“Not after I read the statement of a couple of her co-workers. Said she was workin’ hard to move on, gettin’ on with her life, goin’ out more.”
“The opposite of reclusive?”
“Exactly.” Trey focused on the road. “She had just joined an online datin’ site when she went missin’. Had been chattin’ with a couple of guys.”
“Did you talk to either of them?” Evan asked.
“I did. Both said she was friendly online, but she was cautious, so they hadn’t yet met in person.” Trey sighed. “One said they were plannin’ to have coffee the next Sunday.”
“I didn’t make it that far in the case files,” Evan said. “Sorry. She never made it to the coffee date?”
“No.” Trey still remembered talking to the ex-husband, seeing that bastard’s smug face. The woman hadn’t changed her will at the time of her death, so everything she’d had was left to him. The house, the cars. All of it.
Since Evan had read the file, he knew that Trey had tugged on a line leading all the way back to a construction site the ex had been working at when the woman went missing, which just so happened to still be under construction. A construction site that ended up being the burial ground of the ex-wife. The police were able to tie it back to him because of DNA. The fucker had been careless, believing no one would ever find the body because he’d done his due diligence to show she was missing, not dead.
“Sounds to me like you’ve got some damn good instincts,” Evan said now.
Trey wasn’t sure about that. Half the time, he felt as though he had no idea which way was up.
*
“So, Charlie … this thing with you and my cousin … it serious?”
Charlotte Miller glanced over at the man in the passenger seat, smiled as she turned her attention back to the road. “You realize we’re on the job, right?”
“Technically, we’re drivin’,” Slade countered in that slow drawl that she suspected the ladies swooned for.
“You’re relentless, you know that?”
Slade chuckled, and Charlie decided she liked his laugh as much as she liked his laid-back, country-boy demeanor. It hadn’t been until Kylie Walker’s death earlier in the year that Charlie had been introduced to many of her girlfriend’s family members, including Autumn’s cousin Slade. One of Aunt Rose’s six kids, she’d been told.
Having come from a small family—an only child with only two cousins—it had taken Charlie a little while to get used to being around so many people. More so to be immersed in a small town that was just as meddlesome as it was welcoming, but Coyote Ridge was growing on her.
As was Autumn’s family. The one thing she’d noticed about them, they were very similar in manner: strong, smart, resilient, determined. Much like Autumn herself. They were traits Charlie admired in a person. But what always caught her off guard was their innate ability to poke their nose into her personal business. Worse, because of that country charm, she found herself telling far more than she ever intended.
“So that’s a yes?” Slade teased.
“I like her all right,” she teased back.
“She’s smitten with you, you know?”
Yeah, she knew. And she was equally smitten with the woman. Had been from the very moment they met, which in itself was something Charlie had never experienced before. She’d dated plenty of women over the years, enjoyed their company just fine, but never had she met one who made her heart flutter the way Autumn did.
Unfortunately, their fast and furious beginning had slowed significantly in recent months. First because of Kylie Walker’s tragic death and the impact it had on the entire community, then because of Charlie’s personal responsibilities. With her mother’s deteriorating mental health, Charlie found she didn’t have much time to dedicate to anyone else. Thankfully, Autumn seemed to understand, and their relationship was proving to be strong enough to weather the storms.
“Fine,” Slade said with another gruff chuckle. “I’ll leave it be.”
“Thank you.”
“While we’re at work,” he clarified. “When I see you at family get-togethers, I’ll be givin’ you shit.”
Of that she had no doubt. The Jameson clan was a close bunch, very similar to the Walkers from what she could tell. It only made sense that the two families had merged at one point when Autumn’s aunt Lorrie had married Curtis Walker.
“Tell me, Slade, what made you want to apply for this job?” she asked as she pulled off the toll road and continued on toward the country club.
“Kylie Walker,” he said simply. “Her death and the actions surrounding it made me want to get involved.”
Charlie understood that. Being that the task force had spent six months searching for Juliet Prince with no luck, Charlie knew that, had anything gone differently, Kylie might’ve still been there with them. Instead, she’d been taken from this world far too soon, leaving behind five young children and two husbands. Every member of the task force felt responsible, still beating themselves up over the what-ifs.
“How long’ve you been a bounty hunter?” Charlie still remembered being surprised when she’d seen that on the resume she’d been given. “And is it a lucrative job?”
“Six years now,” he said, his gaze on the buildings they passed. “Got into it because a buddy of mine asked for some help. Figured what the hell, why not?” He barked a laugh. “And no, I don’t do it for the money.”
“But you like it?”
“I love it.”
“So why do this?”
“A change, I guess.” His tone shifted, going darker than before. “I think it’s just time for a change.”
Because they’d agreed to keep things business at work, Charlie decided against pressing him for details. No doubt there was something that had him rethinking his life. From what she knew, he was only thirty-one, just a year older than she was. He was also single, having been married and divorced when he was in his early twenties. She didn’t know the story behind it, but Autumn had mentioned it when they were talking about their family and friends who’d married and then divorced. Charlie still didn’t know how they’d gotten on that topic. Then again, they talked about pretty much anything and everything, something she adored about the woman. There was nothing off-limits for Autumn, and Charlie appreciated that.
“How do you wanna handle this?” Slade asked when Charlie stopped at one of the many red lights that dotted this stretch of road.
“Honestly?”
He peered over at her. “Yeah.”
“Well, I think you should use that good-ol’-boy charm.”
His eyebrows popped. “That right?”
“Yes. I think it’ll put people at ease. You’re easy to talk to; maybe it’ll get them to open up.”
“And while I’m doin’ that, what’ll you be doin’?”
“I figure I’ll talk to the club’s manager, see if I can get a feel for how well he knew Mr. Hawkins. I have to believe this is a tight-knit community, one that considers itself a class of its own. I’d like to find out whether or not Mr. Hawkins was in a relationship with someone other than his wife.”