Page 114 of The Woman Left Behind

“So, in less than a day pursuing our homicide investigation, we’ve learned that Muggsy Ballard’s ex-wife was dating Karl Abernathy. I’m sure you remember Karl. I’m sure you remember Karl and Roy were tight. So now it seems like two of your boys set you up to get fucked over. You got something for me that might help us figure this shit out, you might think of making a return to Misted Pines. And maybe you do that before that return becomes mandatory.”

He ended the call and looked out Stormy’s grubby window.

They were so fucking neck deep in Dern’s incompetent shit.

Harry just had to hope he could keep their heads above it.

Or they’d drown in it.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Coors and Sundresses

Harry

That afternoon, Harry was in his office with Rus, running the day down.

The crux of what both of them had was dick.

No one knew where the Dietrichs were.

They had a son, Gerald Jr., who lived in Virginia, was some kind of lobbyist in DC, who did answer his phone.

And he reported he hadn’t heard from his parents in weeks but reiterated the lie they were in Seattle seeing to a relative. He wasn’t stupid enough to claim his grandma was still alive. He told Karen it was some great aunt once removed or some shit.

He then probably got right on his parents and told them they were fucked, but Harry’s team couldn’t do anything about that.

Pressure sometimes worked. Sometimes, people who did tremendously stupid shit smartened up when it went south, and their best bet was to sort it out or it would just get worse.

But it usually had to get pretty damned bad for them to pull their heads out of their asses.

The condo they told people they’d bought in Seattle to live in to look after Gerald Dietrich’s mother was not a condo they owned or lived in. As such, no one in his office knew where he was. But they did know, if he got in touch, they were to report it and tell Dietrich he needed to get in contact with the Fret County Sheriff immediately.

Deputies spent the day running down Kimmy’s list of businesses that the Dietrichs received goods and services from on account.

All of them reported the same thing Kimmy did. Non-payment for months, promises of restitution, weaponizing their attitude and entitlement to get people to back off, eventually making the debt good paying cash and not doing business with them again.

In fact, it seemed the Dietrichs ended up only living and maybe doing their grocery shopping in MP, otherwise, they’d burned all their bridges at shops, bars, restaurants, even the golf club.

A few of these vendors and businesses had threatened legal action, and got close to it, but Gerald and Michelle ponied up before that happened.

And this added pressure might have been why they took things to extremes.

Kimmy’s word was corroborated about living quiet too.

The Dietrichs might take most of their custom out of town, but deputies were told by a number of people, after the public money problems, the alleged robbery and the Rainiers going missing, the Dietrichs kept a low profile.

He worked at his export business, dealing mostly in sporting goods, with a focus on hunting gear and air rifles. She had a few friends she’d visit. Both came from money to begin with.

Other than that, they didn’t pull their Lord and Lady of Misted Pines bullshit at all.

Not since the Rainiers disappeared.

And now that the file was reopened, they were gone.

That said a lot to Harry, and it said the same thing to Rus.

Rus was hitting up banks and credit cards. Gerald and Michelle had two vehicles under license, and they had alerts out to other agencies to pick them up as persons of interest in a violent crime if their cars were spotted, and they were waiting for warrants to track cell phones.

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