The Devil's Daughter (Hidden Sins #1)(14)

And now he was in trouble and here she was, the perpetual outsider, offering help he desperately needed.

The irony wasn’t lost on her. Eden pulled her coffee closer when he sat down and then mentally cursed herself for doing so. She was telegraphing how much she didn’t want to be there for anyone to see—if they paid attention to that sort of thing—and she knew better. She was trained better.

The sheriff leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. “Does your offer still stand?”

No. She bit back the word, studying his face. He looked like he’d been through the wringer in the last eighteen hours. Probably didn’t get much sleep. It shouldn’t have made him more attractive, but the tiredness evident added a layer to his handsomeness, deepening it. “What happened?”

“Can you get into Elysia? They’ve been stonewalling me since before I even knew this girl was dead.”

That wasn’t a good sign. Her mother never did anything without purpose, and normally she shut the gates only when there were visitors and she was showcasing how much better “back to nature” living was. It was easier to control whom the potential new members came into contact with that way, and get the indoctrination started. The established members were allowed to come and go as they pleased, venturing down into Clear Springs when the need arose. Most of them stuck close to the compound despite that freedom, which was just the way Martha liked it.

She sipped her coffee. “Are you sure they aren’t entertaining?”

“No.” His blue eyes were steady on hers. “They don’t usually bring new folk through town, but I still tend to hear about it when there are strangers in the area. There aren’t. And even if there were, I can’t remember the last time those gates were closed.”

Eden could. When Martha was first getting started in Elysia, immediately after the big gates had been built, they’d always been closed. The cult was a lot more stable now than it had been when she was in grade school and Martha was more secure in her power, so there was less need to resort to keeping people contained. Her mother had always preferred the softer method of control. “That doesn’t mean anything.” Why am I arguing this? The whole reason I came out here was because I was convinced someone in Elysia had something to do with that girl’s murder.

Now that she was faced with actually having to put her money where her mouth was, fear made it hard to breathe. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d trusted that she’d be turned away until it was no longer happening.

He pushed his coffee to the side. “Can you get into Elysia?”

“Yes.” Probably. Martha kept asking her home, so it would be strange if she suddenly recanted her invitation the only time Eden actually accepted it. Her mother wasn’t stupid enough to think it was for real, but she’d be unable to pass up the chance to play doting Demeter. The only thing Martha loved more than power was a show with her in the center.

It made Eden’s stomach churn to even think about. “But that doesn’t mean they’ll tell me anything.” God, I don’t want to do this. She took a careful breath. “I’m going to need more information, though. If I don’t know what I’m looking for, I’m not going in. It’s too much risk for too long of a shot.”

He hesitated like he was considering her. It struck Eden that she made an excellent suspect. She had a connection to Elysia, and the killings hadn’t started until right around the time she’d shown up. It would have been child’s play to slip into town a few days prior and pick off the victim—at least in theory.

And obviously the possibility has occurred to Sheriff Owens.

She straightened. “Either you trust me or you don’t, but I’m the one taking all the risk by being here unofficially. I’m not going in without enough information to figure out what I’m looking for.” She already had a pretty good idea—it was her job to hunt human predators, after all—but she didn’t know squat about the victim, and that was a vital missing piece. Every profile started with the victim and worked its way back to the killer. “The girl. What’s her story?”

After one last hesitation, Zach leaned back. “She’s a local teenager. From what I can gather, there’s an abusive situation at home, and she was planning on leaving Clear Springs in the rearview in favor of college. We’re trying to pin down a timeline right now, but we know your mother had at least some contact with her, because Martha wrote a letter of recommendation to Montana State.”

Eden set her coffee down, her stomach turning. She’d suspected there was a connection with the cult—hell, she’d been sure of it—but getting outside confirmation made it so much more real. “She’s spent time at the commune.”

“That would be my guess.”

Martha was more than capable of playing a long game. She’d probably offered a sanctuary for the poor girl, extended a helping hand to give her a leg up into college—and to give her an excuse to keep in contact. Cults recruited across all ages and demographics, but Martha was fond of playing mother hen to disillusioned youth. Kids who were out in the world with their training wheels off, often suffering from situational depression because reality wasn’t as shiny as what they’d expected. She offered them what appeared to be the life they’d always dreamed of—one filled with happiness and simplicity.