Hide and Seek (Criminal Profiler #1)(27)

“They were banned from that property. I learned later it was in a field by Talbot’s Creek.”

Macy scribbled down the location. “What did Mr. Greene learn?”

“He said the few kids who were left hadn’t seen Tobi.” He shoved out a breath. “I should have driven her to the school that night. But her mother insisted we let her grow up.”

Macy absently doodled the name Cindy Shaw and found herself drawing small circles around the name. “Did you know Cindy Shaw?”

“I heard the name. She ran away about two weeks after Tobi went missing. I did ask Sheriff Greene about her. The sheriff said not to worry about Cindy.”

“Why would she run away?” Nevada asked.

“I have no idea. You’d have to ask her brother, Bruce Shaw. He’s a doctor at the assisted living facility. He took care of Cathy before she died. Do you think something happened to Cindy like my Tobi?”

“I have no idea. I’m still just asking lots of questions. Could we see Tobi’s room?”

Turner ran his palms over his thighs and stood. “Sure, I’ll show it to you.”

The three of them walked down the narrow hallway lined with more pictures of Tobi, and he opened the back bedroom door.

Macy was taken aback that the room looked as it must have the day Tobi vanished. It was unsettling to see the lavender bedspread that smelled faintly of laundry soap, the stuffed animals leaning gently against fluffed pillows, and the polished dresser still displaying drugstore makeup and inexpensive silver bracelets. A collection of headbands dangled from the dresser mirror along with a gold medal for debate. She was reminded of just how young Tobi had been when she’d been murdered.

Turner smiled. “She loved that group even though her friends thought it was too baby for a high school girl. But my Tobi liked what she liked and stuck to her guns.”

Macy walked to the only window. She carefully pulled back the pink curtains and studied the view of the newly stripped land. “This would have been all woods when Tobi vanished, correct?”

“That’s right. It was only cleared this past spring. It’s supposed to be a big fancy development. I always wonder who’s going to move in to them, but I hear it’s selling well.”

Nevada studied Macy as she looked out over the land. “Was there a road there at one time?”

“A small dirt road. Almost no one used it,” Turner said.

She gently fingered the lock, testing it to see how easy it flipped open. It was tight now, but no telling what it would have been like then. “Was there anything that was missing from her room?”

“Missing? Like what? She had her backpack with her.”

“What about jewelry, shoes, a shirt, or a favorite trinket?”

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?”