Rae stared at him, those big blue eyes blinking rapidly as her face paled. “You don’t think . . . You don’t think that Zoey killed him, do you?”
“It might explain why she made you swear not to tell anyone that she’d turned up bruised and beaten after she’d been gone for a week.”
Rae’s frown deepened. “Maybe she was afraid of being arrested, even though she would only have killed him in self-defense. Still, I can’t believe it. There has to be another explanation.”
“Or maybe she was afraid of being linked to his murder for entirely different reasons. Depending on who this guy was connected to, she could have been afraid for her life.”
Liam took a few bites of the juicy elk burger as he stared at the news story. That pasty face, along with the thinning, dirty-blond hair—the guy seemed familiar. Just like the name. Where do I know him from?
Rae played with her food. The idea that Zoey could have killed this Astor guy disturbed her. He understood that. He also understood that neither of them would sleep tonight. “Tell me the rest. I want to know everything,” he said. “Like, what do the police in Denver know?”
“We told them everything. My brother told them what happened to Zoey while she was in college—her disappearance and how she’d been violently assaulted. Alan wondered if her disappearance was connected to what happened back then. I did too. At the time, I didn’t have Simon’s name. My brother has done everything he can to find her, but he has Callie to think about. He wants to keep her in a stable environment for as long as possible.”
“So, if the police know about all this, then why aren’t you letting them do their job?”
She skewered him. “Really, Liam. You have to ask me that? You of all people should understand. Atrocities happen every day that police aren’t aware of. There simply aren’t enough law enforcement entities to cover all the evil in the world. If there were, then bad guys wouldn’t get away with murder. This is my brother’s wife. My friend. If the worst happened and I didn’t do anything at all, if I didn’t at least use some of my skills, then I would never forgive myself.”
Liam understood that exact motivation—it was what motivated him now.
Rae took a bite of her burger. He was glad to see her eating.
“Samara Davidson said the police had delivered the news and asked a few questions,” she said. “More than that, I’m not sure if they’re even looking for her here in the valley where she grew up.”
“We’ll talk to the county sheriff, an almost-friend of mine. At least get the lines of communication going in addition to what we’ve already explained to Deputy Cook. He’s more of a patrol guy, and I don’t want anything to fall through the cracks of misinformation.”
They finished up their meal in silence. Liam gathered their dishes.
“I don’t want to approach the sheriff only to have him tell me to go away,” Rae said. “You don’t think he’ll try to stand in our way?”
“We’re not going to do anything illegal, so why should he?”
She nodded. “The more people on this, the better. We’ll talk to your sheriff tomorrow. But let’s get started early. In fact, I don’t know why we don’t just work through the night. Zoey could be suffering while we take our sweet time eating leftover elk burgers.”
She always had a way of making irrefutable points. That, along with her determination, was probably part of what made her a brilliant journalist. He worried about her. Dark circles were beginning to emerge under her eyes. As if undeterred by exhaustion, she shoved her blonde hair behind her ears, revealing small topaz earrings, and leaned in to look at his laptop screen. She lifted her fingers toward the keyboard.
He gently took her hands in his, ignoring her soft skin. “Sometimes you need to rest to think clearly. Tomorrow is almost here. A few hours of sleep will go a long way in helping us find Zoey.”
“You’re right. In the meantime, I can let Reggie know what I’ve discovered.”
“Reggie?”
“I have my resources.” Rae explained about her father’s research editor. “I have my own skills with databases, but they’re limited in comparison. Reggie has his own business to help reporters and journalists with information. It’s called the Information Depot. It helps speed up the process. You must have the same kind of