back home. She didn’t flee.” Her stomach muscles clenched. Her hand holding the water goblet trembled as she lifted it toward her mouth. Leah could be lying dead or hurt somewhere. “It would be easy to get rid of a body in the swampland around Loomis.”
“So you don’t think this is a kidnapping?”
“No. Why would someone kidnap her? The Farleys didn’t have much money. What could someone have against Leah or Earl that would be worth harming them?”
“That’s a good question. One of the things that’s bothered me about this whole affair is the whereabouts of Leah’s car. That points to her leaving, since it hasn’t been found.”
“What if someone either killed or kidnapped her and didn’t want the car to be found?” Jocelyn hated thinking Leah was kidnapped or dead, but the alternative wasn’t great, either. Leah wouldn’t have abandoned her daughter.
“True.” He shook his napkin out and laid it in his lap. “We’ll stay around a few days and see what we can come up with. If nothing materializes, we’ll call this a local issue and turn it back over to the sheriff.”
She forced a shaky laugh from her lips. “He’s not equipped to handle something like this. That’s probably why the mayor called y’all.”
“Then the state can take over.”
Jocelyn leaned toward Sam. “Then Leah may never be found. If she’s dead, the family needs to know that, and if by some chance someone has kidnapped her for some unknown reason, then you’re the one to find her.” Part of her wanted to snatch back her words, but the other part knew Sam and his team were the best prospect of bringing Leah home—dead or alive.
“Let me see what I can come up with,” he said in a low voice as the space between them shrunk even more.
When Jocelyn caught a whiff of his lime-scented aftershave, she quickly sat back. “Have you told the sheriff that Earl was probably murdered?”
“He knows I have my doubts about it being a suicide. When we finish, I’m going to the station to review Evelyn’s notes and the photos of the scene. If it’s murder, that changes things. It raises the questions of who killed Earl and why. The prime suspect will be Leah, and with her disappearance, people will say that she ran away to avoid capture.”
“Then they don’t know her very well. That isn’t Leah. She’ll do anything for her daughter.”
“Even kill?”
“As I told you earlier, she didn’t kill Earl. My friend hasn’t changed over the years I was gone. Granted I’ve only been back nine months, but I’ve learned to read people pretty accurately. I have to in my profession.” Then why did I let myself get hurt by Sam? Maybe reading others accurately is only possible when my heart isn’t involved.
The waiter set their salads before them. “Do you need anything else?”
While she shook her head, Sam said, “No.” The second the man left, he continued. “What do you think about Sarah being so upset by her doll? Could there be a connection with all that’s happened?”
“That’s definitely a possibility. I’ve seen Sarah play with that doll a lot, and she’s never done anything like that before. In fact, once she told me it was her favorite. It’s almost exactly like the other one she was playing with except it has red hair. The other is blond.”
“So the red hair scared her?”
“Maybe. It could be a lot of things.”
“The only thing different I saw is the color of the doll’s hair. That’s got to be something. We don’t have much else to go on with Leah’s disappearance.”
She sighed. “I guess it could be something. Her reaction was more than just deciding suddenly she didn’t like the doll. She went pale, and it dropped from her hand.” Averting her gaze, Jocelyn stared at the front of the restaurant and noticed how dark it had become outside. “But it might not have anything to do with what’s going on. Maybe it’s suddenly hitting Sarah what happened to her father. With her mother gone now, too, she’s got to be confused. They were so close.”
“I need to start somewhere, so will you try and work with Sarah?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll review Earl’s case tonight. I’ll check the physical evidence and see what was collected.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Humor me for the time being. You don’t think Leah could have killed her husband—or run away. So who’s got red hair that’s connected with Leah and Earl? I’ll start with them before looking at others in this town.”
“Well, there’s Shelby Mason, Leah’s best friend. She and Sarah are close, though. Then there’s Vera Peel. She owns the boardinghouse. I’ve often seen her go into the pawnshop, especially over the past month.” Jocelyn picked up her salad fork and speared a few dark greens.
“Anyone else?” After withdrawing his pad from his inside coat pocket, Sam wrote down the two names.
She tried to picture the people who might have something to do with either Leah or Earl. “Angelina Loring is another one. I remember she and Leah were arguing the day before Earl’s death.”
“About what?”
“Leah wouldn’t say, and I couldn’t hear the words. I saw them as I came back from lunch. Neither one was happy with the other.”
“Interesting. I’ll have to pay a visit to Angelina Loring and discover what happened.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. Leah was using Georgia Duffy as a real estate agent. She was showing Leah houses. Leah didn’t want Sarah to grow up in an apartment above a pawnshop. Leah wanted a yard for her to play in and so they could have a dog. Sarah has been wanting a puppy for a year. Her friend has one.” Jocelyn paused a moment, thinking back to a conversation with Leah. “Honestly I wouldn’t have thought about Georgia, except that Leah told me last week she wasn’t happy with the woman.”
“Did she tell you why?”
“Not exactly, but when I came into the shop a couple of weeks ago, Leah and Earl had been fighting about Georgia. She wanted to get another real estate agent while he didn’t. He looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. Earl is a big flirt and Georgia is, too.”
“Okay, you’ve given me four names so far. If you think of anyone else, let me know. I’ll have one of my team check these people out.”
“Sam, the red hair might not have anything to do with Earl’s death. Wait until I have a chance to talk with Sarah again. I might find out more.”
“We don’t have time to wait. Leah’s life could be in the balance, and I don’t have much to go on right now.”
“Getting information from a child, especially one so young, doesn’t occur on a schedule. In fact, it may never happen.”
“Don’t you think I know that better than most?” A closed expression descended over his features.
This was the Sam who had intrigued her so much last year. He was good at shutting his emotions off from others, but she’d
