Today's Promises (Promises #2)(35)

“Must I?” I deadpan.

“Yes,” she replies. “Because from their perspective, you have to be thinking why spend that kind of money—money you could be lining your own pockets with, mind you—on a nice, new facility for kids you don’t even care about. Why would they do that, Flynn, why?”

“I have no idea,” I admit.

Mandy goes on, her excitement building, “Well, I think I do. Would they build a new work barn so we can have a better work environment?”

“Ha, right. No way.”

“See, it just doesn’t make any sense, not with those two. I mean, when did Mrs. Lowry, or Allison, ever care about doing nice things?”

“Never,” I state.

“Exactly.”

And then it starts to dawn on me. “Whoa, wait. So, just to make sure I’m clear on this, you’re saying you think the new barn was built to—”

“—hide something in a place no one would ever suspect,” Mandy finishes for me.

“Holy shit,” I murmur.

Fuck, what if Mandy’s right?





Jaynie



“Well, that’s it, Flynn. It’s settled. We absolutely must go back to the Lowry property.”

He groans, because he knows I’m right.

I crack the passenger window for some much-needed air as we pull away from Mandy’s house.

“As much as I despise that place,” I go on, “I just don’t see how we can avoid a return visit. We need to check things out in the work barn, especially after hearing what Mandy had to say.”

Flynn and Mandy shared what they’d been discussing—her new theories on the missing girl’s body—shortly after the twins went to bed. I was immediately up for a return visit to the Lowry property. Flynn, not so much. I know it’s only ’cause he loves me. But he worries far too much.

“I think we can avoid going back. If we want to, that is,” Flynn says, his expression grim as I glance over at him.

His mouth is set and he’s staring straight ahead at the road before us. His hands are clenched tightly to the steering wheel.

“And how do we do that?” I ask, curious as to what he has up his sleeve.

“We just call Detective Silver, Jaynie. We give him a heads-up on this new theory. He then takes what we give him and does all the investigating that needs to be done. Remember, the Debbie Canfield case is his responsibility. Not ours.”

I let out a snort of disbelief. “I can’t believe I’m the one having to talk you into going back to the Lowry property. Talk about an about-face on the subject.”

“Why are you so dead set on going back there?” he asks, perplexed.

“Because we need more than Mandy’s suspicions if we expect Detective Silver to schedule another excavation. Remember what he said about a judge issuing a court order for a more thorough search?”

“Yeah, he said we needed more evidence.”

“Exactly! So let’s go find some.”

When we reach the interstate exit ramp for Lawrence, Flynn slows down considerably. I hadn’t even noticed he was going so fast, but I guess he was. Stress can do that to you.

Exhaling, Flynn murmurs, “Jaynie, Jaynie…”

“What?”

“I think we need to talk about this.”

“I thought we were talking,” I counter.

“I mean a more in-depth discussion. There’s a lot at stake here.”

“Like what?” I genuinely want to know.

He glances over at me, one brow raised. “Well, for starters, your well-being is a huge concern.”

Ah, Flynn is worried this will be too much for me, seeing as I’m already on shaky ground.

“Okay, pull over,” I quietly state.

At the end of the ramp, there are several big, empty lots on either side of the road. These are turnouts where sleepy truckers can pull in and catch a few z’s. It’s one of the larger ones that Flynn pulls into now.

I guess he’s hoping no one bothers us. I don’t see that as a problem. It’s late and full night has fallen. The only things around are the crickets chirping in the background and the big full moon in the sky. Besides that, there’s not a soul in sight, not even a passing car.

I stare out at the quiet darkness and say, “So, let’s talk.”

Flynn unbuckles his seat belt and twists to face me. His expression is already pained.

“Jaynie,” he begins, “I know you’re all gung-ho about going back to the Lowry house, but I suspect you’re not fully thinking it through. Like, how about what going back there does to you? Returning to that place is like making a pit stop in Hell. Don’t deny it. You know I’m right.”

He is right, but this isn’t about me.

Standing my ground, I say, “We have to go back, though.”

“Not necessarily,” he replies.

“What do you mean?”

“Detective Silver can just go talk with Mandy if he wants more input. Maybe he could even take her up to the property, have her look around the way we did.”

“It needs to be us,” I softly declare. “I feel like we started this journey with Detective Silver, and we need to finish it. Besides, Mandy lives too far away. And she has the twins to take care of.”