A Merciful Silence (Mercy Kilpatrick #4)(43)

As a child he’d been fascinated with the product.

“But you’re not here to have coffee and cookies with an old woman. What happened across the street? I’ve been watching since the first police vehicle pulled up with its lights flashing.”

“Do you know the Moody brothers?” Truman asked before taking another bite of heaven.

“Of course. Clint and Ryan. I can always count on them when I need a bit of muscle to move something around here. Polite boys.”

“Did you see either one of them today?”

“I saw Ryan get home from work a few hours ago. Clint’s pickup was there earlier today. He gets off work at the lumberyard around three, I believe. I didn’t actually see him, just his vehicle.”

“Did you see any other vehicles over there?”

She frowned at him. “What happened? Did someone break in? I’ve always been a little nervous living here by myself, but I’ve got Betty Lou in case someone tries something.” She spread open her bag of yarn and knitting needles, tipping it toward Truman to expose a revolver nestled among the skeins of yarn. “I know my way around a gun.”

Of course she does.

“There was an unfamiliar pickup at the home earlier today,” she continued, setting the bag aside. “I saw two men get out and head toward the house, but I didn’t think anything of it.”

“What time was this?”

She tapped her lips with one finger as she thought. “Well, I’d already watched the local news, which finished at five thirty . . . I’d say they showed up around six.”

“Did you see them leave?”

“No. I made my dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. When I came out the driveway was empty. No vehicles at all.”

“How long do you think you were in the kitchen?”

“Maybe a half hour.”

“Did you get a good look at the two men?”

She cocked her head. “Not really. It was raining and getting dark. But my impression was that they fit in with Ryan and Clint. You know, solid, hardworking men. Jeans, boots, caps. I saw them as two friends coming to visit.”

Like every other man in Eagle’s Nest.

Truman made a notation about the clothing on his pad. “What color was the truck?”

Sally grimaced. “A dark color. I don’t know if it was dark green, blue, or black. I know it wasn’t white or any pale color. And don’t bother to ask me the make. I don’t pay attention to stuff like that.”

Truman tried a different approach. “Would you say it was identical to the truck Clint drives?”

She thought hard. “No. It was different somehow. I only saw it from the back. They’d already parked next to Clint’s truck when I looked up, but the back of the truck wasn’t the same as Clint’s.”

Congratulations. I eliminated one specific year and make of truck.

“Were either of the men heavyset?”

Sally shook her head.

“Would you say they moved like young men? No slow steps of an older man?”

“Not old. Are you going to tell me what happened over there or not?” Impatience colored her tone.

Truman put away his notebook. “We don’t know. Clint is missing and there’s quite a bit of blood in the home.”

“Oh, my!” Sally touched her hand to her chest. “That poor boy. Such a nice man.”

“The brothers get along as far as you know?”

“For the most part. Whenever they were in my home, they were gentlemen. But I’ve heard a few shouting arguments. And my hearing isn’t the best, so they must have been loud for me to hear them all the way across the street. But who doesn’t have those?”

“You never saw them or heard about them hitting each other?”

“Oh, Lord no. Do you think Ryan did something to Clint?” She asked. Her thin eyebrows shot up. “That’s ridiculous. They’re brothers.”

So were Cain and Abel.

Apparently Sally hadn’t heard about the recent bar fight between the brothers. Truman handed her a business card. “You’ve been very helpful. Call me if you see the truck again or remember anything unusual from across the street.”

“Are you going to find Clint?”

“That’s the plan.”

“They’re good boys,” she repeated, but uncertainty shone for the first time in her eyes. “I hope nothing horrible has happened.”

“You and me both.”





TWENTY

The next morning Truman stared at the lists of priors for Clint and Ryan Moody.

“You’re kidding me,” he mumbled. The day of the bar fight, Samuel had checked to see if either man had outstanding warrants. Both were clear. He’d mentioned to Truman that the men had several priors, but he hadn’t gone into detail.

Now Truman saw that the brothers had a history of arrests for assault and drug use, and a long list of traffic violations. All of which had occurred outside of Eagle’s Nest.

They’re good boys.

He shook his head as he remembered Sally Kantor’s words. Maybe the Moodys behaved themselves around the senior citizen, but they didn’t appear to care what other people thought. He took a closer look at the assaults. Mostly bar brawls. And Ryan claimed his brother was easygoing.