“What about the search for Robert Aaron?” I pushed. “Someone has to have seen something.”
“They did.” Hayes ran a hand through his hair. “Got a call from police back east this morning. After my call, they did a more thorough search of Aaron’s rental house. They brought dogs to search for drugs and blood evidence.”
“Oh, God,” Laiken whispered, her body going tense next to me.
“They found him buried in the backyard. Their medical examiner says she won’t have a cause of death for some time, but that it was some kind of a brutal attack.”
Laiken lifted her eyes to Hayes. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. It’s unlikely Aaron’s death is related to this. It’s a very different signature. Different location. And he’s a man with a record, it’s possible he had less than savory connections in his life.”
All of that was true, but none of it put me at ease. Nothing changed the fact that someone was killing people involved in Jase’s accident.
Hayes ran a hand through his hair. “Aaron has a brother who’s local. He defended Robert at every turn—”
“I remember him from the trial.” Laiken gripped my hand harder. “He testified. Suggested that we must’ve been doing something to egg his brother on.”
“That’s the one. He’s harassed the Granger family on more than one occasion. Blames them for his brother going down.”
“They never told me,” Laiken said softly.
“I think Chip hid it from Kay to shield her. It usually happens when Ray has been drinking. I sent officers up to Ray’s cabin to bring him in for questioning, but we can’t find him anywhere. And his boss said he’s missed the last few weeks of work.”
My muscles were wound so tight, it felt as if one could snap at any moment. “You have a picture of him?”
Hayes tapped on his screen a few times and then flipped his phone around. “He look familiar to you?”
I shook my head, but Laiken let out a small gasp. “I’ve seen him around The Gallery before. He never comes in, but I remember noticing him staring at me a couple of times.”
Fear punched me right in the solar plexus. How close had Laiken come to being one of this man’s victims? “Where does he live?”
“In the mountains,” Hayes replied.
“Somewhere he might be able to ride a snowmobile from to shoot at us up there?”
Hayes lowered his phone. “It’s very possible, and there was a snowmobile on his property covered by a tarp.”
I let some very creative curses fly.
“His face is everywhere now. We’ve got bulletins out to all surrounding counties and states, and we put Ray’s face on the twelve o’clock news. We will find him.”
I just hoped it was in time.
40
Laiken
I gotup from my desk, and Boden immediately appeared from the back room. “Hey, where are you going?”
I fought the urge to growl. “To pee. Is that okay?”
Serena hid her giggle with a cough, and I glared at her. Over a week had passed since Marisa’s death, and Boden had been my ever-present shadow. He accompanied me to work, driving me each way. And if I stepped out for coffee or lunch, he was right there. I appreciated that he was worried, but I was about to scream.
My phone dinged.
Kay:Will you come to dinner tonight?
I stared down at my device, nibbling on my bottom lip. I flipped the screen around to Serena.