Page 29 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge

He studied the website as shock took hold.“The woman’s face is always blurred or just out of the camera range.Are you sure this is your sister?”

“No question.”She zeroed in on a photograph.“See that birthmark there on the top of her foot?”

He strained to make it out.“The strawberry?”

“That’s the one,” she said.“It’s my sister’s birthmark.”

Owen looked away from the screen, unable to spend too much time focused on Simone in suggestive poses, wearing various role-play outfits.The name of her business was Lonely Military Wife.

“Knowing Simone, this is next to impossible to fathom.”He couldn’t imagine a world where wound-tight, perfect daughter Simone would do such a thing.

“Based on the darkness outside the windows, Simone worked this job at night after the kids went to bed.Speaking of which, she shot videos in her own bedroom.Look at the duvet and the headboard.”

He glanced over at the screen but couldn’t keep his gaze there for long.It made him feel like a Peeping Tom.

“She has a lot of followers, too,” Evie continued.“Tens of thousands.”

The investigation finally had a break, except tracking the followers and filtering through them would take time—time they didn’t have if this guy decided to up his obsession.“This guy could have you confused with your sister.”

“Her hair is brown, mine is red.”

“Look at the wigs she wore,” he pointed out.“Plus, you have the same general height and build.”

Evie frowned.“And Simone never revealed her face to her followers.”

He forced his gaze back to the screen.“See all the private chats?She set this up where the commenters couldn’t see each other’s posts.”

“But she could interact with each one,” Evie said.“She literally copied and pasted her responses because the comments are so alike.”

“That definitely made it easier for her.”He still couldn’t picture Simone with a website like this one, but every family had secrets.Hell, every person had secrets.He couldn’t help but wonder about Evie’s.Every time he brought up the past, she was evasive.

As he looked at her reflection on the screen, he wondered about her secrets.Would he ever know?

By the time Travis arrived,the kids had eaten lunch and were down for their nap.A call to Ms.Bart had delayed her arrival until three p.m., when the kids were likely to wake.The widow wasn’t happy about the schedule change and made it known.Asserting authority over the condescending Ms.Bart hadn’t been easy for Evie.Having Owen in the room had helped.He’d made a fist and pumped it when Evie had stood her ground.When the call ended, he’d given her a hug and told her that she’d done the right thing.He’d reminded her that Ms.Bart got paid to help and, therefore, worked for Evie, not the other way around.When he put it in those terms, taking charge became more comfortable.As much as she needed all the help she could get with the kids, Evie needed to call the shots.She had to start sometime and figured this was as good a time as any.

Travis studied the laptop while a deputy roamed the grounds, searching for the dirt bike tracks.The last report had them disappearing onto the farm road a mile and a half from Simone’s house.My house.This whole situation was going to take some getting used to.

“I should probably check Simone’s room to see what else I can find in there,” Evie said.While Travis checked the computer, there wasn’t much else she could do.

“I’ll go with you,” Owen said.

“Take these.”Travis pulled latex gloves from a backpack he’d brought in.“Wear them and holler if you find anything.”

“Got it.”This was a potential crime scene now.She headed to the master bedroom, which was on the first floor.There was a small room turned nursery downstairs in the same hallway.Upstairs, there were two bedrooms and a shared hallway bathroom, complete with a claw-footed tub instead of a shower.

Owen followed, then sat on the edge of the bed while she opened the closet door.

“I found the gun in here.”It just now dawned on her why her sister had kept a gun when she’d been terrified of them.“I wonder if Simone felt threatened by some of the folks in the chats, and that’s the reason she saw a need to protect herself and the babies.”

“Makes sense.”Owen leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.“Based on some of the messages I read, she entertained these people’s fantasies.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around goody-two-shoes Simone having an internet business in the adult entertainment industry.”Seriously, Evie never would have believed it in a million years if she hadn’t seen it for herself.

“It speaks to how desperate she was to be home with her kids and provide a living for them.”

“Couldn’t my sister have sold jewelry or candles with snarky labels?”

“This required no start-up costs or ongoing expenses.It was quick and easy.All she needed was a website.”

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