Page 20 of All the Missing Pieces

Ezra stared at me for one long, hard moment. “Won’t be saying a damn thing until I hear from Em.” And with that he strode away, a pissed-off look on his face.

The boy across from me let out a low whistle. “Takes a lot for Ezra to get pissed like that.”

My focus moved to him, trying to assess his age and get a read. The clothes, hint of eyeliner, and lip ring were a mask. I needed to see beneath it all. But only time would give me that. “It’s fair. I’m nosing into something that’s more than painful.”

I’d take the pissed off, even the rage, over the tears. The tears gutted me every time.

“But you’re trying to help. You always do,” the boy argued.

A small smile tugged at my lips. “So you listen to the show?”

His blue eyes sparked, showing a little more of his age. “Every freaking week. It’s fire. I’m in your forums and on your socials too. When you posted the intro to Shady Cove, I flipped. I’ve been trolling town ever since, hoping I’d see you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh now. “Well, you’ve got me. You going to tell me your name?”

“Shit, yeah. I’m Dean.”

“Nice to meet you, Dean.”

“This is so freaking wild.Sounds Like Serialin my bumfuck town,” Dean muttered. My brows raised at that, and his cheeks flushed. “Sorry. It’s justnothingever happens here. It’s so boring.”

Except that wasn’t true. Something had happened, and it had marked the town and its residents.

“I can show you around,” Dean went on. “Introduce you to people. But I’m not sure they’ll talk. People are real protective of Emerson. I heardDatelinewanted to do something on the case back in the day, and the town basically locked them out. I get it. I mean she never even leaves her house. Like ever.”

I guess I’d been right about the residents of Shady Cove looking out for Emerson. I was glad she had that, even if it meant my job was harder. But something else Dean had said caught my attention. “You mean she doesn’t come into town very often?”

“No, I mean she never comes into town,” Dean said. “I haven’t seen her since I was like six. My parents were friends with her mom, so they used to come over for dinner sometimes.”

“Were friends?” I asked.

“Her mom died a couple of years after Emerson was kidnapped. Heart attack.”

Hell.I already knew that Emerson’s father had split when she was young. She was all alone in the world.

“Her brother brings her groceries and stuff from town. I heard even her packages and stuff go to him first. She never leaves her place.”

That feeling low in my gut shifted slightly. The unease was still there, but anger was overtaking it now. Rage at the person who had turned Emerson’s life upside down with one careless action, not giving a damn about the agony they'd wrought.

I did my best to keep the fury from my voice. “I didn’t know she had a brother.”

That hadn’t been mentioned in the articles I’d read, but their sparse details made more sense now that I knew Shady Cove had rallied around Emerson. To get them to open up, I’d need to convince Emerson I might be able to give her the closure that could bring healing.

Dean nodded. “Different dads but the same mom. He’s like ten years older, but they’re tight.”

Apparently there was a lot I didn’t know about this case, and that was a feeling I hated. I wanted to be as prepared as possible when coming into something. But in this instance, I wasn’t going to find the information I needed on the internet, that much was clear. I grabbed my laptop, shoving it into my bag.

“What are you doing?” Dean asked, his brows pulling together.

“I need to go see Emerson before someone talks her out of speaking with me.” As protective as this town was and with the fact that I’d sent in my records request, the clock was already ticking.

“I could help you,” Dean offered, so much hope in his eyes. “Be like your intern or something.”

I grinned as I pushed up from my chair and shoved the rest of my belongings into my bag. “I’ll be sure to let you know if I have more questions.”

He slumped against his chair. “That’s a blow-off.”

“For now,” I admitted. I couldn’t have a kid getting mixed up in my investigation. “But you can have my breakfast burrito as consolation.”

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