Blind Faith - Sharon Sala Page 0,15
off. I think Randall held a grudge about that.”
“Even though he’s dated other girls since?” Wyrick asked.
Justin frowned. “How did you know that?”
“I know stuff. All kinds of stuff,” Wyrick said.
Justin shrugged. “Tony kept talking about his girl, and Randall got sick of it. He told Tony that Trish was his girl first, before Tony ever moved here.”
Wyrick leaned forward. “And you added to Tony’s shock by telling him that a lot of boys had dated Trish Caldwell. You insinuated she slept around.”
Peter groaned and looked at his son in disbelief. “You didn’t.”
Justin shrugged. “Well, dammit, Dad. I was drunk, okay?”
“That’s how girls’ reputations are ruined,” Wyrick said. “A lie. Just one lie and everybody runs with it.”
“I’m sorry,” Justin said. “I’ll make it up to her.”
“Right now, no one knows you said it but Randall and Tony, so don’t say it again, and the lie doesn’t grow.”
Justin frowned. “How did you find out, then?”
“Randall told me,” Wyrick said.
Justin glared at her. “I don’t believe you. Randall wouldn’t rat on me.”
“He didn’t ‘rat’ on you. He told me the truth. And I know something else you’re not telling. All three of you were together the next morning. You were on the trail and you were all wearing your backpacks. And you were arguing,” Wyrick said.
Peter stood. “How do you know that?” he asked.
“Ask Justin if it’s true,” Wyrick said.
Justin was ashen and trembling. “You can’t know that. No one was there. No one saw us.”
“Actually, you just admitted that was true by the way you denied it,” Wyrick said. “I also know you’re scared shitless about something else. Something worse. What did you two do to Tony Dawson?”
“We didn’t do anything. We didn’t touch him!” Justin shrieked, and got up and ran out of the room.
Andrea jumped up and followed him, leaving Peter alone and in shock.
“I don’t know what to say...what to think,” he mumbled.
“If he confesses anything more, I would appreciate a phone call. If Tony Dawson is still alive, his life might depend on someone willing to tell the truth.”
Wyrick handed him a card from Dodge Security and Investigations, and then picked up her video equipment and left on her own. She was back in the Mercedes and on her way to the office when her cell rang. When she saw it was Charlie, she put it on speaker.
“What?”
“I found his backpack. It appeared to have been hidden, which is why searchers would have missed it before, but I think animals are responsible for the fact that it had been dragged out into the open enough for me to find it. They’d torn into the backpack for the protein bars. Tony’s ID was inside, but there’s no sign of his body anywhere. No blood. No drag marks that would indicate animals got to him.”
“I have news, too. Randall admitted they were all three drunk. Tony kept bragging about his girl, and Randall fired back and said she was his girl first. Then Justin added a little fire by claiming Trish slept around with lots of boys, which isn’t true, but Randall didn’t deny it. What they told Tony must have gutted him.”
“Well, shit,” Charlie said.
“That’s not all,” Wyrick said. “When I was talking to Randall, I saw all three of them with their backpacks, but it was morning, and they were on the trail together, and they were arguing. So either they fought before that night, or Tony was there the next morning, and they lied about not knowing what happened to him.”
Charlie was silent a moment, but he was thinking about Wyrick’s uncanny ability to know what people were thinking when they were being questioned.
“You saw that...like when we interviewed that convict in Phoenix, and you saw the truth of where Fourth Dimension was, and what was happening to those little girls?”
“Yes, like that. I saw the boys together and it was morning.”
“What would happen if you were holding something that belonged to Tony? Do you think you could key in on him?” Charlie asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to do that,” Wyrick said.
“Call his parents. Tell them you’re coming by and that you need a personal item that belongs to Tony. Something he wears or uses all the time. See what happens and call me. I’ve got a gut feeling they might have hidden his body like they hid his gear, and I want to be wrong.”
“Yes, okay, and if it works, I’ll call you.”
“In the meantime, I’ll continue the search,” Charlie said.
Wyrick disconnected,