Not One of Us(66)

“A . . . friend.”

I raised my brow at her hesitation at using the friend word. “You sure she’s a friend?”

“I used to be sure,” Jori admitted. “We had a recent falling out.”

“Is it possible she took your brother in retaliation? Wanted to hurt you in some way?”

Jori’s eyes widened. “I-I don’t think so.”

“I’ll have a talk with her. Her full name?”

“Dana Adair.”

Mimi made a small snort of derision. “Always thought that girl was shady.”

“Anyone else you two have had trouble with recently? Another friend or family member?”

Jori shook her head no, and Mimi continued to regard me stonily.

“I’ll need a list of close family members that live in the area.”

“There’s Tressie Ensley, my aunt and Mimi’s sister; Uncle Buddy—Buddy Munford, that is—Crystal Donley, a cousin on my dad’s side of the family . . .”

I dutifully wrote down another half dozen names of various cousins. I’d contact each of them tonight and get their alibis. “Is that everyone you can think of?” I asked again. “Have you had any trouble with neighbors or anyone else?”

“Nope. We don’t have any close neighbors, and I can’t think of a single person who would want to hurt us or Zach.” Jori turned to her grandmother. “Mimi?”

“No. Isn’t it possible he just wandered off alone and decided to return?” the grandmother proposed.

“You said he’d never done that before,” I reminded her. “Why now? Besides, there’s the threatening message he carried back.”

She gasped. “What are you talking about?”

I held up the evidence bag I’d placed in the chair beside me.

“We found it in Zach’s pants when he came home,” Jori admitted.

“What did it say?”

I repeated the message to her, as Jori appeared to want to gloss over the matter. She was understandably protective of her grandmother, and I noticed she tried to cushion her from bad news as much as possible. But they both needed their eyes wide open if they were going to protect Zach.

“One more thing,” I added as I rose to leave. “We’re obligated to report this matter to Adult Protective Services. They’ll probably send a social worker out here tomorrow.”

“Terrific,” Jori muttered. “Just what we need.”

Neither of them made a move to walk me to the front door.

“May I see you a minute, Jori?”

Reluctantly, she walked outside with me to the front porch, and I faced her square on. “I am sorry. I’m doing my job. You and your grandmother have nothing to fear. Take the polygraph, talk with the social worker, and keep a close eye on your brother. We’re going to do everything possible to find who’s responsible.”

“How can you be sure it’s not me?” she asked bitterly. “Maybe I’m secretly a crazy narcissist who’s done all this for attention.”

“I don’t believe that. Look, we’re on the same side here. We both want to capture who’s responsible and for your family to be safe.”

Some of her anger melted, but she still held her body stiffly. “Thank you. Anything else?”

“Not unless you have anything else to shed some light on this situation. I get the feeling you don’t feel free to talk in front of your grandmother.”

“I have nothing to say.”

I nodded, not surprised at Jori’s reticence. It’d been a long, stressful day for her, and tomorrow promised to be hard as well. I started to suggest she contact Family Services for a list of respite care providers, but now was not the time. Jori would be mistrustful of any stranger until we solved this case.

“Call me if you need me,” I reminded her, but I had a feeling my phone wouldn’t be ringing. I left the porch and headed down the driveway, my gaze shifting to the woods on either side of the house. Who had been here earlier, lying in wait for Zach? While I was relieved he’d been returned unharmed, frustration knotted my gut. If only someone had seen something—anything—for me to pursue. The various threads of old and new crimes were a tightly woven web, a mystery that so far eluded me. But surely we were close to finding answers, or else Jori wouldn’t have been threatened and Zach wouldn’t have been kidnapped.

“Whoever you are, I’ll find you,” I whispered into the gulf wind.





Chapter 27


JORI


What monster lurked behind the smiling faces of everyday friends and family? Tegan had insisted that most likely our stalker was someone I knew and knew well.

Only two people with motive and opportunity came to mind—Dana and Aunt Tressie—I realized as I tried to focus on the last-minute details for the Blessing event. But my mind wouldn’t cooperate. Dana’s motive might be because of some old, deep-harbored jealousy. As ludicrous as that sounded, I couldn’t rule it out. And then there was Aunt Tressie. Her ex-husband had opened my eyes to the realization she wasn’t who I thought she was.

I continued my pacing, feeling as hemmed in as a chicken in a crowded coop.

“Why don’t you come sit down and watch a show with us?” Mimi asked.