Murder in the Smokies - By Paula Graves Page 0,57
brow furrowed. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“You left that marble on Ivy’s porch for me to find. You knew I’d know who’d left it there. You knew I’d come looking for you.”
“You ascribe a whole lot of knowledge to me—”
“You wanted to point me in the direction of Davenport Trucking, which suggests maybe you know more about these murders than you’re letting on.”
“First I’m the second coming of Ponzi and now I’m Ted Bundy?”
“I didn’t say you committed them. But you know that Davenport Trucking is somehow involved. Did you know before you started working there or did you pick it up from being there day in and day out?”
“Rachel Davenport was close to all four of the murder victims. You’ve figured that out by now, haven’t you?”
Sutton nodded.
“Ever wonder if that means something?”
He had, of course. He and Ivy had speculated about Rachel’s connection to the cases just the night before. “What do you think it means?”
“I think George Davenport is dying, and there’s a lucrative trucking company that’s about to be looking for a new president. Right now, I’d reckon on Rachel Davenport being the obvious choice for the job. Which makes me wonder, why might someone be picking off Rachel Davenport’s support system, one at a time?”
Sutton stared at Seth, a lot of loose puzzle pieces starting to click into place. “You think these really are murders for hire, don’t you?”
Seth met his gaze with the intensity of a man who was sure he was right. “Don’t you?”
He couldn’t say no. The more he learned about the victims and the circumstances of the murders, the less they seemed to fit the pattern of a serial killer. The trappings were there, and Sutton had a feeling that the killer got some enjoyment out of the murders. But the only connection between the victims that made any sense at all was their connection to Rachel Davenport.
If she was the killer’s focus, it would seem likely that she’d be a murder victim rather than a serial mourner. So whatever the motivation behind the murders, it wasn’t about killing Rachel physically. It was about destroying her emotionally.
“Why would anyone want to hurt her that way?” he asked Seth. “Do you know anything about her?”
Seth was slow to answer. “A few things.”
“Anything that would motivate someone to wreck her that way?”
“I’m not sure.”
Sutton had the sense that Seth knew more than he was saying, but he didn’t bother trying to press him directly. Seth could dig in his heels with the best of them. Instead, he changed topics. “Did you hang around here long after I left?”
“Yeah. I was in and out, but mostly in. Why?”
“I just get this sense—” He stopped, realizing whom he was talking to. When they’d been boys together up on Smoky Ridge, they’d shared everything, from tree forts to secret hiding caves. But then Seth Hammond had disappeared, sucked into the secrets and lies of Cleve’s world. He wasn’t Sutton’s buddy. He wasn’t his confidant. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be Sutton’s sounding board about Ivy Hawkins.
“You get what sense?”
“Nothing.”
“You want to know what life was like for your daddy when you left?”
“No.” He supposed he should feel guilty about that, but he just wasn’t. Cleve had made the life he wanted, and he’d made it impossible for Sutton to stick around and be part of it without selling his soul.
“Ivy, then?” Seth’s sharp green-eyed gaze met his directly. “You want to know what it was like for her when you hightailed it out of here?”
Sutton didn’t answer. He supposed his silence was all the response Seth needed.
“For a little while, she just kept on going like always. I reckon part of her figured you’d come to your senses and come back here where you belonged. Then, when it became clear you weren’t coming back, she started sticking around home with her mama a little more than usual. Turned out to be a big mistake, that.”
The dark tone of Seth’s voice made Sutton look up at his old friend. Seth looked angry.
Sutton’s heart dropped. “What happened?”
“Billy Turlow happened.” Seth’s hands twisted around each other as he spoke, the motions quick and almost violent. “Took up with her mama the summer after you left. Only it was clear to everybody but Arlene that the girl he really wanted was Ivy. I don’t know all the details. The cops kept it pretty hushed up for a little town like this, but the basics got out. Seems