Page 15 of Outlaw Ridge: Jesse
“Well, well,” Reardon drawled, his gaze moving from her to Jesse when they stepped from the cruiser. “Didn’t expect to see you two.” His eyes lingered on Lauren. “It’s been a long while.”
“It has,” Lauren replied, keeping her voice even.
“And you’re both cops now.” He chuckled. “Gotta say, I didn’t see that in the cards. Maybe for you,” he added to Jesse. “Military hero and all. I served, too, but nobody ever called me a hero.”
Lauren couldn’t help but think he seemed bitter about that. Maybe he thought people hadn’t appreciated his service as much as they should have.
“Then, I heard you gave up a whole pile of money working for Strike Force just so you could pin on a badge,” Reardon added, still speaking to Jesse. “Good for you. You, too.” His gaze shifted back to Lauren. “Are you here on business or to catch up?”
“Business,” Lauren said.
A tightened muscle flickered in Reardon’s jaw, and he stood still there, clearly waiting for them to spell out that business. What he didn’t do was invite them to come inside for this chat.
“We came to ask you about a phone call you made earlier today,” Lauren said, swatting away a mosquito. “To Abilene Joyce.”
Reardon’s brow furrowed. “Abilene Joyce,” he repeated slowly. “Can’t say I know her.” He stopped. “Wait. Is that the name of the woman y’all found wandering around Outlaw Ridge, the one with blood on her and carrying a knife?”
“It is,” Jesse confirmed. “Your number was the last one to call her before she died.”
Reardon exhaled, shaking his head. “That can’t be right.”
“It is,” Lauren assured him. “We got the number from the hospital. They traced the call.”
Reardon scrubbed a hand over his jaw, looking genuinely rattled. “Then someone’s got my phone.”
Lauren exchanged a glance with Jesse to see if he had any doubts about this former cop. He did. So did Lauren. She might be chasing those shadows again, but something felt off about this.
“What do you mean?” Jesse pressed. “How would someone have gotten your phone?”
“I lost it about a week ago,” Reardon admitted. “Somewhere in Outlaw Ridge. I figured it was long gone. It was just a cheap phone, no password or anything. I didn’t think much of it.” He blew out a breath, shaking his head. “Damn. I had no idea someone was using it. And especially using it to call that poor woman.”
The words seemed right. Seemed. But again, she couldn’t help but think they were a click off. “You didn’t report your phone missing?”
Reardon gave a dry laugh. “No reason. It’s not like I had anything sensitive on it—just a couple of contacts and a few messages. Didn’t seem like a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal,” Lauren said. “Because the call…upset Abilene. It sent her into an emotional tailspin.”
Reardon’s eyes went cold for a couple of seconds. “Are you saying that phone call is the reason she’s dead?”
“Yes, I’m saying it could have played into it,” Lauren replied, carefully choosing her words.
“Well, hell,” Reardon spat out. “I want the SOB caught.” He shook his head as if disgusted. And maybe he truly was. Lauren hated that she couldn’t tell for sure.
“It’d help if you could tell us where you think you lost your phone,” Jesse went on. “When was the last time you saw it? And where?”
Reardon was shaking his head before Jesse even finished. “I was all over town that day doing errands. The gas station and post office. The grocery store. Then, on the way home, I stopped by Arlo’s to pick up a pizza to bring home.”
Hearing Arlo’s gave her a jolt since Jesse and she had just been talking about it. And Reardon would have no doubt recalled that it’d been where Lauren had been heading when she’d been abducted. But then, it was the most popular pizza place in town so there was probably nothing suspicious about why it’d been a stop for Reardon’s errands.
Jesse used his phone to take some notes. “We might be able to use the bank’s and pharmacy’s cameras to track some of your movements. And we can contact all of those places to see if anyone found a phone.”
Reardon huffed. “If somebody in any of those places had found it, they would have used it to call me. Like I said, it wasn’t password-protected. But I’m guessing since some asshole used it to put the fear of God into that poor woman, then that asshole wouldn’t have announced to anybody that he’d stolen my phone.” He paused. “Did the sonofabitch do that to set me up?”
“We’re not sure,” Lauren admitted. “Think back to those errands. Did you cross paths with anyone who might have wanted to get back at you?”
He laughed again, but there was no humor in this one either. “Hell, Lauren. I was a cop for damn near thirty years. I’d imagine there are lots of people who hold a grudge against me. Maybe even you,” he added. “After all, I didn’t find you after you got taken. You had to save yourself.”
She looked him straight in the eyes. “I don’t hold a grudge.”
