Page 26 of Shadow Sabotage
It wasafter lunch when Agent Weston finally came into the office, wearing a scowl on his face that was nearly as bad as the one Trey had worn earlier. I jumped up, eager to share what I’d discovered.
He glanced around at the empty building. “Is Sheriff McGrath here?”
“No. But—”
He turned and headed for his office, ignoring me completely.
I ground my teeth and followed him.What the hell? What happened to the man I’d hung out with last night?
What was it about this building that made me invisible?
I stomped into his office planning to give him a piece of my mind, but he spoke before I could.
“DNA results are in. It’s Katelyn.”
“Oh.” I sank into the chair across from his desk. I’d expected it, but hearing it still felt heavy.
“They’re notifying next of kin this afternoon. The news will break after that.” His tone was flat.
“Okay. So, what’s next?”
He scrubbed his face, clearly frustrated. “Once her name has been released, we’ll start asking questions, trying to find a connection between her and someone from this area. A reason for her to be here. Worst-case scenario, there is none. The fact that she left her cell phone behind makes me wonder if she wanted to hide. If she picked this place at random—”
“I don’t think that’s what happened.”
He stared at the wall absentmindedly, like he was thinking out loud instead of talking to me. “There were rumors she had a new boyfriend, one she was deliberately keeping quiet. No photos on social media, but a few people suspected it, including her roommate. If they’re right, there’s a good chance he’s involved. When people leave in the middle of the night, they’re either running away from something or running to someone.”
“Not a bad theory, but—”
He ignored me, continuing with his train of thought as he fiddled with a pen on his desk. “If he wasn’t local, he could have been someone she met online. We might be dealing with a trafficker who convinced her to come to him. Now that we have a positive ID, I need to get warrants and look through her phone and laptop. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to reinterview her roommate, either.”
“Agent Weston.”I raised my voice, leaning over the table and snapping my fingers in front of his face to get his attention. “Hello? I need to tell you something.”
He finally looked at me, his eyes clearing like he was seeing me for the first time that day. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” A little thrill of excitement went through me. I’d gone hunting, and I’d scored.
“Go ahead,” he said, waiting.
“I found Katelyn’s connection to Wildwood.”
He straightened, looking dumbfounded. “What?”
“Tony Evans,” I said smugly, enjoying the look on his face. “Not a new boyfriend, but an old one. He’s a sophomore at the college there, but he grew up in Wildwood. His dad is our mayor.”
“You’re kidding.” Agent Weston grabbed the file on Katelyn and flipped through it, scanning quickly. He looked up. “Is he the one she had a fight with at the party that night? The name wasn’t listed in the report.”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” I shrugged.
He sat back and stared at the wall again, his brows furrowed. “They didn’t interview him. Maybe they thought it didn’t matter since they were looking at a voluntary disappearance. But we need to dig into that more, especially since he’s from here.” He looked back at me, grinning. “Nice work. This is a great lead. How did you find out about her dating Tony?”
My face flushed. I hoped I hadn’t broken any rules. “I called my brother, Finn, the college professor.”
“You said he worked in Montana.”
“He does. But he has a lot of connections at UW,” I explained. “He’s been working with a colleague on a joint project, so he’s on campus in Laramie a couple of weeks each semester. And you don’t have to worry about him saying anything to anyone—he’s as discreet as they come.”
“What did he know about Katelyn?” Agent Weston was frowning, but he didn’t seem to be angry at me—just thoughtful as he mulled over this new information.
