Page 124 of All the Missing Pieces

Chaos reigned around me.But it wasn’t the warm, ridiculous, light-filled chaos that Ridley embodied. Countless officers circled Emerson’s backyard, ones I recognized and ones from the state who were unfamiliar. Evidence techs swarmed through the garden as they tried to find anything that might give us a lead.

“What did the closest traffic cameras give us?” Ryan asked Deputy Marshall, a clipped tone to her words.

Marshall lifted his phone. “A white Acura and silver pickup heading south. A gray Jeep heading north.”

“Which tells us nothing,” I growled.

Ryan turned to me, her face impassive, but I saw the sympathy in her eyes. “It’s a part of the puzzle,” she reminded me. “The more information we gather, the quicker we’ll find her.”

I knew she was trying to help, was doing everything she could. The state police were already here, marked by the lead detective side-eyeing me for getting any information on the case. She’d placed a call to the FBI, who was looking over Ridley’s findings with fresh eyes. And I’d texted my friend Anson, whoused to be with the Behavioral Analysis Unit, to see if he could put in a word.

But none of that was enough. Not even close.

As if Ryan read that, she gave my arm a quick squeeze. “Why don’t you try talking to Emerson again? She could’ve remembered something. I’ll come find you if we get anything new.”

It was a brush-off, and I fucking knew it. But if I stayed out here, I’d end up decking someone. Probably Detective Holden from the state police. So I didn’t say a word, simply stalked off toward the back door.

It slammed behind me as I strode inside and toward the living room. Emerson and Trey were huddled on the couch, a yearbook in each of their laps.

“Anything?” Emerson asked, her face pale.

I shook my head.

Trey muttered a curse under his breath. “Word’s spreading. Got a call from Sam. Celia’s setting up search parties, and he and Norm are helping.”

It was my turn to curse. “Just what we need. I hope like hell you told them that if they seeanythingthey need to call 911.”

“Of course I did,” Trey shot back. “Though they got backup. Got a text from Ace, and he and the Devils are riding with them.”

A burn lit somewhere deep. Of course Ridley had made friends with a motorcycle club that lived a less-than-legal lifestyle. And of course they were riding out for her. Because that was the sort of person she was. Made every single soul that crossed her path fall in love with her.

My chest seized in a vicious squeeze, and I gripped the back of the overstuffed chair, just trying to hold on.

“Colt,” Emerson whispered.

I swallowed down all that pain, that fear, that fury, and forced my gaze to my sister. “Anything coming up?”

She shook her head. “I’m trying but…”

“It’s okay,” I told her, but we both knew it was a lie. We needed something, anything. Because this all had to be linked. Ridley had gotten too close, and now she was gone.

“We keep going,” Trey said, beginning to flip through the yearbook he had again.

Emerson nodded, staring down at her own pages. “Everyone looks suspicious now.”

Trey stopped on a spread about the tennis team. “Someone got eyes on Coach Kerr?” he growled.

Emerson straightened. “Coach? Why?”

I winced. Word had made it around town about the coach and his relationship with Tara Gibson when she was underage, but I’d avoided the topic with Emerson so far. “A deputy found him coming out of his lawyer’s office two towns over. He couldn’t have done this.”

Trey’s jaw worked back and forth but he didn’t say a word.

“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Em demanded.

I sighed. “Kerr faked his alibi for the night you were taken.”

“What?” she whispered.

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