There’s things I know about him that still don’t make sense. Details in the book that don’t add up.
I need to put my feelings aside and think of this. The answer is hidden somewhere.
But where should I start?
“Screw this,” I say to myself, setting down my glass of wine and grabbing my laptop. I pull up my search engine, and type Earl Wheeler into the search bar.
I’m flooded with images and stories of the savage man.
I stare at the photo of Earl, noticing the resemblance between them both.
I pull up the first story, recounting the gory details of the night he killed his wife. How Earl had murdered her because she found a woman from the college Earl worked at as a janitor once his racing career was over, lying dead on the basement floor. Earl had murdered over twelve female students from the college. In the book, Earl never really mentioned his family at all. Only that his wife caught him in the act.
He really only portrays the hunger he had from watching the women at the college while working there. He goes into details about the murders, and the book hit the bestsellers list and stayed there for over twenty-two weeks.
I keep scrolling, looking at family portraits of Earl, his wife, Pearl, and their son, Dylan.
But who is Isabella? And how does she tie into everything?
Did he meet her after he ran away? Maybe she helped him escape? He probably needed somebody to help him.
I keep scrolling, reading story after story until my eyes burn to stay open. I keep seeing the name of the prison his father sits in day after day, paying for his sins, and I decide to head there tomorrow. To have a talk with him.
If anyone is going to help me find Danger, it’s the devil himself.
Chapter 36
Monterey
I’m dressed and out of the house early the next morning, making my way to the Dulfur Federal Penitentiary.
It takes me a good hour to drive through the valley before ending up at the prison. On the drive I’d rehearsed a million different scenarios of what I could say to the man who raised Danger, but in the end I came up with nothing.
I still have no idea what I plan on saying by the time I sign in and head into the waiting area before they lead me into the room to speak with Earl Wheeler.
I’ve never visited anyone in a prison before, and I’m not really sure what I’m in for. The prison isn’t as dank and dirty as I thought it would be. I’ve only ever seen movies where prisons look like they’re full of mold and mildew with rats in every corner. However, this facility is a lot cleaner than I was expecting.
I stop staring at the white walls when they call my name and I’m ushered into a room with plexiglass separating prisoners from their visitors.
I take a seat where they tell me, and stare in front of me. Then, a man parks himself across from me and we’re only separated by the thick acrylic wall.
He stares at me for a minute before picking up the red phone to his right.
I, however, can’t stop staring at his eyes. They’re so familiar. They’re just like Danger’s and I can’t turn away from the likeness this man shares to his son.
He points to my phone, and I grab onto it, for fear of chickening out.
“Who are you? Another reporter?” he asks me, his tone rough and rugged.
I shake my head, unable to find my voice.
He stares at me for a moment, studying me. “We don’t have much time. You gonna tell me why you’re here then?”
“I’m a friend of your son Danger. I mean, Dylan.”
He doesn’t react right away, and then a slow smile spreads across his face, and I have to look away for a second. “I heard he’s a big shot race car driver.” He laughs and the sound sends a burst of shivers up my spine.
“Yes, he is.” I try to cut right to the point, because he’s right my time is almost up. “Dylan’s missing, and he has an important race coming up and I’m just wondering if you knew where I might be able to find him.”
Earl Wheeler stares at me for a long minute, his eyes roaming all over me, making me feel quite uncomfortable. “What’s in it for me?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. What do I get out of this?”
I lean closer. “Well, do you know where he is?”
He leans back, like a man who has all the power, like he’s holding the winning hand in a poker match. Problem is, he doesn’t know how to bluff very well. I can see it in his eyes he has no idea where Danger can be. “I might.”
I decide to call him on it. “You have no idea. Truth is you’ve never been able to control your family.”