Page 31 of Deeper Than the Dead

Vera blinked. Gave herself a mental kick for getting distracted by watching his lips move as he spoke. “He was murdered?” The casserole ladies had said as much, and her net search had confirmed this, but more details would be useful. As for the gold digger scenario, Vera had always suspected that to be the case.

“Someone went into his trailer and beat him to death with a baseball bat.”

Vera raised her eyebrows in question. “A tough guy like that—who everyone was afraid to rat out—let someone sneak up on him?”

“The medical examiner said judging by his blood alcohol level, he was probably unconscious when the beating started. There was no indication that he fought back. His killer caught him passed out and did the deed. The bat had been wiped clean, and no other evidence was found. Case is still unsolved.”

Vera readily saw the potential setup behind that one too. “You think Daddy believed Rimmey had something to do with Sheree’s disappearance and killed him to have his revenge?” So not her father’s style. He wasn’t a bully or a murderer. “You can’t be serious.”

“It’s not impossible,” Bent argued.

Speaking in terms of conceivable scenarios, this was true, but she wasn’t saying that out loud. “Just highly unlikely, knowing my daddy.”

“Rimmey had a strong history of violence, which suggests he could have killed her.” Bent studied Vera’s face, her eyes closely as he spoke. “Makes sense that he would have placed her body on your father’s property to implicate him when or if she was ever found. I can absolutely see him doing something along those lines.”

If this theory kept her father off the suspect radar, it worked for Vera.

“A plausible scenario,” she agreed. Nothing screamed guilt more than jumping too quickly to place blame elsewhere.

Any good investigator, Bent included, would be looking for exactly that. He watched her too closely for her to believe otherwise. The hint of worry in his expression even suggested that he hated the idea, but she wasn’t going there. Whatever guilt or debt he felt toward her was not something she wanted to explore. On the other hand, it was something she fully intended to exploit.

“How thoroughly was he investigated regarding Sheree’s disappearance?” She clarified, “I mean, really investigated.”

“He was pretty much Fraley’s prime suspect, but he never had the evidence or a witness to prove it.”

“It’s tough to close a case without one or the other,” she pointed out.

“No question. Rimmey had a friend,” Bent said, “Pete Brooks. I’m working on getting an interview with him. See if he remembers anything else around that time period. According to the statement he made during the investigation, he hadn’t seen Rimmey in a couple of weeks. Doesn’t seem likely to me, given how close they were.”

Pete Brooks. Vera couldn’t place the name.

In her hip pocket her cell vibrated. She reached for it, checked the screen.

Eve.

Vera frowned and accepted the call. “Hey.”

“Hey, I was coming back home to get a change of clothes and ...” A sigh echoed across the line.

“What?” Vera’s instincts started to hum. Eve’s tone sounded off. Worry? Fear? Something in that order.

“Someone ran me off the road.”

“Are you all right?” Fear snaked into Vera’s chest. “Where are you?”

“I’m okay, yeah. I’m on Molino right after the curve.”

She didn’t have to say which curve. Vera knew the one. “I’ll be right there.”

“What’s going on?” Bent asked as soon as the call ended.

“It’s Eve. Someone ran her off the road.”

“My truck’s outside,” he said, getting to his feet. “I’ll take you.”

12

Dead Man’s Curve

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