Scratchgravel Road (Josie Gray Mysteries #2)(17)

“It’s a wallet.”

“Okay. But I’ve never seen it,” Cassidy said.

He took the camera back and advanced to the next picture. “Recognize that?”

She leaned forward to look at the picture and looked confused. “Is that the backseat in my car?”

Otto nodded, his expression grave. “You recognize it now?”

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “That’s not my wallet,” she said, pointing at the camera screen.

“What do you see in the picture?”

Cassidy frowned. “A wallet, in the backseat of my car.” She looked up at Otto.

“Whose is it?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it.”

“Does it belong to the dead man?”

Her eyes widened. “I told you, I don’t know. I’ve never seen that wallet.”

“Is it your boyfriend’s?” he asked.

“No. He doesn’t carry a wallet. He carries a money clip.”

Otto glanced at Josie, who remained impassive.

A horn honked several times outside of the emergency room doors where Josie’s police car was parked. She assumed it was Leo.

Cassidy looked toward the door but didn’t speak.

Josie said, “Did you see any other cars drive by while you were in the desert?”

“No.”

“Would you have noticed someone driving by while you were walking?”

She shook her head. “From where the dead man was I couldn’t see the road at all.”

The driver of the car outside the Trauma Center lay on the horn.

“Please. I have to go,” she said.

Josie handed her another business card. “Put this in your pocket. You call me first thing tomorrow. We’ll find a time to get your car back to you.”

She stood and Josie put a hand out to stop her. “Hold on. You have some homework to do tonight. I want you to make me a calendar that details your day, from the time you got up, through your sleeping hours, for the last four days. Start with last Friday, end with today.”

“I will. I promise.”

Josie blew air out in frustration. She didn’t know how to get through to her. “One piece of advice and you can go. Tell the truth. Whatever has happened, you need to tell me what’s going on so I can help you figure out a plan.” Josie gestured toward the honking horn outside. “He may not have your best interest in mind.”

Cassidy turned from Josie and ran from the building.

Josie pulled her keys out of her front pocket and smiled grimly at Otto to keep her anger in check. “I’ll be visiting Leo tomorrow.”

She and Otto thanked Vie for her help, but as they turned to leave Vie asked if she could talk with Josie for a minute. Josie pitched Otto the keys and he went outside into the rain. She followed Vie over to the waiting area and sat down beside her.

Vie crossed her hands in her lap and pursed her lips. “I need to talk to you in confidence.” She paused and Josie nodded for her to continue. “I’m worried about someone you work with. About their child.”

Josie considered Vie for a moment. The only one of her coworkers with a child who lived in the area was Marta.

“Okay,” Josie said, her tone cautious.

“Obviously I can’t tell you specifics, and I can’t go to the parent, but I’m worried about the direction this young person is headed.”

Josie nodded. She knew discussing patient care violated federal laws and would be cause for dismissal. The only thing that came to Josie’s mind was a rumor she’d heard recently that involved Teresa dating Enrico Gomez. Josie had dismissed it as nasty small-town gossip.

“Should I be concerned about Enrico?”

Vie nodded once, her lips forming a thin line as if forcing her to not say more, but her eyes were filled with worry.

Josie had heard enough. It meant the rumors were true. Teresa was seeing Enrico behind Marta’s back. Marta worked third shift and Teresa was often alone at home in the evenings. Enrico was a known meth user, a twenty-year-old who had done time in juvenile hall for drug possession and dealing several years ago. Josie felt sick.

Vie patted Josie’s knee and walked away, back to the ringing phone at the nurse’s station.

Josie leaned back in her seat, and stared blankly at the TV hanging from the wall, its volume muted. The weather forecaster, standing with rain dripping off the hood of her yellow rain slicker, was no doubt delivering more bad news. Josie sighed heavily and watched Vie talking on the phone. For such a smart kid, Teresa was one of the worst judges of character Josie had ever met. Her mom, who would do anything for her, got nothing but grief. Teresa made excuses for her alcoholic dad and cut her mom zero slack. And now she was running with a convicted meth user.

*

Cassidy pulled the car door shut and Leo slammed the accelerator, spinning the tires on the wet pavement. He didn’t speak until they were out of town on River Road. “What the hell is going on?”

She looked out the passenger window and said nothing as she tried to force down the knot in her throat. She focused on the raindrops pelting the ground, all falling at precisely the same angle. Before she had met Leo he had been an assistant physics professor. But then he had lost his job due to cutbacks. When they first started dating he would impress her with his ability to use wind speed and velocity to figure out the precise angle of raindrops, or he’d tell her exactly how long it would take to drive somewhere at a certain speed. She didn’t care, but she liked that he tried to impress her. Most guys wanted nothing more than an easy date. Now, here it was six months later, and she wondered if he was capable of murder.