“So, you knew she was upset and didn’t wait for her in the parking lot?” Kane kept his voice at the same level. “With everyone gone, didn’t you worry about her out there all alone at night?”
“Look, man, she’s been hanging around Cory since he started working at the school.” Wyatt sighed. “He’s a loser, smokes dope, and is way too old for her. I made a stand, you know, him or me. She just ignored me and walked away. So, why would I hang out waiting for her in the parking lot? I went to Aunt Betty’s, grabbed a burger, and came home.”
“What time was that?” Kane had adopted his bored expression.
“He was here at ten.” Mr. Cooper poked his head out of a door. “My wife had gone to bed and I waited up for him. We watched the news together. Why do you need to know?”
“Laurie didn’t make it home last night.” Kane straightened. “Any idea where she might be?”
“Nope. Her dad didn’t mention anything about her not getting home.” Wyatt dragged a hand through his hair and stared into space. “He should have called last night and me and the boys would’ve gone out looking for her. Her truck is hard to miss.”
“Her truck is still in the parking lot.” Kane was regarding him closely.
“Holy shit!” Wyatt moved around restlessly, eyes darting in every direction. “Have you called Vicky? She isn’t that far away and Laurie would walk there if she’d had car trouble.”
“Yeah, we’ve spoken to Vicky.” Kane folded his arms across his chest. “What makes you think she had car trouble?”
“Well, it makes sense, if her precious pickup is in the parking lot then she must have walked home. She couldn’t call anyone for help, could she?” Wyatt shrugged. “I doubt she’d wait back for Cory to finish work and get a ride with him either. His sister hates her and there’d be hell to pay if she discovered Cory gave Laurie a ride.”
“His sister?” Kane took out his notebook and pen. “No one mentioned he had a sister.”
“Yeah, she’s on the cheerleader squad. Her name is Verna, Verna Hughes.” Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck. “Cory has to clean up and lock the gym after the practice sessions but his sister doesn’t hang around, she grabs a ride or drives her ma’s vehicle.”
“Who else was there watching?” Kane made notes.
“The usual crowd, some of the football team, Cory of course, Stan Williams the photographer guy, and Dale Collins was running the kiosk as usual.” Wyatt dashed a hand through his hair. “Darn, I can’t remember everyone.”
The phone in the house rang and moments later, Mr. Cooper came into the hallway.
“Ah, excuse me, folks, but that was Vicky, she wants everyone who was at the gym last night to return at six.” Mr. Cooper’s eyebrows met in a frown. “Something about Laurie going missing. You’re to call any friends you can remember being there.”
“Sure thing, Dad.” Wyatt looked back at Kane. “I’d better go. You’ll be at the gym tonight?”
“Yeah.” Kane folded his notebook and pushed it into his pocket. “We’ll see you there.”
Jenna turned and headed out the door. As they reached the Beast, she peered at Kane over the hood. “Do you think he’s involved?”
“Hard to tell.” Kane opened the door and slid behind the wheel.
Jenna climbed in, rubbed Duke’s ears, and settled in her seat. “He seemed a little jumpy to me.”
“Yeah, well he obviously still has feelings for Laurie and being interviewed by law enforcement is upsetting for most people.” Kane started the engine. “He did seem concerned for her wellbeing, which is a plus but if we find her murdered then all bets are off.”
Jenna pulled out her phone. “I guess it’s time for a media release. She seems to have vanished without a trace.”
Six
The news about Laurie’s disappearance hit the media and although no calls came in about Laurie’s whereabouts, as usual the townsfolk stepped up to join the search parties. For now, the local search and rescue had taken charge until Jenna had the time to get her people organized. As daylight was fading, any treks into the forest would be postponed at nightfall and resumed at daybreak. Kane sat opposite Jenna in Aunt Betty’s Café as she organized a command center and called in deputies from surrounding counties to assist in a door-to-door search of the area from the school to Laurie’s home. She worked with confidence, as unfortunately organizing searches had become a fact of life in Black Rock Falls. Being part of a forest had its advantages: they could always rely on the forest wardens for assistance and of course, their close friend Native American Atohi Blackhawk had already called to offer his help.
Kane glanced at his watch. They had an hour before they had to head to the meeting at the school gym and he’d insisted on eating before a long night of investigating ahead of them. He’d noticed how Jenna skipped meals during a crisis, something that seemed trivial but with the pressure of work and long hours, grabbing a meal was as important as breathing. No one could concentrate or make important decisions without eating. This was why he appreciated Aunt Betty’s Café, it served great food, was open from six in the morning to way past eleven at night, and was rarely without a stream of customers but members of the sheriff’s department could dash in for takeout or a meal and be served without delay.
He took in Jenna’s strained expression as she made the calls. His fingers itched to reach across the table, squeeze her hand, and take her worries away. He smiled when she placed her phone on the table. “I don’t have to ask if everything is organized. You have this.”
“I’m just glad Webber is still a badge-holding deputy. He offered to man the command post this evening. Rowley will take over in the morning. We’ll be directing the boots on the ground first thing until the new shift of deputies arrive.” Jenna rubbed her temples. “Cory Hughes is going to be opening the gym tonight. If he has Laurie’s phone, I want it. He might have been the last person to have seen her alive.”
“Or have her holed up somewhere.” Kane sipped his coffee. “It was a great idea to get all the potential witnesses together in one place. It will save a ton of grunt work.”
“We need more deputies.” Jenna let out a long sigh. “I’m always calling in assistance from Blackwater.”