Secrets Never Die (Morgan Dane #5)(20)

“Not T. Nelson, but Evan has been seeing a girl named Rylee Nelson.” Jake shifted his weight again, then checked the time on his phone.

“Where can we find Rylee?” Morgan asked.

“She works at Tony’s Pizza in town.” Jake took a small step toward the barn.

“Thanks for your help.” Lance gave Jake his card. “Call me if you think of anything else.”

“Or if you hear from Evan,” Morgan added. “I’m a lawyer. I can help him if he thinks he’s in trouble for something.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jake stuffed Lance’s card into his pocket and headed for the barn.

Morgan and Lance returned to the Jeep.

Morgan wiped her boots on a patch of grass. “Evan is very upset about the court-ordered visitation with his father.” She changed her shoes and set the muddy boots on the rubber floor mat before swinging her legs into the vehicle.

Lance stomped his boots twice and climbed into the driver’s seat, completely ignoring the coating of filth on his treads. “And Evan has a new girlfriend he did not tell his mother about.”

“Also, Jake is mostly unsupervised. Duncan has no idea where he is or what he does.”

“They might not have a touchy-feely relationship, and Duncan might give Jake more autonomy than normal, but Jake trusts Duncan.”

“He does.” Morgan knew Jake could have it much, much worse. “But teenagers need supervision. Duncan feeds and houses him, but he doesn’t know when or if Jake comes home at night.”

Duncan didn’t seem to take much interest in Jake at all.

“He seems safe with Duncan, and he has rules. Rules are good for kids. If his mother truly abandoned him, then Jake doesn’t have many options.”

“I know.” When she’d been a prosecutor, Morgan had seen too many kids destroyed by the foster system. She would never suggest a kid be turned over to them unless they were in danger. She wasn’t a family law expert and wasn’t even sure of the legality of Jake’s guardianship. On one hand, Duncan had no formal relationship with Jake. On the other, Jake’s mother had left her child in his care, which would imply consent. Did Duncan sign his school paperwork? Did Jake forge his mother’s signature? Morgan was probably better off not knowing the answers to those last two questions.

Lance was right. Jake clearly trusted Duncan. And if the boy had truly modified his behavior for fear of having to leave, then he wanted to stay on the farm. Morgan should mind her own business.

Lance reached over and took her hand. “You can’t rescue everyone.”

Her face heated. “I’m not that bad.”

His short laugh said otherwise. “But I love that you want to protect everyone and everything. Now, what do we want to do next?”

“Let’s drive into town. We can show Evan’s picture around the bowling alley and arcade and see if Rylee is working tonight.” Morgan’s stomach growled at the thought of pizza. “Then we can cruise by Scarlet Lake on the way home and be home in time to put the girls to bed.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Lance drove to the bowling alley.

A senior citizen league occupied most of the lanes. The only people under the age of sixty-five were employees. Still, Morgan and Lance showed Evan’s picture to the staff at the desk. They all recognized him but said they hadn’t seen him recently.

A dozen teenagers worked the machines at the arcade. Morgan approached a blond boy in skinny jeans and sneakers. “Do you know this boy?”

The boy shrugged. “Maybe I’ve seen him in here before.”

“Recently?” she asked.

He shook his head, blond bangs waving in front of his eyes.

She moved on, but none of the kids had anything more useful to say. They went back out to the car.

Frustrated, Lance jerked the gearshift into drive. “I didn’t spot any sparks of recognition or obvious signs of lying.”

“Me either,” Morgan said. “And no one appeared exceptionally nervous. Shall we try Rylee Nelson?”

Lance drove to the pizza parlor and parked. Tony’s was busy at dinnertime. Six of the restaurant’s dozen tables were full of families. In the back, three tables had been pushed together to accommodate a Little League team.

Employees wore black aprons and red T-shirts with TONY’S emblazoned across the front. Morgan scanned the staff. Three young girls waited tables. Three more hustled behind the counter, filling take-out orders, answering phones, and working the register. Morgan could see into the kitchen. A male cook used a wooden board to slide pizzas in and out of the huge oven. On a stainless steel counter, another man topped rounds of pizza dough.

Morgan approached the counter.

“Can I help you?” a girl with a long brown ponytail asked.

“We’re looking for Rylee.” Morgan smiled. “Is she here tonight?”

“I think so.” Ponytail Girl glanced around, then nudged a blonde next to her. “Where’s Rylee?”

“I dunno. She was here a minute ago.”

“We’re friends of her mother,” Lance lied without blinking an eye.

Not as proficient at lying, Morgan merely smiled.

“I’m going in the back for boxes. I’ll see if she’s back there.” Blondie hurried away.