Page 66 of Peak Suspicion
“I didn’t do it,” Ed said.
“One of the boys here in Eagle Mountain will probably be able to identify you,” Carter said. “When the police in Santa Fe hear about those crimes, they’ll want to take another look at you.”
“It was an accident!” Ed took a step back. “He wasn’t supposed to die. I was going to let him go but then he started screaming and I just wanted him to stop making so much noise…” He looked away, silent.
Mira’s stomach roiled. The image of David’s sweet, smiling face—the photo that had appeared on posters all over town—wasburned into her mind. The thought of how afraid he must have been threatened to buckle her knees. But she couldn’t afford to think of that. Not now, with his murderer standing right here, threatening to kill her and Carter. She swallowed her disgust and tried to make herself sound sympathetic. “You should tell the sheriff it was an accident,” she said. “They can find you some…some help.”
“They’ll never prove I had anything to do with any of that,” he said. “The cops in Santa Fe never even questioned me about it. I got out of that place as soon as I could. Started using my full first name, which I never used before, and Mitch’s last name—his mother’s name. Guess she was smart not to give him mine. I bummed around for a while, got in a little trouble in St. Louis for messing with an underage girl, but I wasn’t inside for long. I ran out of money and decided to look up Mitch. He took me in.”
“The sheriff’s department thinks your son was responsible,” Carter said. “Because you used his car.”
“I never wanted to involve Mitch. He’s a good kid. Doesn’t take after me at all.”
He was sounding more confident now. More like a man who would shoot them. Mira searched for some way to distract him again. “Why did you write all those letters to people?” she asked.
“Because it was fun. I got a kick out of hearing how wound up everyone got over those. And it proved my point that every single person fudges the law some way. They’re not that much different from me.”
Mira could have pointed out that there was a big difference between illegally parking or leaving trash cans out overnight and molesting children or killing them, but decided not to antagonize Ed further.
Carter had moved forward another step. Suddenly, Ed swung the gun in his direction. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. “Get back.”
But instead of moving back, Carter lunged forward, reaching for the older, smaller man. He grabbed Ed’s arm and the gun went off. Then Carter stumbled back and fell against the wall, blood blooming red across his chest.
Chapter Twenty
“Thanks for calling me back, Jake.” Dalton paced the floor of his apartment, phone pressed to his ear. “I know it’s late.”
“I’m still up,” Jake said. “What’s going on? You sound upset.”
“I’ve been digging around online, trying to find out more about Mitch Anders,” Dalton said.
“Why were you doing that?” Jake asked.
“Because I’m curious. Look, it doesn’t matter why. I just wanted to tell you what I found out. Not about Mitch, but about his father, Ed. He goes by Ed Anders now, but I’m pretty sure his real name is Ned Solomon. He’s from St. Louis, and he was arrested there for possession of child pornography. He was also jailed for a while in St. Louis for interfering with a minor. Does that mean he molested some kid? Am I telling you things you already know?”
“Whoa,” Jake said. “Back up a little. Say all that again, and tell me why it’s got you so upset.”
Dalton repeated the information, and added, “Someone sent Mira Veronica letters accusing her of having something to do with the murder of a little boy, David Ketchum, in Santa Fe. Mira didn’t have anything to do with the crime, but I think Ed—or Ned—did. He was living there at the time. He’s got a record that links him to crimes against children. And he’s living here under another name at the same time someone has been attempting to abduct other kids.”
“Ed’s a disabled old man,” Jake said.
“Is he? If he’s the same man I think he is, he’s only fifty-two. Maybe he’s only pretending to have trouble walking.”
“Okay. I agree this is worth looking into. But you still haven’t answered my original question. Why are you so upset now that you called me at this time of night?”
Dalton stopped pacing and took a deep breath. “I’m worried about Carter. He’s with Mira right now, at her apartment. I’ve been calling, but he doesn’t answer his phone.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to be disturbed,” Jake said.
“Sure. That’s probably all it is. But I can’t shake the feeling something isn’t right.” There. He’d said it. All his life he’d denied he and Carter had any special bond just because they were twins. Yet here he was, feeling the closest thing he had known to terror and he couldn’t explain why.
“Hang on a minute, Dalton,” Jake said.
Silence. Dalton resumed pacing, one arm hugged across his body, nervous energy vibrating through him. Then Jake was back on the line. “Where does Mira live?” he asked.
Dalton gave him the address. “Could you ask the deputy on duty to drive by and make sure everything looks okay?” he asked. “I’d do it but Carter would kill me if he ever found out.”
“I’m headed over there now,” Jake said. “Sit tight and don’t go anywhere.”
