Don't Make a Sound (Sawyer Brooks #1)(27)

“I’m going to miss your gramma,” Old Lady McGrady said. “I used to visit her once a week and take her for a walk in her wheelchair. She never said much, but her eyes lit up every time a bird chirped or a frog croaked.”

Guilt seeped through Sawyer. Despite Gramma telling her to leave River Rock, she should have been there for her. “Thank you for watching over her.”

“I did it more for me than for her. She frightened easily, and it always made me feel better knowing she was okay.”

“What was Gramma afraid of?”

“She said she heard your mom and dad talking, and she thought they might do her harm.”

“What?”

“Your gramma worried about a lot of things, and most days she mumbled incoherently. To be honest, everything scared her.”

“When did this happen?”

“Oh, gosh. It was over a year ago. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Old Lady McGrady reached over and rested a blue-veined hand on Sawyer’s forearm. Sawyer didn’t pull away.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Old Lady McGrady said. “You did the right thing, leaving this town. I would have left myself if I’d had any place to go.”

Sawyer knew Old Lady McGrady had a loose tongue and a fondness for gossip, but imagining Gramma spending days and nights alone and afraid sent chills up her spine. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

She pulled her hand back to her side. “Not at all.”

“It’s about the unsolved murders. Did you know either of the victims?”

“Harold and I knew everyone in River Rock. I still do. Peggy used to spend a lot of time with her siblings, panning for gold. She was so smart. Such a tragedy.”

“Do you recall if there were any suspects at the time?”

“None that I know of. But Danny Hart was the first person to come forward and tell the police that he saw a young woman with long brown hair running from the woods that day.”

“Mind if I take notes?”

“Not at all. It’s about time someone around here started asking questions.”

Sawyer finished writing and then looked at her. “I’m glad you feel that way.”

“Killing someone and then taking a piece of hair as some sort of gruesome trophy. That kept me up at night. I still think of it.”

“Why Peggy?” Sawyer asked.

“The only thing I could think of was jealousy. She was a sweet, young, pretty girl.”

“Do you think Danny Hart was telling the truth?”

“I don’t know,” Old Lady McGrady said. “He passed away years ago, so you won’t be able to talk to him, but for a week or two, it seemed like everyone had a theory about who and what they had seen. I think Chief Schneider got frustrated and sort of gave up.”

“It was probably easier for him to blame it on an outsider,” Sawyer said.

“Definitely.” Old Lady McGrady looked at her and frowned suddenly. “You and your sisters had a rough go of it, didn’t you?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“After hearing about your uncle’s release, I have to admit I was surprised to see you back in town.”

Sawyer had always wondered who, if anyone, in town was aware of what Uncle Theo had done to her and Aria. “You knew?”

“After your sisters ran off, I suspected. But it wasn’t until your uncle was thrown in jail for sexually assaulting a coworker that it all came together for me.” She narrowed her eyes. “If I’d known what he was up to, I would have brought in the cavalry. Hell, I would have grabbed Harold’s rifle and taken care of him myself.”

Sawyer would have liked to have seen that. She finished her maple bar and chased it down with coffee.

Old Lady McGrady began collecting her things. “I better get going. I’ve got errands to run before I go home to get ready for the funeral.” She patted Sawyer’s arm for the second time. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Thanks for talking with me,” Sawyer said. After waving through the window at the old woman, Sawyer got up to refill her coffee. No sooner had she returned to her seat than a feeling of being watched swept over her. She gazed out at the line of cars parked on the street. They all appeared to be empty. Beyond the cars was the edge of a wooded area, a vast expanse of woods she knew well. A place where she used to read as eagles soared overhead, a serene place where birds sang and young coyotes played. Even within the darkest parts of the woods, she’d always felt safe, hidden from the most dangerous predators of them all . . . humans.

Her gaze traveled to the fishing store across the street. Nobody was coming or going.

Stop being paranoid.

She pulled out her phone and saw she had two missed calls. One from Derek Coleman, her ex-boss, and the other from Aria.

She decided to start with Coleman. She hit “Call back,” and when he answered, she said, “Hi. It’s Sawyer. You called?”

“I did. Do you mind holding on for two seconds?”

Before she could answer, the other end of the line was muffled. She could hear voices on his end and what sounded like a door closing.

“There. We’re good,” he said. “I can talk now.”

She said nothing. Simply waited.

“Are you there?”