Page 92 of Hold Your Breath
Chris blinked at her, speechless for a moment.
With an amused snort, Callum muttered, “Welcome to my world.”
“Ah…” Chris shot Callum a glance that Lou translated as a look of masculine solidarity. “This hasn’t been confirmed. DNA testing’s been done, but that takes some time to get back from the state lab.”
“Who is it? Can you tell us?”
After a second, he nodded. “You need to keep this under your hats until the tests come back and it’s released to the media.”
Lou made a zipping-her-lips motion.
“His name is—probably—Willard Alan Gray.”
“Will Gray,” Cal said thoughtfully. “I know that name.”
“He lived on the outskirts of Simpson, off of Esko Hill Road.”
“Right.” With a nod, Cal added, “Kind of an odd guy. Kept to himself, except when that new development was about to be built right by his place a few years back. He came to a couple of city planning meetings to protest it.”
“That’s him,” Chris agreed. “The sheriff actually lives in one of the new Esko Hill houses. Said that after the development was built, Gray hardly ever left his cabin.”
“Was he reported missing?” A flood of questions poured through Lou’s brain, triggered by the new information.
“Not officially,” the deputy said. “His old army buddy showed up a couple of weeks ago, though. Baxter Price.”
“Uncle Baxter!”
Chris gave Lou an odd look and then continued. “Anyway, Price said he and Gray communicated through email and occasional phone calls. After months of silence, Price became concerned and came here to check on him. He’s staying at Gray’s place for the time being.”
With a frown, Lou asked, “Why didn’t Baxter make the connection between his missing friend and the body found in the reservoir?”
“Apparently,” Chris answered with a grimace, “Price is not a fan of law enforcement officers. It was like pulling teeth to get him to talk to me. He never officially reported Gray as missing, but just started poking around on his own, like some people do.” His pointed gaze fell on Lou, but she just blinked at him innocently. “As far as knowing about the body, I got the impression he doesn’t interact with the other people in town much, so he missed out on all the gossip.”
“His friend was all Willard had?” That struck Lou as sad. “No family, then?”
“Not that we could find. Price doesn’t know of any, but I don’t know how reliable he is.”
Callum gave the deputy a sharp look. “You think he’s lying to you?”
“Not intentionally,” Chris said. “But he clearly has some mental issues.”
“Did no one local know that Willard was missing?” Lou frowned at the thought. “I know he rarely left the house, but I would think the neighbors would notice when he went from reclusive to completely gone, especially when an anonymous body is discovered.”
“Apparently not,” the deputy said. “No one reported it to us, at least.”
Her brain was racing with new theories and questions. “If he was pretty much a hermit, why would anyone care enough to kill him? Is there any connection between Willard and the Liverton MC?”
Chris’s expression shut down. “I can’t discuss this case with you any further, Lou. In fact, I shouldn’t have told you what I did, but I thought you deserved it for giving me the information that led to a probable ID.”
“Okay,” Lou said, deflating. Callum reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “Thanks for telling me. It’s good to know who he is, at least.”
With a short nod of acknowledgment, Chris reached for the doorknob. “Please keep this to yourselves.”
“Of course,” Callum said, and Lou nodded.
“Enjoy the rest of your weekend.” Stepping outside, the deputy closed the door behind him.
Lou and Callum eyed each other for several long, silent moments. The sound of Chris’s squad car faded into the distance.
