Page 42 of Mystery at Rescue Ridge

Two deputy SUVs sat out front; the law enforcement officers already inside.The door of the one-story home stood open.Neighbors from the houses surrounding their target gathered in their front yards, concern on their faces.One sat in a lawn chair to watch them like this was some kind of spectator sport.

Travis parked, and they exited the vehicle in unison.He glanced at her like he was about to warn her to stay put and decided against the idea when he seemed to note the look of determination on her face.There was no way she intended to sit idly by while he investigated.

She walked behind the sheriff after he announced himself before entering the home.The living room they cut across looked something out of her grandmother’s playbook.Doilies covered the tables.Flower patterns adorned heavy drapes.The room was tidy, if too dark.It was the kind of place that made her want to tear down the curtains and open the windows to let some light in.

An elderly woman sat in a rocking chair, a crochet needle in her hand, working yarn.She glanced up with a scornful gaze, a warning.Did she know she was harboring a stalker?

Evie shifted her gaze away from the woman before turning to walk down a hallway.She and Travis were met by Deputy Carter, a tall guy in his mid-thirties with sandy hair and a runner’s build.

After greetings, Deputy Carter said, “Ms.Bowman said this hallway is off-limits.It’s her grandson’s personal space, and we shouldn’t be invading it without his knowledge or permission.”

“Is she aware that her grandson is suspected of committing a crime or we wouldn’t be here?”Travis said under his breath.“And that we wouldn’t ‘invade’ his space without probable cause or a search warrant?”

“Didn’t even have to wake the judge this time,” Deputy Carter said.

She could only imagine what some of their raids looked like in a remote county after seeing meth labs on those crime shows.Some of it had to be based in reality.

Deputy Carter leaned in to the sheriff, then said, “Wait until you see what her precious grandson has been up to.Lawrence Diebold has a fixation.”

Lawrence Diebold.The name didn’t ring any bells, not that Evie expected it to.Hoped maybe.

She took one step inside and froze.A deputy logged evidence, working his way through the room with a bed, a desk with a chair, and a dresser.All surfaces were covered with printouts of various body parts of Simone.Screenshots that had been printed.An entire wall behind his desk and dual monitors had been papered with various photos of Simone.

Bile burned the back of Evie’s throat.Waves of nausea rolled through her.Red marker mapped moles and the birthmark on Simone’s body.There were adult toys being logged that had been tucked away in the dresser.

The scene sickened and scared her.

Travis’s cell buzzed.He took the call, turning his back to the room’s occupants.“When did this happen?”

She pieced together the one-sided conversation.

“She disappeared while on duty?”he asked.

A lead ball dropped into the pit of Evie’s stomach.

“You said she’s been out of cell range for three hours?”A few uh-huhs were followed by an “I see.”A few beats of silence passed.Travis turned enough for his gaze to flick to Evie.“I’ll file a report and let my people know.”

He ended the call and then walked over to Deputy Carter, who was monitoring the screen on his cell.

“Game Warden Joann Garza is missing,” Travis said.“She’s on shift, and the last time any of her peers heard from her was three hours ago.”

“Do we know the area she was last seen in?”Deputy Carter asked.

“On the Ashworth property,” Deputy Travis said.

Evie suppressed a gasp.Thank the heavens the kids were at Ms.Bart’s.They needed to stay away from the farmhouse until this bastard was safely locked behind bars.

“We’re light on resources,” Deputy Carter said.

Travis nodded.“I’ll head that way.Why don’t you stay here and finish up?Let me know what you find.”

“You’re going to want to see this live drone footage.”Deputy Carter tilted his phone’s screen toward the sheriff.

“I need to know exactly where the drone is filming,” Travis said.The tension in his voice said they’d found something big.

Evie moved beside Travis to watch.From this house, the drone tracked north into the wooded area on the back of the lot where there was a badly neglected shed with a shiny lock bolting the door closed from the outside.

The new lock was out of place with the broken-down four-by-four building.Travis turned and walked straight into the living room.

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