and Abby’s heart melted. “All of a sudden, I was standin’ up on the bank. Custos wiped the mud off me with his wing, and I wasn’t coughin’ no more. He promised he was always watchin’ out for me. And then he was gone. I didn’t even see him go.”
“When I was your age,” Jay said, “I had an imaginary friend named Ko-Ko. He was a dragon. He had wings too.”
Ella’s eyes grew wide. “Did real fire come outta his mouth?”
Abby looked over at Jay and ever so subtly shook her head, hoping he would get the hint not to encourage this line of conversation. “Ella, what is this room used for?”
“Pa said it was a storm cellar, but we ain’t never used it.”
Except to dump our daddy’s body, Abby thought. “Jay, what time is it?”
Jay pushed the button on his watch, and the face lit up green. “Eight twenty-two. What I wouldn’t give for a plate of eggs and bacon and hash browns.”
“You must be so hungry,” Abby said to Ella.
“I’m used to it. When Pa gits mad, he sends me to bed with no supper. And Pa’s mad a lot.” Ella linked arms with Abby and nestled closer. “He’s gonna kill us like he said. He ain’t makin’ that up just to git us afraid.”
“You seem awfully sure about that,” Jay said. “Has he killed someone before?”
Ella clutched more tightly to Abby and didn’t answer.
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Abby stroked her sister’s cheek. “You can tell us.”
Ella shook her head. “I ain’t sayin’ nothin’.”
Virgil watched investigators go through Kate Cummings’s Odyssey, and an ominous sense of déjà vu came over him. He blinked it away. He could not allow himself to fall into the trap of assuming that Abby’s situation was related to Micah and Riley Jo’s disappearance. But neither could he ignore it.
He saw Billy Gene pull up and walked toward him, arriving at the squad car just as the deputy was getting out.
“Any luck at the apartment?” Virgil said.
Billy Gene shook his head. “No, sir. The maintenance supervisor went in under the guise of needin’ to change the furnace filter. The place was empty. Beds hadn’t been slept in. No dirty dishes. We still haven’t spotted Jay’s truck.”
“Have you talked to any of the neighbors?”
“Everyone in the building. The last one to see him was the lady across the hall.”
Virgil’s cell phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen. It was his administrative assistant. “April, please tell me you have good news.”
“I do,” April Cox said. “I’ve got Jay’s mother, Sue Ann Stump, on the line. Should I patch her through?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
Virgil waited for the beep. “Mrs. Stump? Sheriff Granger here.”
“Thank heavens,” she said. “The Las Vegas Police came to our hotel room and told us what’s going on. Jay can’t be missing. It’s just not possible. My boy’s very capable and responsible, or I would never’ve left him by himself. There has to be another explanation.”
“We’re certainly hoping so. But right now, we can’t think of any. Can you remember the last time you talked to your son?”
“I know exactly when it was,” Sue Ann said. “Tuesday morning, the day after we arrived in Vegas. I called Jay to tell him Richie and I had tied the knot and were fixin’ to stay all week and fly back next Monday. I said I’d check in with him this weekend. But he knows my cell number.”
“Did Jay hint that he might be going somewhere?”
“Absolutely not. He was gonna follow his normal routine. He goes to work at Tutty’s at four and works until ten. When he’s not working or sleeping, he’s usually with Abby Cummings, which I’m sure you know.”
“What’s his relationship with Abby?”
“She’s a doll, but Jay says they’re just friends. Abby’s been to the apartment a few times. I’ve played Scrabble with them and watched a few movies. I didn’t see any sparks flying.”
“Is Jay dating anyone?”
“Not lately. He’s shy with girls. It’s just as well, or he might could end up like me. I had Jay when I was barely eighteen. I’m only thirty-five, and it’s taken me four tries to find my soul mate.” Sue Ann sighed. “I’ve finally found him. And before I can even get home from my honeymoon, there’s already a crisis.”
“I’m not sure whether this is a crisis,” Virgil said. “But you need to be aware that Kate Cummings thinks it is and has filed a missing-person report. Is there any other family member who might know where your