Hard Silence (10 page)

Chapter Eight

Jeff stood on the curb, next to his car, and stared at the rambling house that filled up most of its lot. What yard there was had been pounded to dirt, and toys for several age groups littered the space. A tire swing hung from a too-scrawny branch. It wouldn’t hold much weight, but then there wasn’t much room to swing anyway. The whole area was ringed by a chain link fence.

Trudging to the door, he knocked and half smiled at the cacophony on the other side. His smile widened when a harried woman opened it, shaking her head.

“Mrs. Perry? I’m Jeff Crandall. I called about seeing Evan.”

“Doctor Crandall,” she said, smiling back. “You aren’t exactly what I expected.”

“I never am,” Jeff said as he displayed his badge.

“Thank you. What’s your password?”

“Beagle,” he drawled the word Evan had picked.

Evan squeezed under her arm and flew out the door. “Hi!”

“Hey yourself,” He caught the still-thin boy in a hug. “Ready to go?”

“Yep.”

Mrs. Perry looked at them from under her brows. “Back by three for chores.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jeff nodded.

They walked to the car, and he climbed behind the wheel.

“Can we put the top down?” Evan asked.

“If you’ll buckle your seat belt.”

Once they were on the road, Jeff consulted his GPS. “How about pizza and the arcade?”

“Could we get burgers and go to the park?” Evan asked.

“Sure.”

After the drive-thru, it took a few minutes to locate the nearest park. Jeff eyed the concrete and gravel skeptically. “Let’s keep looking.”

“There’s one next to the zoo,” Evan offered. “I saw it yesterday with Abby.”

Jeff programmed the GPS. “Really?”

“Yep. She took me to the zoo, but I don’t think she liked it very much. She said animals shouldn’t be in cages.”

“Sounds like her,” Jeff muttered.
So that’s where she’d been all day.
He pulled into traffic. “Is she okay?”

“Don’t you guys hang out?”

“We’ve both been busy this week,” Jeff lied. He’d been busy making himself
not
conduct surveillance on his neighbor. She’d been busy hiding from him, to the point of skipping church and lunch on Sunday.

“She brought Toby to play with us,” Evan said. “She can’t bring Tug because he’s too little. She don’t talk much, huh?”

“No, she don’t—doesn’t,” Jeff agreed.
Not unless she’s warm and safe.

They found the park and spread their fast food feast across a picnic table under a tree. Jeff used their shakes to hold down the burger wrappers while Evan dumped their fries into a huge pile.

“Hey!” Jeff mock-scolded. “How am I supposed to know if you eat more than me?”

“Eat fast,” Evan joked as he shoved fries in his mouth.

They sat, chewing and watching the baseball game on the neighboring field.

“He’s going to hit a home run,” Evan guessed as he pointed at the batter. “He swings hard.”

“He swings
too
hard,” Jeff contradicted. “He’ll strike out because all he wants is a home run. Baseball is all about the score, not how hard you hit. You can’t score if you’re not on base. Bet you a fry he strikes out.”

Two swings later, Evan handed him a fry as the batter trudged back to the dugout.

Evan scooted closer on the bench. They sat side by side, watching the game until the teams packed up to leave.

“How are things at Mrs. Perry’s house?” Jeff asked as they walked back to the car.

“It’s okay.” Evan shrugged. “She’s nice and all.”

“Are the other kids mean to you?”

“No,” Evan said. “I just don’t like it. Couldn’t I go home with you?”

Jeff lost his breath. “Evan—”

“I’d be good, and I wouldn’t make any noise. I’d play outside all day and not get in the way. I wouldn’t even argue about taking a bath.
Please?
”

Shit. This is why he preferred to deal with dead people.

“Evan, I want you to listen to me very carefully.” Jeff stopped, fumbling for the right words. “You can’t come with me.” He held up his hand to stop the argument. “But it isn’t because I don’t want you to. I’d like nothing better, and I wouldn’t make you promise to stay outside all day and stay out of my way.” He was going to find Andy Gaines and kick his ass for being a sorry father. “But I don’t live in Fiddler, remember?”

Evan wiped his nose and nodded. “I could go with you when you left.”

Jeff pulled his handkerchief free and cleaned Evan’s face. “I couldn’t keep you, buddy. I’m not at home much, and I don’t have a yard or anything. You’d get pretty bored all cooped up like a chicken.” He waited until the little boy nodded. “But it doesn’t mean I won’t come visit you for as long as I can. Okay?”

“Can you come tomorrow?”

This kid was going to break his heart. “I have to go on a trip for work tomorrow. But I’ll come as soon as I get back.” He stood. “Let’s get you to Mrs. Perry’s before she sends out the SWAT team.”

They drove back in silence, the fun drained from their day. Jeff walked Evan to the door and rang the bell, then he knelt to eye level. “It makes me happy and sad at the same time that you want to come with me.”

Evan wrapped him in a strangling hug. “Me too.”

He disappeared into the house, and Jeff looked at Mrs. Perry. “I’ll be out of town for a few days, but you can call, or he can, if something comes up.”

“Thank you,” she said as she shut the door between them.

He was trudging back to his car when his phone rang.

“Yeah, what?”

“Two-fer,” Bob said. “One in Illinois, one in the Eldorado National Forest out in California. That one has a note. If they’re right, his name’s John Parker. He’s been missing since 1992. The one in Illinois they think is Abe Snyder. No one’s seen him since 2006.”

Jeff hooked his phone into the hands-free system and closed the top on the roadster. “How old is the note on Parker?”

“They got it last week.”

Something didn’t add up. Archer, Thomas and now Parker had all been dead for more than two decades. Why were they suddenly getting tips on twenty-year-old murders? “Do me a favor. Send local agents to check with the PD on Archer, Thomas and this new one. Make sure I have the whole file on each of them.”

“Sure.”

“I was leaving tomorrow for Alabama and Virginia. I’ll add Illinois and California to the itinerary.”

“Keep your receipts, and—”

“I know. Keep Quantico happy,” Jeff grumbled. “I’ll let you know what I find.”

He hung up and stared at the road. Five bodies. Five. And no discernible pattern in timing or in locations. The only clues were their manners of death and their dump sites. He was missing something. He could feel it.

* * *

Jeff skirted the edge of Fiddler, eager to be home and make his notes and... What? Sit on his porch and stare at his neighbor’s dark house? If it wasn’t for seeing Abby in the yard, he’d think she’d left town in the middle of the night.

How had things gone so wrong so quickly? They’d been having a pretty decent time, considering he’d been late and they’d spent the first part of the night at the hospital with Evan.

When she’d held that beagle and giggled as it licked her chin, her laugh had captivated him. Just like the freckles across her nose. And talking to her had been a revelation. Her hesitation and stammer had been replaced by intelligence, wit and humor. She got to him every time she opened her mouth. Like a trout lure, teasing him forward and making him want more.

As if his thoughts had conjured her, she passed him on the highway, headed to town. He slowed and watched her pass. She never looked his way.

He turned onto the county road toward home and pulled into his driveway, but it was blocked by a bright yellow SUV. Frowning, he parked behind the trespasser and walked up the steps. The girl waiting on him was wearing a T-shirt with a hedgehog on it, and her long legs stretched from beneath khaki shorts that were too short.

Shit.

He caught his youngest sister as she barreled into him. “Hey, Cassie. What brings you to Idaho?”

“Mom was being impossible.”

“Like how?” His mother was never impossible. Cass was a different story.

“She wants to know what I’m going to do next. She’s laying out graduate school brochures and job postings with my cereal. She’s even talked to the school board about me being an art teacher during summer session.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Jeff, I just got finished with school—early, even. Can’t I take a break? Do I have to make a decision right this minute?”

“Well, if you’re going to grad school, you’ll have to start applying to make fall enrollment. And if you want to teach it would be best to get to know people in the district before they began offering contracts.”

“You sound just like her,” Cassie huffed. “What if I don’t want to do that?”

Shit.
He had enough drama without adding his family to it.

“Let’s skip that part for a little bit. I’ve had a long day. So you two had a fight and you hopped a plane to Idaho?”

“Mom said you had a big house, so I thought you wouldn’t mind the company. Can I stay?”

Her suitcases were next to the door. He’d never been able to refuse her, and she’d used it against him since she was five years old. If she’d been able to find the spare key, she’d already be unpacked.

“For a few weeks, but you need to call Mom and tell her where you are. She’s probably worried sick.”

She kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Jeffy.”

He held the door for her since she was already on the phone. “Hi, Mama. Don’t worry—”

“Your room’s upstairs,” he said, pointing and then following her up, careful not to knock into the walls and ruin the paint. He stopped at the front bedroom and put her suitcases in the doorway. “You’re on your own for sheets and towels. Find them up here and don’t make a mess.”

She pushed the phone at him. “Mom wants to talk to you.”

He took it and walked downstairs, ignoring his sister’s protest. “Hi, Mama.”

“I’m sorry she surprised you,” his mother sighed. “If you don’t want her there, send her home.”

“Do you need me to keep her? It sounds like the two of you could use a break.”

“Would you mind?”

“No, ma’am. I’ll keep an eye on her. “

“Thank you, dear. How are you liking Fiddler now that you’re there for a longer visit?”

“It’s the perfect spot to catch up. I’m getting a lot done. And Bob sent me a case.”

“Oh, Jeff. I was hoping you’d get a real break. You haven’t had a vacation in years.”

“Working keeps me sharp, and I’m only consulting,” he lied, “so it’s still like a break. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll try not to. I’ll talk to you next week. Love you.”

“Love you too, Mama.”

Jeff walked into the kitchen, where Cass was waiting at the table and returned her phone as he sat. “We need to make a plan. I’m scheduled to leave town tomorrow for work. Will you be okay here alone?”

“Yes,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t even know anyone here to invite to a wild party.”

“So much the better,” Jeff grumbled. “And don’t roll your eyes. Do we need to take your rental back?”

“No. I worked in the library for the last few semesters. I’ve saved enough to pay for it. Besides, it would be inconvenient to have only one car, especially if I get a temporary job.”

That was almost responsible.

“What? You thought I came out here to mooch and distract you?” She kicked him under the table. “Ye of little faith.”

The disappointment underlying her words stopped him, and he stared across at her. Where Ruth and Jan looked like their mother, he and Cass looked like their father. Once Jeff had started going gray, some people actually mistook him for Cass’s dad. It was a role he became used to assuming with her, after their father’s death.

But the woman sitting across from him was an adult, despite the inky-black braid and the Doc Martens. And he remembered what it had been like to be her age and have everyone trying to tell him what to do.

“How about we go to dinner so you can see the town and pick up a paper?”

“Don’t you need to work?” Cass asked, raising an eyebrow. “Or are you still procrastinating?”

“I can work later. If we don’t hurry, every place will be closed. C’mon.”

* * *

“You have two options,” he explained as they crossed into the city limits. “Burgers or everything else.”

The wind caught Cassie’s laugh and pulled it away. “That’s a large choice.”

“Not really. It’s the burger joint or the diner,” Jeff explained as he turned down the street with Herb’s Drive-in at one end, The Diner at the other, and the grocery store in the middle.

“Diner,” Cass decreed. Jeff found a parking spot a block away, between vehicles that towered over the convertible.

After stopping for a paper, he ushered his sister down the steps to the basement-level entrance into the restaurant. His eyes adjusted to the darker interior. High-backed booths with dark tables and navy blue leather upholstery ringed the room. Matching tables were scattered throughout, and those were surrounded by upholstered parson’s chairs. Dark hardwood floors soaked up the light from the wrought iron chandeliers overhead. Every table was topped by a small bouquet of flowers.

“Diner?” Cass’s eyes widened as she looked around. “I was expecting linoleum and a jukebox.”

“Everyone does,” an eavesdropper chirped.

Jeff turned just in time for Tiffany Marx to scoop him into a hug. She continued talking over his shoulder. “The Young family owns several of the buildings, and everyone wanted the storefronts but no one wanted the basements, so they built this place.”

She moved past him and offered her hand. “I’m Tiffany Marx.”

“Cassidy Crandall.”

“My baby sister,” Jeff offered belatedly. “She surprised me this afternoon.”

“Can’t you say younger sister?” Cass’s whine diluted her request for recognized maturity.

“I know how you feel. My older brother does the same thing. Are you staying?”

“If I can find a job.”

“Oh! Lex is looking for a receptionist for the summer. Zelda’s going on a European tour and Mediterranean cruise. Are you allergic to animals?”