“Do you have any evidence to support this theory?” Summer cleared her throat. “Or is this just a stab in the dark?”
His eyes turned a cooler shade of blue. “I don't make wild assumptions, despite what you may or may not believe. The evidence always supports me.”
Summer wasn't going to argue with him about it. They both had their perspective and they would never see eye-to-eye. “Why do you think Jace would have anything to do with Lindy's disappearance? For all we know he may be in Mexico by now. Or maybe Canada. There's a million possibilities.”
The Chief steepled his fingers. “Are you aware that Jimmy Ray Hunt was murdered?”
“I don't see ⦠”
“One of the last people to see him alive was my daughter.”
“And this involves Jace, how?” Summer, holding her temper in check began to lose it. “Is he to be held responsible for every dirty deed that happens in this town?”
“Not at all.” He stood and went to the file cabinet farthest from him. Taking a key from his shirt pocket, he unlocked it and took some papers from it. Returning, he sat again and handed them to her. “But these lead me to believe your brother might be here and he might have taken Lindy.”
With numb fingers, Summer took the sheaf of paper. Her heart filling with fear, she dropped her gaze. In her hand she held a letter from her brother. Without looking at the signature, she instantly recognized Jace's tiny scrawl. Forcing herself, she read her brother's words. The first were pleas â begging the Chief to find the real killer, to believe in him, to trust. The next set was full of theories to the real killer. And, finally, threats. Ugly menacing, promising revenge.
The handwriting was similar, but not precisely the same between the first and last ones. She couldn't put her finger on the exact difference, though. “These aren't the same,” she said. She pointed to one. “Look, this one is tiny, almost impossible to read. And this one is a little easier. I'm not a cop, but these look like they weren't written by the same person.”
“That's ridiculous,” the Chief snapped.
Summer scanned the letters again. “I don't think some of these are in my brother's handwriting.”
“Don't be melodramatic.” The Chief snatched the letters out of Summer's hand. “Your brother is the one who wrote these. End of story. He's going to kill Lindy if I don't find him first.”
“You believe Jace took Lindy to make you pay for not finding the real killer?” Summer's throat was so tight she could barely force the words out.
“He is the killer. Read these letters.” The words fell like hammer blows on her.
“Even if he did write some of these, it doesn't mean Jace escaped, came here, and snatched Lindy,” Summer said. “And what does any of this have to do with Jimmy Ray Hunt?”
“You tell me,” the Chief shot back.
“I don't know.” Her tense body trembled like a sapling in a storm.
“Did your brother ever give you any reason for disliking Hunt?” The Chief pressed her, almost as if he knew she had lied to him about seeing Jace.
She shook her head. Her fingers twisted in her skirt. “I don't think Jace even knew him. I can't remember.”
“There's the possibility Jace murdered Hunt to throw us off his trail. Maybe he knew Hunt wasn't exactly a shining example of citizenry.”
“You're reaching.” Summer's fingers tightened until they ached.
“Am I?” His intense gaze pinned down like a rat in a trap. She knew how the rodent must feel. Both terrified and mad.
“Yes. As far as I know, there isn't a shred of evidence my brother even came this direction.” She knew she should've, but felt no guilt for her lie. If it weren't for this man's incompetence, her mother's rapist would be behind bars and not her brother. Besides, there was no way her brother would've killed Hunt. He had no motive. Maybe Lindy was with Jace, but if so, how? The only person who could answer that question was dead. In her heart, she knew Jace hadn't murdered Hunt yesterday any more than he had offed Deke Soloman five years ago. “May I leave now?” She began to stand.
“There's one more thing.” His voice grew icy.
“Yes?”
“We need to have an understanding about my son.”
“What kind of understanding?” She did not want to have this conversation. Trey was the last person on the planet she cared to discuss with the Chief. Not sure how she felt about the younger Bouché, she didn't feel like examining her feelings in the privacy of her own head, much less with his father.
“Don't be coy, Summer. It's unbecoming. You know what I'm talking about. A relationship between you isn't wise. Not any more than it was five years ago,” he said. “When you were twenty-two and he was just eighteen.”
Guilty heat flooded her face. “I don't ⦠”
He smiled, but it was more of a grimace. “Please do not insult my intelligence by denying that you and my son were intimate before he left.”
The hot blush that started at her chest burned up her neck and face. For the first time, she couldn't meet his eyes directly. “There's nothing between Trey and me.”
“I know there is not. I'm telling you it can go nowhere.” He drummed his fingers on his desk. “You can only bring each other misery.”
She stood on shaking legs. “I think you're the one who's guilty of bringing misery to everyone. But for the record, I don't want to see Trey. He seeks me out, not the other way around. If you think you need to interfere then talk to him, not me. Now, if you'll excuse me?”
Before she could flee, the door was flung open and Jody burst in. “Chief. You're needed downstairs. The coroner needs you in the morgue.”
He stood. “He got something on Hunt?”
“No, sir. He said it was urgent.” Jody moved aside and the Chief went by him, apparently forgetting Summer. Jody was hot on his heels and his voice carried in the hall. “Leroy Eaton hung himself.”
Too shocked to move for a moment, Summer sat there staring after them. She'd just seen Leroy not more than an hour or so ago at the picnic. He'd seemed fine. What on God's earth had possessed him to commit suicide?
Summer didn't know what to do.
Jody was supposed to take her home.
Her gaze landed on the pile of letters. As she did so, she noticed a brown five by seven manila envelope on the bottom of the pile. Curious, she picked it up to see if it was another letter from Jace.
A black and white photo spilled out of the envelope.
A group of people smiled at the lens. Mama, Trey's mother, Buford Krebbs, and Leroy Eaton. Emily sat on the lap of a dark-haired, handsome man. All toasted the camera.
She studied the background trying to tell where they could be, but she didn't recognize anything. Where had the photo been taken? And who had been behind the camera? The Chief? Or Viola Krebbs? Summer's frown deepened. She couldn't fathom Mrs. Krebbs partying. A pain ripped through her as she studied the people in the pictures. They looked like they were having a great time. What she wouldn't give to for her mother to have fun like that again. Instead, she had a life of loneliness and pain. And Emily Bouché wasn't any better off. She lay dying.
Someone was coming!
Hurriedly, Summer dropped the letters back on the desk, stuffed the picture in her bag, and tried to look innocent.
The chief came in, his expression distracted. He started when he saw her. “You're still here?”
“I wasn't sure if you were done talking to me.” She shifted her handbag, hoping he didn't think she acted guilty. “And I need a ride.”
“I'll have Officer Marvell drop you off on his way to Leroy's place.”
Summer bit her tongue. She badly wanted to ask him about Leroy. And the picture in her purse. Questions burst through her mind, but she held them in check. There was no way she could let on she'd been snooping. He already thought poorly of her. “Thank you.”
Without answering, he picked up his phone and dialed. “Yes, I'd like you to take Miss Hill home. Drop her off, then go to the scene.”
They didn't speak in the few moments it took Jody to come back. In his patrol car, Summer fastened her seatbelt. Her mind was on the smuggled booty in her purse. Her fingers itched to take it out and study the people again. She especially wanted to know about the man her mother had her arms around. She racked her memory trying to come up with a party her mother had been invited to, but nothing came to mind.
Had the rumors been true?
Violently, Summer pushed the thought away. No, her mother had always been decent. She wouldn't do anything to compromise her good name. There was no way she'd been doing anything wrong in that photo. Someone had caught a group of friends having a nice time, nothing more. Then why did Summer feel so odd about it?
One thing was for certain, she couldn't ask Mama. One look at her past, and she'd have a spell that would put her in bed for a week. Of all the people in the photo, there were none she could speak to. Not Mama, or Emily. Leroy had just committed suicide. And then there was Buford Krebbs. For a reason she couldn't name, Summer hesitated. He was nice enough when she saw him around town, but she didn't trust him and she really didn't respect his wife. Viola had never made any secret of disliking Mama. Now Summer wondered about it. Had Buford been a little too friendly toward a woman other than his wife?
That left the stranger. Summer tried, but couldn't recall ever seeing the man before. Where had he come from, and more importantly, where had he gone? Who else would know? Summer knew all her mother's friends. Maybe Jace would have an idea if he ever got the chance to look at the photo. Trey would. Like her, he would recognize his mother's friends. Summer rejected the idea. But it stuck with her like a burr she couldn't shake loose.
Jody turned into the empty church parking lot. “What are you thinking about so hard?”
“Leroy. Can you tell me what happened?”
“I don't know much, only someone found him hanging in his barn. I shouldn't talk about it.”
Summer shook her head. “God.”
He gave his head a sad shake. “Yeah.”
“I also can't believe someone killed Jimmy Ray.” She touched his arm. “Please tell me you don't think Jace had anything to do with it.”
His somber eyes met hers. “No. I don't.”
Unaware she'd been holding her breath, she exhaled. “Thank you, Jody.” That means a lot to me.”
“I can't see Jace coming here and killing anybody else. Not unless he's changed a whole lot. Even if prison has made him mean, what would be his reason? Far as I know Jace didn't even know Hunt.” Jody shook his head. “It just doesn't fit.”
“That's what I told the Chief.” Summer's temper began to simmer. “He can't go around pinning every bad thing that happens in this town on my brother. He's not even here.”
Jody shot her a look and she avoided his sharp gaze. “How do you know that?”
“I don't.” She was becoming better by the minute at lying. If this kept up she might as well not even try to be honest any more.
“If you know something, Summer, tell me. You can trust me.” He started the engine and pulled out on Main.
“I wish I could.”
They drove in silence for a few minutes.
“Lilah told me she went out to your place for supper,” Jody commented.
Summer's stomach plunged toward her toes. She studied her fingernails. Funny, she hadn't noticed that she'd bitten them to the quick. Maybe she could get Glory to give her a manicure. “Yeah. We were just trying to cheer up Mama.”
“Is that all it amounted to?”
She shrugged, trying for nonchalant. “What else?”
“A welcome home party, maybe?”
By his tone, she knew he was fishing. Although she hated telling yet another fib, Summer wasn't about to give up her brother to any lawman. No matter how good a friend Jody once was, his duty came first. The past had taught her well to avoid that trap. “No. Nothing like that.”
“If you do hear from him, talk to me,” he said. “I'll make sure he gets a fair shake.”
“I know.” He would have a hard time of it with his loyalties split between an old friend and his job.
“How's Trey?”
She shrugged as a flood of confusion filled her. “How would I know?”
“I hoped you might give the guy another chance.”
What was this, a conspiracy? First Glory, then Lilah, now Jody. What, had they all gotten together and decided to try and reunite her and Trey? “That's not likely,” she said. “Since we don't have anything to build on except hurt and bitterness. That isn't a good foundation for anything.”
“Do you still care about him?”
Summer thought about it for a long time before she answered. “It really doesn't matter how I feel, does it? My mama means more to me than anything. I can't risk what's left of her sanity by even saying his name. His family isn't any different. The Chief warned me away today.”
“The old man can be pretty harsh at times,” Jody said.
“That's the understatement of the year,” Summer agreed.
At the little grocery store near Granny's house, Lindy used the pay phone to call Candy's cell. “Hey, it's me. They are? Thanks. Don't tell them you talked to me if they ask again, okay? I'll tell you why later. I need a favor. Yeah, another one.”
Jace bounced from one foot to another. His expression was murderous.
“Listen, Candy, I need you to talk to your mom for me. Can you try and find which one of her girls was at Mugs-n-Jugs the night Deke Soloman was killed? It happened five years ago. One of the ladies who works for your mom was hanging all over Soloman. Would you ask your mom if she remembers who that was? It's important.” She met Jace's angry eyes. “You can't call me back. I left my cell phone in your purse. Remember that time we stayed at my Grandma's house out in the woods? Come out there when you find out, okay? Don't let anyone follow you. And one more thing ⦠bring me some clothes and makeup?”