TO DIE FOR (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 8) - Willow Rose Page 0,58
I found it this morning as you told me to,” he said.
“This is all?”
“She doesn’t have much stuff. She didn’t bring anything with her when she came back. She threw out the clothes she was wearing. They were completely destroyed. I had never seen anything like it. She was in a terrible state when she came here but assured me she didn’t need to go to the hospital. I did notice some bruises on her wrists and her arms, though, but she wouldn’t tell me how she got them. I bought her some pants and shirts at Walmart that she could wear. She didn’t want to leave the house, she said. She just sat in that chair by the window like she was waiting for someone to come get her. It was really eerie, to be honest. But she wouldn’t tell me who it was, who had hurt her, who she was waiting for. I could just see that she was scared.”
“It’s much like what she did in Viera,” I said while scanning the room, looking for anything that could tell me what had happened to her, if she had left willingly or not. I was mostly looking for signs of a struggle—a tipped-over lamp or trace of blood on the floor.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. It’s just that…she was dating Scott when she disappeared. And she said to him a couple of months ago that if she ever went missing, he should go looking for her. It just tells me she knew someone was searching for her. She was afraid of someone. That’s why I would really like to know what—or who—she ran from when leaving Winter Park three years ago.”
I walked around to the other side of the bed, my eyes scanning everything I could see but found nothing—no signs of a struggle. That didn’t mean she hadn’t been taken against her will. A gun to the head or a knife to the throat was enough to make people come along quietly. I glanced toward the chair by the window and tried to picture her sitting there, then remembered seeing her come out to us when we were last there.
Gun clutched in her hand.
“She had a gun,” I said.
“Yes, she was using my gun; it made her feel protected,” Bryan said, then wrinkled his forehead. “How did you know that?”
“I was just guessing,” I lied, not wanting to explain how I knew and get into the discussion of why Sarah would put a gun to Scott’s head if they were dating. It still had me greatly puzzled, and I kept wondering what the heck he did to her. “But where is that gun now?”
Bryan looked confused. “Let me check if she put it back.”
He left and came back a few minutes later. “It’s not in the box under my bed where it usually is.”
“So, technically, she could still have it?” I asked.
“I…I guess so.”
I nodded. “You and I are going to make some coffee, and then we’ll sit down and have a long chat. I need you to tell me everything, and I mean everything about Sarah. When she lived here, who did she hang out with? Where did she work? Where did she live? Who were her coworkers? What school did she attend? Did she have any enemies? Any heart she broke? Any big events in her life? Anything that might have happened back then that could justify her leaving everyone just like that. You must have had an idea back then about what could make her suddenly pick up and leave. I need to know everything. Do you hear me, Bryan? Everything. Don’t leave out a single thing.”
Chapter 61
THEN:
“They’re here again. The detectives are here.”
Lynn stared at her secretary, who bore a nervous smile.
“They’re in the waiting room.”
Lynn nodded. “Give me a minute to get myself ready, then send them in.”
Lynn rushed to her office and put down her briefcase, heart bouncing in her chest. Why were they here? Did they know about her and Jeff? What they had done was dangerous, especially for her. Having sex with a client was a third-degree felony, and she risked losing her license and maybe even jail time. Was that why they were here?
“Can we come in?” Detective Fraser said as he peeked in the door.
Lynn composed herself and straightened her shirt. She tried to smile, even though she knew it would come off as awkward.