What I've Done (Morgan Dane #4)(78)

“Is there any way he could have faked that receipt?”

“I suppose the slip could have been altered. But he used a credit card for payment. If the DNA on the dog hair is verified to be a Rottweiler, then we’ll have grounds to subpoena his credit card statement to support the transaction. There isn’t anything else we can do with Kieran until we get that report, which we both know could take weeks or months.”

“We’ll back-burner Kieran as the lead suspect for now.”

Morgan reached for her travel mug. She chugged the lukewarm liquid, then rubbed her temple. The dull ache in her head had returned. Extra-strength pain relievers had little effect. Sleep was the only remedy.

Lance frowned at her. “How’s the headache?”

“The same.” She dropped her hand. “It’s no worse. I’m just frustrated with the case.”

“Maybe we should call it a day? It’s getting late.”

She stared out the passenger window. Clouds had blown in during the afternoon. It would be dark soon. “That two-hour nap you let me take ate up too much of our afternoon. Let’s at least try to talk to Justin before we wrap up the day.” Morgan would spend the weekend reading and rereading every piece of evidence they had accumulated so far.

Her phone rang, and she answered the call. “Hi, Sharp. You’re on speaker.”

“I just left the pub. No one knew anything about Noah’s murder case. Colgate was furious when the initial case details were leaked to the press. Now he’s keeping information under tight wraps. But I did learn something very unexpected. Shannon Yates was at Beats the Saturday night before Noah was murdered.”

Morgan stared at the phone. “But the news report said she’d last been seen at work the previous Friday. The sheriff’s department claimed that’s when she went missing.”

“That’s what the sheriff’s department previously thought,” Sharp said. “Apparently she went to the bar alone and paid cash. There was no record of her visit. The police just learned she’d been there. One of the bouncers came forward yesterday after seeing her picture on the news.”

Static sounded over the connection.

Morgan leaned closer to the phone. “This is a surprising development.”

“That’s all I got.” Sharp’s words were broken with spaces of dead air. “The deputies I knew in the department have all quit. We need a leak from someone who is still there. I wonder . . .”

A few seconds of quiet passed.

“Sharp, are you still there?” Lance asked.

“Yes,” Sharp said. “Sorry. I was thinking. We’re losing our connection. I’ll get back to you.”

The line went dead.

Lance said, “I was curious about the Shannon Yates case, and I didn’t like its coincidental timing and similarities with Haley’s, but I didn’t predict a link this strong between the two cases.”

“No.” Morgan tapped her lower lip with a forefinger. “I don’t want to get ahead of the investigation, but this could change everything. We need to know where all of our suspects were the night Shannon Yates went missing.”

“Definitely.”

“Shannon Yates was just identified yesterday.” Morgan used her smartphone to search for more information. “According to the local news, Shannon worked at the Lakeview Inn in Grey’s Hollow. Her boss is the person who reported her missing.”

“Shall we take a ride past the Lakeview Inn and talk to Shannon Yates’s employers?”

“Yes.” Morgan pulled up the inn’s website on her smartphone. “The inn is owned by Carol and Bob Shaker.”

“Here’s hoping the Shakers will talk to us.”

“It’s frustrating that we can’t compel anyone to answer our questions. As a prosecutor, I had some authority. Now witnesses treat me like I’m a criminal.”

“Just in this case. In previous investigations, we’ve found people who think the cops are the criminals.”

“Where are all those people now?” Morgan asked.

Lance sighed. “There aren’t enough career criminals in this case. No one is afraid of the police.”

“But not because they’re law-abiding citizens. Kieran is a voyeur and a pervert and has a history of stalking. Noah liked to sneak extra alcohol into his dates’ drinks, Justin was once accused of date rape, and the victim’s brother has a history of violent behavior and assault.” Morgan rested her head against the seat. “This time, it isn’t innocence that is making witnesses shut down on us. It’s guilt. Unfortunately, they all think they’ll get away with whatever they’ve done.”





Chapter Thirty-Four

Lance slowed the car and took in the impressive property.

The Lakeview Inn sat on a large chunk of prime waterfront real estate. The main building was an old Victorian mansion with an enclosed front porch that spanned the length of the building and a two-story round turret that ended in a spire. The inn was beautifully maintained. Freshly painted gingerbread trim gleamed white against dark-gray clapboards. Several smaller buildings were spread out on the lawn behind the main building. Behind them, the late afternoon sun shimmered on Grey Lake.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing.” Morgan’s voice was stunned.