Page 29 of The Couple's Secret
“It’s important until we know it’s not,” Gretchen sighed. “Which means we’ll need to find out if she owned anything that required a skeleton key to unlock it. We know the kids kept Tobias’s recliner, but we don’t know what Riley kept of her mother’s things—aside from her sweater.”
Josie wondered if Zane Lachlan still lived in Tobias and Cora’s old home. No one would have been able to sell it while they were missing because legally, the couple had been considered alive for the past seven years. The torturous state of limbo their children had lived in all this time wasn’t merely emotional. There were practical and physical considerations. The couple had left behind a house, vehicles, half of a business, bank accounts, credit card accounts, retirement funds. All adult things that their children would have been restricted from using or benefiting from.
The only thing they would have had control over were their parents’ personal possessions, which included anything inside the house. If Cora had had a trunk or some small piece of furniture that could only be unlocked with the skeleton key, Josie was certain that Riley would have broken into it at some point.
Lots of parents kept items they didn’t want their kids to see or touch under lock and key. Josie and Noah had lockboxes for their service weapons. They’d always had them but after Wren moved in, they upgraded to newer ones that required a passcode as well as a key. Despite the redundancy, they’d started carrying the keys with them rather than leaving them hidden in the bedroom. After realizing that Wren had gone through her nightstand, Josie felt validated in taking the extra precautions. The girl hadn’t been looking for a gun, but she had invaded Josie’s privacy. If they hadn’t taken such great pains to secure their weapons, Wren might have come across the key, might have figured out what it was for. Maybe she wouldn’t have ever tried to access the gun, but she would have known that she could.
Josie trusted no one but herself and Noah with their firearms. Securing them was a safety issue. She believed Riley when she said Cora hadn’t owned a gun. Looking at the small, corroded skeleton key, she was certain that whatever Cora had been trying to keep private had less to do with safety and more to do with keeping secrets.
The question was: what secrets?
Sixteen
The Denton location of At Your Disposal Junk Removal was located in the flat, industrial area of South Denton. Josie had driven past it hundreds of times in the last five years. The property previously belonged to a used car dealership. Josie knew that beyond the two-story, glass-front building was a huge asphalt lot. Perfect for housing trucks, dumpsters and any other equipment needed for junk removal.
Gretchen parked in front of the building. They walked into a cavernous, tiled lobby that used to be a showroom. Instead of a car taking up the center space there was a long, L-shaped desk. Behind it sat a woman in her forties. Long auburn hair fell to her shoulders. Manicured nails tapped against a mug that said, Secretary: Because Badass Miracle Worker isn’t an Official Job Title. She spoke into a headset, discussing the sizes of dumpsters and how much it would cost to rent one. Her nameplate read Ellyn Mann. Eyeing the logos on their Denton PD polo shirts, she said, “I’ve got to put you on hold, hon.”
She smiled, a hint of sadness in the depths of her blue eyes. “Mr. Merritt thought you’d stop by. He’s in his office. Up the steps, first door on your right.”
The door to Hollis Merritt’s office was cracked but Gretchen knocked anyway.
A gruff voice called, “Come on in!”
Hollis Merritt’s office was the opposite of the pristine, perfectly ordered lobby in every way. The desk was metal. Piles of documents covered nearly every inch of it. More papers burst from the filing cabinets along the walls. Scattered along the floor were random objects, much like the ones in Riley and Jackson’s living room. A large blue flambé-glazed vase, a pair of elephant table lamps, an old painting of a clipper ship, and an antique birdcage.
“The kids called me. Told me you found Tobias and Cora.” Hollis stepped out from behind his desk, giving them an unobstructed view from the only window in the room.
The old car lot stretched into the distance, filled with dumpsters, trucks, and heavy machinery just as Josie had suspected. There was also a large area that resembled a junkyard, with piles of refuse everywhere. Looking more closely, she realized there was some sort of system. Things had been separated into piles. Electronics. Furniture. Paint and aerosol cans. Metal. Hazardous materials handled by employees dressed in hazmat suits very similar to what Denton PD wore to crime scenes. A separate building with large garage bays sat near the back, the dealership’s “Auto Service” sign still hanging proudly on its face. Beside it, two workers threw plastic bags and other debris into a commercial-sized trash compactor. There were three in all.
Standing only a couple of feet away, Hollis hulked over them. Not as tall as Jackson Wright but wide and heavyset. His hair was the color of faded rust. Broken blood vessels webbed across his ruddy cheeks and bulbous nose. Josie estimated him to be in his mid- to late fifties. He was dressed in an At Your Disposal T-shirt and cargo shorts. His boots were similar to those Jackson was wearing when he arrived home.
Josie and Gretchen introduced themselves. Hollis gave their credentials a cursory glance. “Riley just called me back and told me they were murdered. That true?”
There were no guest chairs so the three of them stood in the center of the crowded room. A combination of smells wafted from Hollis. Must, mothballs, WD-40, and wet wood. Must be a hazard of working in this field.
“Unfortunately, yes,” said Josie.
Hollis sighed. One of his large paws reached for the sleeve of his shirt, absently pulling it down over a device attached to his tricep. It was a continuous glucose monitor, Josie realized. He must be diabetic.
“Guess that was always the news we were going to get. Horrible. Well, I know you’re not here to give your condolences. So let’s get on with it.” Folding his arms across his chest, he backed up and perched on the edge of his desk. “You want to know if I killed them? The answer’s the same as it was seven years ago. No, I didn’t. I know what you’re gonna say. ‘Mr. Merritt, they were found in Denton, which is where you were the night they went missing.’ Shit. That looks bad. Real bad, but my answer’s the same. I didn’t kill them. You talk to Fanning yet?”
Josie knew that Gretchen was just as bemused as she was but kept her expression impassive. “Detective John Fanning?”
“That’s right,” Hollis said. “Surprised he ain’t here himself.”
“This isn’t his jurisdiction,” Josie said. “But we will speak to him soon.”
Gretchen arched a brow. “You seem to remember him well.”
Hollis laughed mirthlessly. “When someone accuses you of killing your best friend and his fiancée, or of hiring someone else to do it, yeah, you tend to remember his name. He even know about this yet?”
“He’s retired,” Josie said. “We’ve left several messages for him.”
Hollis shifted, peering over his shoulder at the lot. “Surprised he’s not lurking around outside. He was on my ass for years. God. Murdered. You know, I knew they were gone. There was no reason for them to run off together and leave their lives behind. Police said their bank accounts and credit cards, phones and all that, were never touched again. But I kind of hoped it was just an accident. I mean, I guess that’s not a better way to go. I don’t know.”
A thunderous boom sounded from outside followed by metal screeching against metal. Another came shortly after. Hollis was unfazed. The heavy equipment probably kept up a cacophony all day.
“How long had you known Tobias before you opened the company with him?” asked Gretchen.
