Page 37 of Seeking Justice

“Ricky,” Sam called out, spinning on his heel to face the young man again. “One more thing—how did you know who April was?”

Ricky, who had started to turn back to his work, hesitated. He glanced over his shoulder, his posture stiffening. “Everyone who works in construction knew who she was after she started making trouble for the new development projects. Hard to miss someone when they’re stirring up that much noise.”

Sam nodded, satisfied for the moment. “All right, we’ll be in touch if we have more questions.”

As they walked away, Jo whispered to Sam, “Think he’s telling the truth?”

Sam kept his eyes forward, watching Lucy sniff the ground. “Hard to say. But one thing’s for sure. This case just got a lot more tangled.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

Beryl wasn’t in the trailer, so Sam and Jo decided to head out to her house. Sam guided the Tahoe through the winding roads, the landscape awash with the vibrant hues of fall. The town’s quaint, serene landscape belied the turmoil of the investigation they were entangled in. Lucy lay sprawled in the back seat, her ears occasionally twitching at the sound of their conversation.

Jo, sitting shotgun, gazed out at the passing scenery, her mind clearly elsewhere. She finally broke the silence, her voice tinged with skepticism. “I don’t buy Beryl’s innocent act, not for a second. It’s too convenient, her stumbling upon the body the way she did.”

Sam nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. He knew of Jo’s distrust toward Beryl. “You think she’s involved?”

“I mean, she found April’s body, right? And then there’s the fight they had. Plus, her footprints all over the crime scene.” Jo listed the points, ticking off each one with her fingers. “It’s suspicious.”

Lucy let out a soft whine from the back, as if in agreement. Sam glanced at her through the rearview mirror, a slight smile tugging at his lips. Lucy always had a sense for these things.

“But what about the larger man’s footprint we found there? Could Beryl have had help?” Sam pondered, his tone contemplative.

Jo turned to face him, her brow furrowed. “An accomplice? Maybe. But then why show up the next day to ‘discover’ the body? A ploy to throw us off?”

Sam considered this. “It’s possible. She’s smart enough to think of that. But there’s something that doesn’t quite fit.”

The Tahoe rolled past a charming row of local shops, their quaintness a stark contrast to the gravity of their conversation. Jo’s gaze returned to the window, watching the world outside while her mind worked through the details of the case.

Jo shifted in her seat, her gaze still fixed on the passing scenery. “You know, the more I think about it, the more I can’t shake off this feeling about the connection between the Websters and the Duchamps… or the Woodsons, as they’re known now.”

Sam glanced at her, his expression thoughtful. “It does seem like a strange coincidence.”

“What are the odds that an old clue led me here and then we discover my old babysitter’s family, who was investigated in Tammy’s disappearance, moved here? They left town, changed their name, and now we find they’re related to the Websters. Too many connections for it to be just a coincidence,” Jo said, her voice tinged with a mix of suspicion and unresolved pain from her past.

Sam nodded slowly. “And we’ve had our run-ins with the Websters before. Remember the leads in that serial killer case that pointed to them? It turned out to be a dead end, but…”

“But it doesn’t mean they’re clean. Just that they weren’t involved in that particular case,” Jo interjected, her tone firm. “Ricky’s too young to be a part of that, but his father or maybe an uncle… There’s something there. I can feel it.”

Lucy let out a soft huff from the back seat, almost as if in agreement. Sam reached over to give the dog a gentle pat. “We need to tread carefully. If there’s a connection between the Woodsons and the Websters, it could lead to something much deeper.”

Jo turned to face Sam, her eyes burning with a mix of determination and a deep-seated need for closure. “And more deadly.”

Sam steered the cruiser onto a narrower road, the canopy of trees creating a dappled shade over them. “We’ll look into the Woodsons’ history deeper, that’s for sure.”

The conversation paused as they each retreated into their thoughts, piecing together the fragments of information. The car seemed to hum with the weight of their deliberations, Lucy’s occasional shifts in the back seat the only sound breaking the silence.

Lucy shifted in the back, her movement drawing their attention. Jo reached back, giving the dog a reassuring pat. “Even Lucy’s unsettled by this.”

The Tahoe pulled into Beryl’s driveway, the gravel crunching under its tires. Jo glanced at Sam, a determined look in her eyes. “Let’s get some answers.”

Sam nodded in agreement, killing the engine. Lucy perked up, sensing the shift in energy. The three of them stepped out of the car, ready to confront whatever lies awaited them inside.

“It’s still hard to believe she stayed here after everything with Lucas,” Jo mused aloud, her gaze fixed on the mansion’s towering façade.

Sam nodded in agreement. “Money and pride can make people cling to the strangest things.”

Beryl greeted them with a performance of surprise and charm, her smile a little too wide, her eyes a little too bright. “Detectives! To what do I owe this pleasure?”

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