Hide and Seek (Criminal Profiler 3)

He scratched his head. “One of her slippers was missing,” he said finally. “It was weeks after she was gone, and Cathy came in here to clean. She wanted the room just right when Tobi came home. She found the one pink slipper under the bed but not the other one. She looked everywhere, but it didn’t turn up.”

“Did you keep the one?” Macy asked.

“Sure.” He knelt by the bed, fished under the red duster, and pulled out a pink knitted slipper. “Cathy was sure it would turn up like Tobi and kept it. I’m not so different than my wife. I kept it all the same for Tobi, but I suppose I don’t need to do that anymore.”

“Did you find anything in her room that didn’t belong?” Macy asked.

“Nothing that caught my eye, but in the early days I couldn’t come in here. Cathy took care of it.”

“Was the study session planned?” Macy asked.

“No. It was last minute,” he said. “Why would that matter?”

“Again, I’m just asking a lot of questions right now.”

He swallowed. “Sheriff Nevada, when can I have my daughter? It’s time she joined her mother.”

“In a few days,” Nevada said. “Agent Crow and I are visiting her in Roanoke tomorrow. Then we’ll know better about a release day.”

Turner drew in a breath. “Tell my Tobi that her daddy loves her, would you? Tell her.”

“I’ll tell her,” Macy said softly.

In his car, Nevada was nearly to the main road when he asked, “Are you fishing when you ask about Cindy Shaw, or do you really think something happened to her?”

“I suppose I’m fishing. One of those loose ends that keeps nagging me.” She glanced at her notes. “I want to talk to Jenna Newsome.”

“I’m on it.”

Nevada located Jenna Newsome easily. She had married a decade ago and her last name now was Montgomery, and she worked in a law office as a paralegal. She told Nevada she was working late and they were welcome to come by. The law office was nestled in a century-old Victorian home that had been gutted and remodeled.

Macy and Nevada climbed the front steps and entered a room decorated in sleek grays that accentuated thick crown molding and a white marble fireplace. A receptionist’s desk, made of polished mahogany, offered the only slash of warmth in an otherwise cold room.

The two waited only a moment before a plump redhead clad in a navy-blue dress appeared. She wore pearls, black kitten heels, and a jeweled watch on her left wrist. “May I help you?”

Nevada and Macy each showed their badges, and her smile faded just a bit. “We’d like to speak to Jenna Newsome Montgomery.”

“That’s me. This is about Tobi, isn’t it?”

“It is.” Nevada tucked his badge back in the breast pocket of his coat. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

“Sure. There’s a conference room to the left. Let me get someone to watch the phones for me.” She ducked into an office before returning and sitting, smoothing her skirt with manicured fingers. “When I read the news she’d been found, I knew it was a matter of time before someone came looking for me.”

“You were close friends with Tobi Turner?” Macy asked.

Frown lines deepened. “We were good friends. We were both nerds, liked debate and playing in the band.”

“When was the last time you saw her?” Macy asked.

“The day she vanished. I saw her at school.”

“And not after?” Macy asked.

“She said something about a study session, but I couldn’t go because I was babysitting my little brother.”

“The kids at the school said she didn’t show for the study session. Do you know where she went?”

“Sheriff Greene asked me the same question. Like I told him, I don’t know where she went. It wasn’t like her to skip study sessions.”

“Was she dating anyone?” Macy asked.

“No. She liked a few guys, but it was always from afar.”

“Who did she like?”

“Like all the other girls at school, she was crushing on the guys playing on the Dream Team. They were hot as hell that year. Even slightly cynical geeks like us weren’t immune to their aura.”

“Dream Team?” Macy asked.

“The local football team made the state finals that year,” Nevada explained. “There were four guys that year who were extremely talented. Rafe Younger, Paul Decker, Bruce Shaw, and Kevin Wyatt.”

“Wyatt as in the Wyatt barn?” Macy asked.

“Yes, the same family,” Nevada said.

“Small town.” Macy jotted down all the names. “Did you ever see Tobi hanging out with anyone on the Dream Team?”

Jenna smiled indulgently. “Geeks didn’t hang with the guys on the Dream Team.”

“Did you see her talking to anyone in particular at the games or during school that fall?” Macy asked.

“I saw her once with Paul Decker. He was hanging around her locker a few days before she vanished.”

“Did Tobi ever say what they were talking about?”

“He thought she was cute, or at least that’s what she told me later. I was suspicious. Decker was known for chasing the cheerleaders.”

“Did you tell Sheriff Greene about Decker talking to Tobi?” Nevada asked.

“The sheriff came by once, and I told him everything I just told you. He took notes, but kept shaking his head as if he doubted what I’d seen. No one ever talked to me about it again.”

“Was there anyone else out of the ordinary who hung out with Tobi those last few weeks?” Nevada asked.

“Like Decker? No. Do you think Decker killed Tobi? He was arrested for something, I heard,” Jenna asked.

Macy didn’t answer the question, instead asking, “Did you know Cindy Shaw?”

“Kind of,” Jenna said. “She was an odd duck. She was a hard partier, and she was really into the goth look. Very into the football team that last year and was thrilled that her brother was on the verge of doing really well for himself.”

“Did Cindy know Tobi?” Macy asked. “Did she talk to Tobi at all?”

“Not that I know of. Cindy wasn’t popular, and she didn’t fit with the geeks or the popular kids.”

“What happened to Cindy?” Macy asked.

“Everyone knows Cindy ran off. You’re FBI. Can’t you just track Cindy down and ask her?”

“It’s not that simple. But I would like to find her,” Macy said. “Any idea where she moved to?”

“I heard Colorado.”

“Anybody ever hear from her again?” Nevada asked.

“Not that I know of, but I don’t keep up that much. You should talk to Bruce. I’m sure she’s talked to her brother at some point.”

“I’ll be sure to talk to him,” Macy said.

“We always thought whoever took Tobi wasn’t from around here,” Jenna said.

“Why do you say that?” Macy asked.

Jenna shuddered. “Because this isn’t the kind of place where killers live. It’s a nice, peaceful place.”

“Where do you think killers live, Ms. Montgomery?” Macy asked.

“In the big cities.”

“Sometimes they do. And sometimes they live in places like this and they look very ordinary.”

Jenna shuddered. “That’s unsettling.”

Macy flipped the pages of her notepad back in place. “Yes, it is.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Monday, November 18, 8:15 p.m.

When Nevada pulled away from Jenna Montgomery’s office, Macy was exhausted and her body ached. Climbing up the tall set of steps to Jenna Montgomery’s office had been rough for her. And descending had taken her full concentration.

Macy had remained on point and she had felt sharp during the interview, but now that she was alone with Nevada, she dropped her guard a fraction. The long day was taking its toll, whereas a year ago she’d have blown right through it with energy to spare. Nevada hadn’t made a comment, but his frown suggested he was worried about h

er.

“What did you think about Jenna Montgomery?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. Appeared helpful and all smiles.”

“But?”

She ran her hand over her short hair as if it were longer and still draped her shoulders. “At this stage I don’t fully trust anyone’s account. If Jenna knows something that contributed to Tobi’s death, she might be afraid to talk even after fifteen years.”

“Or she was shooting straight with us.”

“Time will bear it out.”

“What’s next?” he asked.

“I want to talk to Hank Greene. He was sheriff at the time of these attacks,” Macy said. “This is a small town, and word will travel fast. I don’t want him overly prepared for when we meet.”

“We’ll go right now.”