Fugitive Pursuit Page 10

  Jamie stood and swiped the table clean. “Let me change, then we can go.” She grabbed one of the new shirts from under the table. “Hopefully Beth will be willing to help us and explain why she stopped investigating Drew.”

  * * *

  When Zack pulled into Beth McKutchen’s street, Jamie’s stomach roiled. Would the woman be willing to work with them in their investigation? Who was to say Beth would even want to listen to Zack and her?

  As Jamie stuffed her backpack under the seat, Zack turned off the ignition. They exited the vehicle and approached the front door. Boys’ whoops and hollers floated from somewhere close by. Her gaze scanned the dead-end road. Kids played a front yard game of football a few houses down.

  She raised her hand and knocked. Several moments later, someone unlocked a dead bolt. The door slid open, but the screen door remained closed. Probably locked, too.

  An older blonde woman stood before them with enough suspicion in her expression to force Jamie back a step. But Zack braced her, pressed his palm against her back.

  “Can I help you?” The woman’s words held the grittiness of a lifelong smoker and the bronze of her skin made it look like rubber. Jamie had only met Beth once, but she could see the McKutchen family resemblance in this woman’s features. Beth’s mother, maybe? Or much older sister?

  “Hi, I’m Jamie Carter.”

  The woman nodded. “I know who you are. I saw you on the news with Sheriff Timmins.” She crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

  “We’re sorry to bother you, ma’am, but we were hoping to speak with Beth. Does she live here?” Zack asked.

  The woman’s expression turned to stone. Her fingers tightened around her biceps. “Are you serious?”

  “We won’t take long,” Jamie said.

  “We have some questions for our investigation,” Zack added, “and we’re hoping she can help us connect the dots.”

  The woman’s eyes narrowed. “Beth can’t help you.” She stepped to one side and grabbed the door handle.

  Zack said, “Ma’am, we’re sorry if we’re upsetting you for some reason, but this is important. We need to talk to her.”

  “So do I, but my daughter’s been missing for a month.”

  SIX

  “Missing? What do you mean?” Jamie’s knees knocked. This had to be her brother-in-law’s doing. From somewhere close by, birds mocked her with a pleasant tune.

  “Gone, not here, no longer around.” Beth’s mom remained rooted to her spot, but at least she wasn’t slamming the door in their faces.

  “What happened?” Zack asked.

  “We don’t know. She left for work one day. Then she was gone.”

  “I’m sorry to hear it. Can we please come in? I have a feeling we’ll be able to help each other.” Hope drained out of Jamie with every silent second.

  “Ma’am,” Zack began, “I promise I will do whatever I can to help find your daughter.”

  Telling this woman any details was a risk, but the way Jamie saw it, she and Zack didn’t have a choice. “We’re trying to find evidence to prove my brother-in-law and Deputy Linden are criminals.”

  Mrs. McKutchen scoffed. “You’re fighting an uphill battle, aren’t you?”

  The woman didn’t know the half of it. “Your daughter was brave enough to assist my sister. Please, let’s work together.”

  The older woman narrowed her gaze at them for a solid five seconds. Finally, she stepped back and opened the door wide. “I suppose it can’t hurt.”

  Zack held the screen door as Jamie stepped inside. The stench of stale smoke assaulted her as she followed the woman farther into the living room. Several pictures covered the walls, mostly of the missing woman. The lady shoved a few newspapers to one side of the couch. “Have a seat.”

  Jamie and Zack squeezed together on the empty part of the couch. Their thighs touched, which was oddly comforting.

  A cushion whooshed as their hostess plopped into the nearby rocking chair. “Now, what questions do you have?” On the coffee table sat a pack of cigarettes, a bowl of individually wrapped candies, a coffee mug still steaming and a handful of papers.

  “When did your daughter go missing?” Zack asked.

  “Just over a month ago. She left the house at the regular time for work, took the car and no one heard from her again. Sheriff Timmins called her cell phone and then her boyfriend to find her when she didn’t show up for work.”

  “What about the car?” Out of the corner of her eye, Jamie caught a puppy sleeping below the window.

  “They found it abandoned under a bridge along the highway. It had smashed into the cement wall and the only fingerprints were Beth’s. They supposedly found drugs hidden in the glove compartment.”

  “What do you mean supposedly?” Zack leaned forward and dropped his forearms to his thighs. His elbow settled on her knee.

  “My daughter never did drugs. She had medical issues, but even without those she had too much respect for herself to use drugs.” She grabbed a candy out of the pewter bowl, yanked off the wrapper and shoved the piece into her mouth.

  Jamie inched forward, folded the candy wrapper and left it on the table. “What happened to the investigation into Beth’s disappearance?”

  “It stalled. The detectives looked hard at her boyfriend, but he had an alibi for the time frame of her disappearance. They questioned me, the rest of our family, plus her friends, and got nothing. After a while, the police stopped looking, as if they didn’t think her life meant anything because they claimed she did drugs.” The woman stared across the room and grabbed a few of the chocolates from the table. Her hand shook slightly. “I had a gut feeling, you know?” Tears shimmered in her eyes but didn’t fall.

  “About what?” Zack entwined his fingers. He’d sat the same way a few times since Jamie had met him, revealing his concern, his care for people and the truth, the gentleness...

  She closed her eyes. Zack was only temporary. Focus on Beth, the woman who’d gone missing, most likely because she helped with the fight to get Erin free.

  “Your brother-in-law was always an overbearing individual. Of course, I’d only seen him a couple of times, but he never really looked at me. I often trust my gut feeling about people when I first meet them and I had a bad feeling about him from the start of Beth’s job.”

  Zack turned to Jamie. “How long had she worked for your sister?”

  “Three, four months.” Jamie shifted in her seat.

  Mrs. McKutchen popped another candy in her mouth at the same time her gaze traveled to the pack of cigarettes at the other end of the table. “Sheriff Timmins didn’t like my daughter or how close she got to your sister.”

  How close she’d gotten since Jamie was too busy. Another punch in the stomach.

  Beth’s mother grabbed her cup of coffee and took a sip. “Now it’s your turn. What can you tell me?”

  Jamie began, “She’d over—”

  Zack squeezed her thigh. “Not much. We’re still investigating the connection between your daughter and Drew Timmins. Let me ask you one more question. Do you know the name of the officer who first investigated Beth’s disappearance?”

  “Sheriff Timmins had Deputy Linden run the investigation since he wasn’t involved with Beth socially or professionally.” She leaned over to switch out the coffee mug for the pack of cigs. “You’re not going to share any of your information with me, are you?”

  Zack pulled his keys from his pocket. “We have a lot of puzzle pieces we’re still having trouble connecting.”

  What? How cruel could he be to a grieving mom? No, Jamie wouldn’t go against Zack’s wishes right now, but he wouldn’t stop her from attempting to ease the woman’s pain later. Jamie grabbed Mrs. McKutchen’s empty hand. “I promise you I’ll come back when we have more information.”

  “Then maybe I’ll kn
ow what happened to my baby girl.” Tears touched the older woman’s cheeks. She lowered the cigarette pack, then covered Jamie’s fingers. “I don’t have any reason to, but I believe you. The good Lord is telling me to trust you.”

  Jamie slowly pulled her hands away. There He went again: guiding others yet leaving her to fight for every scrap of information she could get to free her niece and herself. It was as though He wanted to punish her for letting her sister down. And letting Him down.

  “Thank you for your time, ma’am.” As he stood, Zack cupped Jamie’s elbow and urged her to follow his lead.

  Beth’s mom walked them to the door. “Thank you for giving me hope that I might get some kind of closure.”

  Closure. A loaded word with the potential to crush someone’s heart or lift it up. Unfortunately, Jamie had little hope Beth would be found alive.

  Once she and Zack drove out of the neighborhood, she rubbed her temple. “You know what I’m thinking?” Darkening clouds pushed the sunlight around.

  “Besides the very real possibility Timmins had something to do with Beth’s disappearance?”

  “Yeah, I mean he may’ve stepped back from the investigation officially, but having George run it wasn’t much better.” She shook her head. “Maybe Beth left her journal with Erin because she knew Drew was onto her and she didn’t have time to contact the police.”

  “Could be.”

  “I wonder if Beth going missing was the catalyst for my sister wanting to get out of the marriage.”

  Zack eased the car into the traffic on the highway. “What if Timmins and Linden were worried about how much Beth knew about whatever they’re involved in? What if they got rid of her, staged the car wreck and planted the drugs to discredit her?”

  “I’d say it worked.” She brushed some flyaway strands of hair behind her ear. “We’ll find a way to prove it. I have to have faith.” Maybe God would forgive her at some point.

  Zack grinned. “You? Faith?”

  “What can I say?” She shrugged. “We’ve been together long enough you’re starting to influence me.”

  He nodded once. “That’s God working through me.”

  She’d meant for her words to lighten the mood, but awkwardness filled the car. Zack had been influencing her, in more ways than she was comfortable with. He made her want to believe in fairy tales again. The comfort she felt with him around, the ease with which they spoke to each other—both made her want to try being worthy of love and understanding. “Whatever it is, I don’t care as long as it helps us both get back to our own lives.”

  “Right.” He clicked the blinker. “What’s the waterfront address from your sister’s papers?”

  Once she’d opened her backpack, she fished through the envelope until she found the page. “1971 Swanson Road.”

  “Do you have your phone handy?”

  “I don’t carry one. Too easy to track me.”

  When they stopped at a red light, Zack picked up his cell from the console and typed in his personal code. “Look up the directions and then read them to me.”

  * * *

  Fifteen minutes later, Zack pulled off the main road into the Hampton Waterfront Complex. He drove slowly between two long strips of loading docks for a variety of businesses with address numbers. At the end of the drive was another building with Narragansett Bay drifting behind it.

  “It’s got to be that one.” Jamie pointed toward the far end of the complex.

  No cars sat beside the building. To the immediate right was the bay. To the left, a parking lot. Pulling up front would leave them exposed. He drove toward the back of the abandoned building where they found a loading dock. A small area for a handful of cars sat between the door and the bay. They’d be less likely to be found if he parked back here. “I don’t know if I like this,” Zack said.

  “Ten minutes, tops,” Jamie coaxed. “We’ll be in and out.” When he made no movement, she reached for the door handle. “Fine. Then wait here and I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

  “No.” He grabbed her arm. What happened if someone caught them breaking and entering? With one dumb decision, he could crush his career. Besides his family, it was all he had. “It doesn’t feel right.”

  “Maybe not, but my sister wrote this address down. We need to know why.”

  “Let me go in,” he suggested. At least she could drive away if needed.

  She shook her head. “No. It’s my future on the line and this could be a key element to helping me prove I was justified in taking my niece away.”

  Seconds ticked by.

  He glanced at the time on his cell phone. “We go in, but if I tell you we’re leaving, don’t argue.”

  “But, Zack, we need to be thorough.”

  “Which won’t help either of us if we get caught trespassing.” He grabbed his duffel bag and searched for his lock-picking tools.

  She bit her bottom lip.

  “I can see the wheels spinning in your brain.” Zack shook his head. “I’m not backing down on this. We go together and you follow my directions or we don’t go at all.”

  A few more seconds breezed by. “All right. I won’t argue with you.”

  As Jamie hurried out of the vehicle, Zack raised his hands and his gaze to the roof. Why did he not believe her?

  Quickly he exited the vehicle and caught up with her. Seagulls squawked as they flew all around the bay. The water lapped lazily against the rocks, louder with each of their steps closer to the door.

  What he wouldn’t give to be anywhere else but in this parking lot.

  Standing in front of it, the building looked rundown. Rust covered parts of the metal door and the upside down McGinty’s Restaurant sign sat on the ground. An old window frame leaned against the wall. Graffiti decorated various sections of the metal. The lock on the door, though, was in mint condition. Yep, something valuable had to be in here.

  Knots tightened in his gut. Normally he wouldn’t approach a scene like this without proper backup. Jamie was cute and all, but for a possibly dangerous situation, he’d prefer one of his brothers or Jessa.

  Jamie placed her hand on the door handle. Zack held her back. Slowly he approached the door and set his ear to the metal. The sounds of the bay surrounded them, but no noises came from inside the building. Once he’d unlocked the door, he slowly pushed it open and stepped inside.

  The stench of mold assaulted him immediately, but Zack had learned to overcome smells of most kinds in his line of work. Behind him, Jamie blew out a breath of disgust. He scanned the room, which had to be the size of a YMCA. Large fluorescent lights hung suspended from the ceiling, slivers of light fell from high, rectangular windows, wooden boxes piled on top of each other in some parts of the room and sometimes standing alone.

  He rushed to the first set of boxes. A shipping company’s name stuck out through the plastic used for wrapping the box. Jamie pulled a piece of paper free. “What does it say?” he asked as he closed the distance between them.

  “It matches the name on the side of the box and lists ceramic items.” As she folded the paper up, she added, “It also has an address.”

  When she shifted to push the paper into her pocket, Zack grabbed her wrist. “You’re not taking that.”

  “It can be useful.”

  “You want to give your brother-in-law something else to hold against you?” He tugged his phone out of his pocket. “But here.” He took a picture of the receipt. “We’ll see what we can find out about the company.” Then Jamie stuffed it back where she found it. Zack returned his attention to the box. To make the trip worthwhile, he needed to know if the contents of each box matched the invoices. He scanned the floor for something to crack the box open.

  Jamie rushed to the next set of boxes. “Zack, over here.” Before he reached her side, she shoved her hands inside the already opened box. Wiping
away the dust and Bubble Wrap, she held up a ceramic cat with intricate details all over its body. Mrs. Cecily would love it.

  Again, Jamie leaned into the box and switched out another ceramic item. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was supposed to be. “These match the invoice.” She frowned. “But I don’t get it. What does any of this stuff have to do with Drew, my sister or Beth?”

  “I think I know.” Too many times in his career he’d uncovered drugs stashed inside household trinkets. What other reason would Timmins have for receiving three boxes of porcelain animals? “Drugs.”

  “Really?”

  Zack pushed the contents of the box around, hoping to find anything to confirm his suspicions. A couple of the cats underneath had been broken, as though they’d been used to confirm the boxes’ contents and then hidden at the bottom. Sure enough, inside were plastic packets of clear drugs. Bingo. He held up one packet.

  “What is it?”

  “Most likely crystal meth.”

  Jamie grabbed the packet and studied it. “So, the rumors are true. Drew’s involved in selling drugs.”

  “All we have is an abandoned building with drugs inside. We don’t know who owns the building or who’s responsible for the boxes besides the shipping company on the invoices.”

  “Oh, we know.” She handed the bag back to him.

  “Yes, but we can’t prove it yet.” He reorganized the box to erase any proof of their visit.

  Jamie’s fingers danced along one of the animals. “Should we take one of the cats with us?”

  “No. For one thing, we don’t want Timmins to know we were here. Plus, if we were to get caught by the good authorities, I don’t want drugs found in my sister’s friend’s vehicle. It definitely wouldn’t look good for any—”

  Faint voices drifted in through the windows. Zack’s insides meshed together. He set his finger to his lips.

  Jamie’s eyes widened. Blood drained from her face.

  Zack hurried to shift the box cover in place. His heart rate raced. He scrambled around to her side of the box, grabbed her and dropped to the floor. Please, God, let me get us out of here alive and unharmed.