Gone (Deadly Secrets #2)(57)

Alec stepped forward on the gravel drive, but a bloodhound pushed past the man’s legs, howled, and streaked forward, rushing up to meet them with a rolling bark.

Alec moved in front of Raegan.

The man whistled and yelled, “Thunder! Get back here, you butthead.”

The dog barked once more, then turned and galloped back up to the porch.

Alec looked once at Raegan, then hesitantly moved forward. “Mr. Coleman? I’m Alec McClane. We spoke yesterday.”

Brent Coleman nodded. “Was wonderin’ if that was you. Thunder don’t like anyone with the press.” He turned with a wave of his hand. “C’mon in so we can get this over with. I got things to do.”

The look Alec sent Raegan said, See? Told ya. Not friendly. He moved up the porch steps in front of her, then held the screen door open so she could enter.

The inside of the house was just as bad as the exterior. Worn furniture filled a small living room decked out with light-brown wood paneling and brown shag carpeting Raegan guessed hadn’t been vacuumed in years. An orange-and-green-floral-print couch with wooden arms sat to the right, a gold recliner and a TV straight out of 1980s to the left. Brent Coleman flopped down in the recliner while Thunder the guard dog fell into a pile at his feet.

Alec moved to the couch and sat. Trying to ignore the mildewy scent, Raegan joined him.

“This is Raegan Devereaux,” Alex said. “Thanks for agreeing to see us.”

“Not entirely sure why I did.” Coleman reached for a tumbler on the table beside him, glanced at the ice and the little bit of golden liquid left in the bottom, and frowned before setting it down again. “My wife and I talked to a lot of reporters when Mary went missing. None of ’em ever did anything for us. Unless of course you two have some news, which is why you’re here?”

The little bit of hope Raegan heard in the man’s voice pulled at her heart, and when she saw the way his brows lifted, she realized he wasn’t nearly as old as she’d initially thought. Barely forty, she guessed, remembering how much older Alec had seemed to her when she’d first seen him at the hospital. Stress and worry could age a person way faster than time.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have any news for you.” Raegan tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and tried not to be saddened by the man’s slumped reaction. “We’re actually looking into several old missing-child reports in the area, trying to see if there’s any kind of link.”

“And have you found any?” Coleman asked.

“We’re not sure.” She glanced down at the folder in her lap. “You used to live in Northeast Portland, correct?”

He nodded.

“And your daughter went missing six years ago, is that right?”

“Seven in July.”

God, seven years. Raegan’s heart hurt all over again. “And she disappeared at a park?”

“At the zoo. I’d taken her there on my day off. The wheel on her stroller locked up. I took her out because she was throwing a fit about seeing the bats. She went running ahead of me to check them out while I fixed the wheel.” A dark look passed over his eyes as he reached for the empty glass by his side. “By the time I rounded the corner, the cave was packed with kids. I looked everywhere for her but couldn’t find her. Just that fast she was gone.”

The ice clinked in the glass, and from the corner of her eye, Raegan saw the way Alec’s gaze dropped to the floor, reliving, she knew, the moment he’d lost Emma.

Raegan looked back at Brent Coleman. “You told the police that your wife wasn’t at the zoo with you?”

“She wasn’t.” Coleman lifted the glass in his hand, tipped his head, and sucked back whatever alcohol was left, then set the glass back on the table at his side with a sigh. “Jules was shopping with her girlfriends that day. She’d just gotten this job at the mall, and she needed new clothes. I was glad, you know? I’d been working two jobs to keep things going, at the gas station and at the convenience store. And I was tired. But I wasn’t a bad parent.” He shook his head and stared off into space. “She never forgave me for losing Mary, though.”

“Where is your wife?” Alec asked. “Is she available to speak with us?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask her. Julie left me five years ago.” He sank lower in his chair. “Took Brenda with her. I haven’t seen either of them since.”

“Who’s Brenda?” Raegan asked, sensing they were about to lose Brent Coleman to a deep depression he’d yet to pull himself out of.

“Our older daughter.”

Raegan’s pulse sped up, and she glanced at Alec, saw he was thinking the same thing as her.

“How old is Brenda?” Alec asked.

“Gosh. She’d be in high school now.” A blank look filled his eyes. “I don’t even know what she looks like anymore.”

Heat spread across Raegan’s skin. Seven years ago, Brenda Coleman would have been close to the same age as Miguel Ramirez and Ginny Willig when their siblings went missing. The three families were definitely linked by more than just their caseworker.

“Do you remember a social worker by the name of Conner Murray?” Alec asked. “Five eight, pudgy, with thinning hair?”

Brent Coleman’s gaze narrowed as he thought back. “Yeah. He helped Brenda get set up with some social programs. Why?”