The sheriff cleared his throat. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I just got a call. It was her… crying for help.”
A tense heartbeat of silence passed. “Are you sure? Shondra was pissed at me and probably just went off to pout.”
She inwardly cursed. Why did she think Bryce would actually care?
“I know it was her. I’m going to her place to look around.”
“I’m tied up right now or I’d meet you there,” Bryce said. “But keep me posted.”
“You could put her on the missing persons list and spread the word.”
“Don’t tell me how to do my job. Find some proof that she’s actually missing and I will.”
Technically he was right. But that call… it had been real. If the killer had abducted Shondra and they waited too long, she might already be dead.
Twenty-Seven
Marvin’s Mobile Home Park
Her anxiety rocket-high, Ellie raced to Shondra’s trailer. The mobile home park had seen better days. The owner, Marvin, charged too much for rent, and last year, Ellie had busted him for using two trailers in the rear as brothels. But Shondra was not one to complain or to care about material things––and she felt like her presence might keep the other single women living there safe from the pimps that came around at all hours of the night to collect their cut and beat up on the girls.
Shondra had grown up with no one to look out for her, so she’d learned to do that herself. She was as independent as they came.
But lately, she’d hinted about a girlfriend.
What was her name?
Self-recriminations screamed in Ellie’s head. She’d been so caught up in her own problems, she hadn’t been a good friend. She’d only half listened when Shondra mentioned her new love interest.
If Shondra was dead, she’d never forgive herself.
As Ellie climbed from her jeep, three black crows gathered on the power line, giving her an eerie feeling. According to a high school teacher, crows were symbols of danger and death, said to be God’s messengers to the mortal world.
Ellie had never been superstitious, but she couldn’t shake the sensation that they were here for a reason.
Shondra’s black pick-up truck was parked beneath the carport, and the sound of dogs barking filled the air, the wind slapping a loose awning against the metal structure.
Unease crawled up her spine as she gauged the property. The grass needed cutting, the side of the trailer was splattered with mud from the recent thunderstorms. An animal had foraged through the trash, strewing plastic bottles, fast food wrappers, and beer cans everywhere.
Walking up to the carport, Ellie used her flashlight to peer inside Shondra’s truck from the passenger side.
Candy wrappers were discarded on the passenger seat, a reusable water bottle was in the console, with a Warriors hat from the girls’ soccer team she helped coach beside it. As far as Ellie could see, there was nothing amiss.
As she headed to the driver’s side, Ellie’s foot hit something and sent the object skidding. Looking down, she spotted Shondra’s cell phone in its silver sparkly case. Scuff marks darkened the area by the driver’s door and the keys to the truck glinted from the weeds.
Her breathing growing labored, she pulled latex gloves from her pocket and retrieved the phone and keys. A quick check revealed the cell battery was dead.
Ellie moved toward the front door of the trailer, glancing through the window. There was no movement inside. Raising her hand, she knocked, then tapped her foot while she waited. Seconds passed. No one answered.
She pounded the door again with her fist. “Shondra, if you’re in there, open up. It’s El.”
But the knot in her chest told her no one was inside. Her friend would never just disappear, never give Bryce the satisfaction of allowing him to think he’d run her off.
And that had been Shondra’s voice. There was no doubt in her mind.
Wind whistled in the silence, and a stray cat meowed from somewhere nearby. Worry knotting her muscles, Ellie walked to the opposite window, which offered a view of the living area. Remembering that her friend left a key beneath the bird feeder in the side yard, Ellie hurried to retrieve it. Seconds later, she snagged the key and let herself inside, checking the living room and kitchen, both of which were empty.
Turning into the hallway, she held her breath as she spotted a trail of daffodil petals––leading all the way to Shondra’s bedroom.