“What else did the guy say, Sophie?”
“He talked a lot about his sister. She died in an accident a long time ago, and he said it was his fault. That’s when I decided to act like I was his friend. He cried when he told me he accidentally killed Candace too. Then he told me from now on, my name was going to be the same as his sister’s. Georgiana. But I didn’t like that name, because I’m Sophie. He gave me this dog.”
That surprised her; Sophie was so attached to the toy that she’d thought it was one of her own that she’d taken to school in her backpack. Looking grim, Cole nodded slightly when she glanced at him. Mattie had seen him try to take it from Sophie prior to the interview, but she wouldn’t let him have it.
“I was so afraid when he left me alone in there,” Sophie said, gripping the dog with one hand and Mattie’s hand with the other. “He left that light on, you know the one? Did you see it?”
“The one that looks like a little lantern, but it runs on a battery?”
“Yeah. But after I tried to run away, the battery ran out. I was in the dark, and I got so scared. I stared at the light around the door, and I guess I fell asleep. You and Robo woke me up.”
“Hooray!” Mattie lifted Sophie’s hand aloft in celebration, trying to restore some normalcy to the girl’s life. “Robo to the rescue.”
Sophie’s grin flashed before she sobered. “He could’ve taken me away forever.”
“But he didn’t. And we’re going to catch him. Can you think of anything else about him that you should tell us?”
Her eyes taking on a faraway look, Sophie shook her head, and she slumped back against her mother.
Mattie squeezed her hand one last time before she released it and turned to Stella. “Anything else, Detective?”
“Just one last thing,” Stella said. “Sophie, have you ever been inside Gus Tilley’s brown truck?”
Sophie put her thumb in her mouth for a second before taking it out and glancing at her dad. “No, ma’am. I’ve never been inside it.”
Stella leaned forward and squeezed Sophie’s hand. “Thank you, Sophie. You’ve done a great job, and I hope you feel better soon. We might need to talk to you again later, after you’ve had some rest, okay? And if you remember anything else you think we should know, tell your parents, and they can call. Will you do that for us?”
Stella was learning, and Mattie appreciated how she moderated her typical brash manner. Sophie nodded agreement.
They said their good-byes, and Cole escorted them to the front door. After they stepped outside onto the porch, he caught Mattie’s hand, gripping it in both of his. She felt a tug inside her chest as she turned to face him.
His tired eyes filled. “I just want to say . . . you and Robo . . . well, words can’t express my gratitude.” He pulled her into a hug.
Emotions churned inside her—joy for finding Sophie, the melancholy of fatigue, and a tremendous sorrow for, well, she didn’t know what exactly. She placed her hands lightly against his sides in an awkward attempt to break the hug, but instead she found herself closing her eyes and leaning against him for a long moment.
Tears filled her eyes as she stepped back, fighting for control. She nodded acknowledgment. She didn’t want to dismiss Robo’s feat of finding Sophie as “just doing their job,” so she didn’t say the words. They’d worked hard to make this miracle happen, especially her dog.
“I’ll be in touch,” she managed to say as she followed Stella out the door and into the yard.
After climbing into her SUV, Mattie turned to Robo, who’d been sleeping in the back but had risen to greet her. She grasped the ruff at his neck and gave it a shake, taking comfort, and then she turned to put her key in the ignition.
Stella was leaning against the passenger side door, watching her with pursed lips. “Your vet has feelings for you.”
Mattie shook her head, fighting to keep a surge of melancholy at bay. “He’s grateful that we found his child,” she said, starting the engine. “Let’s go to the station and see what we can do with the information we have.”
“Sounds like plan. And by the way, Mattie, did I ever tell you how much I respect you?”
She shook her head and forced a smile. “If I remember right, last time we talked, you were lecturing me on how to do my job.”
Stella snorted.
“Besides, turns out you were most likely right about Gus Tilley, and I was wrong.”
“We’ll get back to that later. But you need to know that I think you’re one hell of an officer, and I couldn’t be more proud to serve as a part of your team.” Stella’s smile faded. “Let’s get back to the station and figure out how we’re going to track down this child killer.”
Chapter 27
Stella had written up notes from the interview and shared them with the team. They touched base in the briefing room, each of them standing because no one seemed calm enough to sit. Despite her exhaustion, Mattie could feel their energy from finding Sophie build as their focus on finding a killer narrowed.
“How certain can we be that a child Sophie’s age is accurate with reporting eye color?” Sheriff McCoy asked.
“That could be a concern,” Stella said. “What do you think, Mattie?”
“She compared them to her dad’s eye color, and she seemed definite. I think we should take her word for it.”
Stella looked at the list of suspects written on the board. “That leaves us Waverly, Banks, Heath, and Gardner. And Hank Wolford, but he’s a long shot. With him, there’s no motive.”
“What time this morning did you leave Heath and Gardner up by their vehicle, Brody?” Mattie asked.
“About eight o’clock. I pulled off in some trees down below and watched for about an hour to see if they drove out of there. They didn’t.”
Mattie pulled her cell phone from her pocket and checked the call log. “Tilley heard Sophie screaming at around eleven AM. Even if Heath left his campsite after nine, I think it’s possible for him to get to the root cellar by then.”
“What about Brooks Waverly?” Stella said.
“I called Jack, and he thinks his son was in school this morning,” McCoy said. “But the secretary at the school said Brooks didn’t arrive until eleven thirty.”
“Time to bring him in again,” Stella said.
Mattie had been wondering if her partner might be able to find evidence that humans could overlook. “I think I should take Robo up to the site and do a thorough search in that root cellar.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” McCoy said. “Deputy Brody, you go too. I’ll call Jack Waverly and have him bring Brooks into the station, Detective. We’ll interrogate him together.”
As they left the briefing room, Brody said, “I’ll be ready in ten minutes,” and headed toward his office.
Mattie went to her own office to awaken Robo and check supplies in her utility belt. On the way, she remembered an important call she needed to make. Using her cell phone, she touched the number on her call list.
Sounding guarded, Sergeant Madsen answered immediately. “Deputy Cobb? What’s up?”
“Robo found her. Alive.”
Madsen whooped, making her grin.