innocence Project.
Dammit. She had to talk to the deputy.
“Derrick?”
“Yeah?”
“There was a similar case fifteen years ago. Sixteen-year-old Darnell Woodruff has been serving time for the murder and was just released. The victim was his fifteen-year-old half sister, who was found in bed clutching a white teddy bear.”
Derrick jerked his head up. “Now we have a suspect.”
Ellie wiped perspiration from her forehead. “Yes,” she said. “And that man is Deputy Landrum’s half brother.”
Derrick swung his gaze to her. “What the hell?”
“I know. I can’t believe he didn’t mention that detail.” And she would find out the reason. “Derrick, the murdered girl attended the original Red Clay Mountain High.” Was that significant?
Derrick pulled a hand down his chin. “Now that is interesting.” He turned back to his computer. “Let me see if there are any employees at the school who might have been working at the original high school fifteen years ago.”
“Good idea,” Ellie said. “I’m going to find Landrum.”
Jaw clenched, she pushed away from her desk. On a mission to know why he’d failed to mention his sister’s murder, she hurried to find Landrum, but the deputy wasn’t at his desk.
She checked the break and conference rooms then hurried to the captain’s office. “Excuse me, sir. Have you seen Deputy Landrum?”
“He left, said he had something to do. I assumed he was following a lead for you.”
Ellie bit her tongue and decided to talk to Landrum before she confided in the captain. She at least owed him that.
“Right. If you hear from him before I do, please tell him I need to see him.”
The captain nodded and Ellie made her exit. She pulled her phone and called the deputy’s number, but he didn’t answer so she left a message.
Annoyed and hoping he was looking for Darnell for questioning, not hiding him out somewhere, she returned to her office. While Derrick dug for information on the teachers, Ellie found Caitlin O’Connor’s phone number through the Innocence Project.
It went straight to voicemail so she left a message. Frustration bubbled inside her. Damn. Didn’t anyone answer their phones anymore?
“Ms. O’Connor, this is Detective Ellie Reeves from the Crooked Creek Police Department. I understand you’ve been investigating convicted felon Darnell Woodruff for your true crime podcast. If you’ve seen the news, you’re probably aware that two teenagers from Red Clay Mountain are missing and presumed dead. What I did not reveal to the press was that the girls were posed in a similar manner to the way Mr. Woodruff’s half sister was found, both holding a white teddy bear in their arms.” She tucked a strand of her hair back into the ponytail holder. “Mr. Woodruff is wanted for questioning in this case. Please call me back with his contact information.”
She hung up with a sigh. “Anything on the teachers?”
Derrick shook his head. “None have records, and no one at the school was employed there at the time of Darnell’s arrest. But I’m looking into Woodruff. No juvenile record. He lived with his stepfather, Gil, his half brother, Heath, and half sister, Anna Marie. Mother abandoned the family before Anna Marie’s death.”
“That could have been his trigger,” Ellie said as she accessed the trial transcripts.
Derrick’s chair squeaked as he shifted. “Sixteen at the time of his arrest. Confessed. Open-and-shut case.”
Ellie rubbed her forehead. “Then why does the O’Connor woman think he’s innocent?”
Silence stretched for a few minutes, while Derrick continued his research.
“The podcasts haven’t been released yet, but at his parole hearing, Ms. O’Connor cited a lack of evidence and contradictory details in Darnell’s confession. The investigating officer was named Stan Traylor and still works at Red Clay Mountain Police Department. He was promoted to Lieutenant after he closed Woodruff’s case.”
“I want to talk to him.” Ellie called him, explained to the dispatch officer why she was phoning and was patched through immediately.
“Lieutenant Traylor,” he said in a deep baritone. “I’ve been expecting this call,” he said. “Ever since that O’Connor woman opened up a can of worms with her podcast, everyone’s interested in Digger Woodruff.”
“Digger?” Ellie asked.