“That’s the old cases—the solved cases,” Jeff reminded her. “What are you doing on the new?”
“I’m waiting for some evidence on the Jorgensen case. And I want to talk with Janet Norris again. I told you she was Maria Verbeek’s friend, right?”
Jeff nodded. “That’s a coincidence I don’t like.”
“Me neither.” Mercy went back to her list. “The investment firm Ray Jorgensen worked for had some legal issues not too long ago. I want to look into those and the neighbor’s statement that Sharla Jorgensen asked questions about getting a divorce. Back to the Hartlage family, I keep stumbling over one aspect of their case—I can’t figure out the brother-in-law’s name. I know Corrine’s maiden name was Palmer, but for the life of me I can’t find his name or someone who knows him.”
“No other relatives?” asked Eddie.
“I found Richard’s uncle, who didn’t know anything about Corrine’s family. Darby has been digging, and she’s stumped too.”
“Maybe he wasn’t a brother-in-law,” suggested Jeff.
Mercy blinked.
I was so hung up on one aspect, I didn’t consider any others.
“I didn’t think of that!” Mercy wanted to bang her head on Jeff’s desk. Case tunnel vision.
“Who originally told you the other man was Corrine’s brother?”
“Kenneth Forbes. The neighbor said that was what Richard told him. I’ve been operating on hearsay.” She closed her eyes and tipped back her head. “Stupid. Stupid. But I still haven’t come across anything that indicates who he is.”
“What about his mail in the house?” Eddie asked.
“None. And there’s no mailbox at the home, so they must get their mail at the post office. I suppose if mail is no longer picked up, they return to the sender? I’ll check.”
“Good—”
The office door opened. “Mercy?” Melissa, the office manager, interrupted, worried lines creasing her forehead. “You’ve got a call. He seems very insistent.”
“Who?” Mercy glanced at Jeff, embarrassed that their meeting had been disturbed.
“One of Truman’s men. Ben Cooley.”
Mercy checked her silenced phone, and alarm shot through her. She had four missed calls from the Eagle’s Nest Police Department. “Something’s up, Jeff. Can I take a minute?”
“Is there anything else we need to cover?”
“Not really.”
“Then we’re done. Tell Ben hello from me.”
Mercy darted to her office and picked up the call, not bothering to sit down. “Ben?”
“Sorry to bug you at work, Mercy. Have you talked to Truman today?”
“No. He texted me early this morning, but I’ve been on the go all day.” She tightened her grip on the phone. “What happened?”
“Well, we don’t rightly know,” Ben said slowly, reluctance in his voice.
“What do you know?” she asked firmly. Get to it, Ben!
“No one’s heard or seen him since around nine this morning. He even missed an interview he’d scheduled for this morning. That’s not like him. I’ve followed his steps best I could, but I hit a dead end.”
“It’s nearly four o’clock.” Mercy forced her lungs to work properly. “How can you just be calling me now? I would think I’d be one of your first calls.”
Ben was silent on his end.
“Ben? What happened?”
“We wanted to check all possibilities first because we didn’t want you worried.”
“Well, now I’m definitely worried. What possibilities?” She wanted to reach through the line and shake the older man to get him to talk faster.
“I found human blood in his driveway on the driver’s side next to where he usually parks. It was fresh.”
Mercy leaned on one hand on the desk, dizziness threatening. Her tongue stopped functioning and her mouth went bone-dry.
“His phone is going straight to voice mail,” Ben continued. “His wireless carrier says his last location was his home. We checked the hospitals and clinics before calling you. We’ve put out a BOLO on his vehicle, and all the guys have clocked in to do patrols, looking for his Tahoe. We’ll find him,” he said in a caring tone.
Blood?
“His SUV is missing?” she whispered.
“Yes. He couldn’t have been too hurt if he managed to drive away.”
If he was the one driving.
“I’ll be there in forty minutes.” She ended the call. Sweat had bloomed under her arms and dampened her lower back. This wasn’t like Truman. Panic exploded in her head and chest, making her legs shake. She shut it down. Panic doesn’t help anyone.
“I have to go,” she said out loud to her empty office.
Her brain shifted into get-shit-done mode.
I’ll tell Jeff I’m leaving for the day and then follow up on Truman’s recent calls.
Hold tight, Truman.
She refused to consider that it might be too late.
TWENTY-FOUR
The stress and concern in the Eagle’s Nest Police Department were palpable.
When Mercy had stepped through the door, the four men inside had turned toward her as one.
Royce Gibson had immediately hugged her, and the young cop had whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry. We’ll find him,” as his voice cracked.
Ben Cooley patted her on the back, a grandfatherly look on his face that made her want to curl up in his lap and hide.
Samuel was his usual resolute self, standing strong, his arms crossed on his chest, determination filling his gaze. No hugs; that wasn’t his style. Lucas was working the phone and held up a hand to her as he spoke into his headset.
This is Truman’s family.
She’d locked her emotions behind a tiny door deep in her mind during the drive to Eagle’s Nest, but being among these concerned men who loved their boss nearly broke that door down. Her eyes burned, and she struggled to stay in control.
“We’ve got county and state on board. County offered a detective, and he should be here soon,” Samuel stated. His tone told her the experienced cop had taken the lead among the men. “All their patrols are keeping an eye out for Truman’s vehicle. I suspect he went off the road.” The other men looked to him and nodded hopefully. “We’ve all been driving the roads for a few hours, and we’ll get back out there, but we wanted to be here when you arrived.”
Samuel’s face blurred in her vision.
“Thank you,” she choked out. “You guys are too kind.”
Lucas got up from his desk. The young man slipped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. It was like being hugged by a huge bodybuilder. Lucas planted a kiss on her temple. “The two of you matter to us,” he said hoarsely. “He’ll turn up.”
She wouldn’t lose hope.
And she refused to think about her last discussion with Truman. When she learned she’d disappointed him by forgetting to include him in the cabin decisions.
I’m so sorry, Truman.
“I want to see the scene.” Mercy felt as if she could verify Truman’s blood by looking at it. He’s a physical part of me.