No One Left to Tell (53 page)

Reba drummed her fingers on her desk. Paige could see the wheels turning in the woman’s eyes. ‘Name one charity I’ve helped fund, Ms Holden.’

‘I can name dozens.’ She proceeded to rattle off names of Reba’s charitable endeavors until the woman lifted her hand.

‘All right. You did some research before you came. Submit a proposal.’ Reba rose. ‘In the meantime, I trust you’ll stop these baseless accusations against my family.’

‘We’ll keep trying to find the truth,’ Paige said softly. ‘But if we can find any other viable explanation, we’ll run with it. You have our word.’

‘Thank you,’ Reba said frostily. She opened her door. ‘Have a good day.’

Paige waited on the sidewalk while Grayson checked the SUV. ‘It’s clean. Get in.’ When he’d slammed his door he turned to her. ‘What the hell just happened up there?’

Paige buckled her seat belt. ‘We discovered the significance of Crystal’s medallion and I laid the foundation to inquire further into the MAC program, separate from the investigation into Rex. We need to know what the program did and when and if Crystal was part of it, but I didn’t dare ask all that straight out. Reba would have shut down.’

‘How do you plan to inquire further into the MAC program?’

‘I plan to return with my sponsor. Did you see how Reba’s eyes lit up when I said I had all the money I needed?’

He rubbed his forehead. ‘And who might this sponsor with money be?’

‘Well, I’m not sure yet. But we’ll think of something.’ She opened the laptop. ‘I’m going to search for the MAC charity, now that we know what it is.’ She glanced at him sideways. ‘You mad at me?’

‘No. I’m just . . . flabbergasted.’

She smiled. ‘Wouldn’t want you to get bored.’

‘No chance of that.’ He studied her. ‘Are you serious about the school?’

‘Oh yes. That wasn’t a lie. Your sister Holly will be my first student. Your mom thought it was a fantastic idea.’ She bit at her lip. ‘Especially given the circumstances.’

Grayson frowned. ‘What circumstances?’

Here we go
. ‘Holly’s been bullied by some men at her social center. The friend she mentioned at Lisa’s place on Tuesday, the one that died? He’d been protecting her.’

Grayson gripped the steering wheel, hard. ‘Who? Who’s been bullying her?’

‘Can you calm down? You’re about to pop a blood vessel in your neck. She’s okay.’

‘Nobody touches Holly.’

‘Nobody has. She was afraid to say anything, afraid Joseph would blow his cool and get himself arrested. Don’t make her worry about you, too.’

He sighed. ‘I won’t. Holly’s a lot more aware than we give her credit for sometimes. Joseph
would
blow his cool if he knew. And that’s never, ever good.’

‘I told her I’d go to the center with her. Scare the boys into leaving her alone. But she will be alone sometimes and she needs to know how to get away if she’s attacked.’

‘I know. I don’t want to admit she’s vulnerable that way.’

‘She’s a grown woman now. You have to look these things in the eye.’

‘I’ll keep one eye closed,’ he muttered. ‘Thank you,’ he added quietly. ‘For caring.’

She patted his arm. ‘Holly asked if I could teach her friends, other women at the center. I said sure. Your mother said she’d join us, but I think she just wants the outfit.’

He chuckled. ‘That’s my mom.’

‘Holly goes to the center on Thursdays. That’s tonight. I’m planning to go, as long as we’re not busy, you know, fighting crime or anything.’

‘I’ll go with you. If any guy looks at her any way I don’t like, I’ll beat the shit out of him.’

Paige sighed. ‘I knew you’d say that. So, what next? Meet Joseph for lunch, then back to interviewing the pool-party guest list or run with the MAC charity?’

‘The charity. If Crystal was one of those children in the program, she had previous contact with the McClouds. And she’d been at the estate before Rex’s party.’

‘Grayson, do you still believe Rex killed Crystal Jones?’

He hesitated a fraction. ‘Yes.’

‘But?’ she asked.

‘But right now I really want to know why Crystal had that medallion and why she wanted to go to Rex’s party.’

‘So do I. We could ask Rex. Although he called his lawyers, so he won’t talk to us.’

‘Maybe, maybe not.’ He looked over at her. ‘I thought it odd we were summoned to cease and desist by Reba. Normally that would have come through Rex’s attorney.’

Her lips bent thoughtfully. ‘Is it possible he doesn’t have an attorney yet?’

‘Very possible. I wonder if this might be the straw that broke the family’s back.’

‘Good. It’s about time they cut him loose.’

‘You never said if
you
still thought Rex killed Crystal,’ he said.

‘The kids in that picture were only twelve,’ she said, troubled.

‘Yeah, I know.’

‘So you’re thinking what I’m thinking?’ she asked and he shrugged.

‘We have Crystal who’s already been arrested for hooking. She’s blackmailing a man, yet goes to a party to score some really big money. We have Brittany who gave us bank records establishing the blackmail and one plastic medallion.’

‘She also helped stall us inside the nursing home,’ Paige said.

‘I think Brittany’s playing both sides of the fence. I believed her only twice. Once when she was sad that her sister was dead.’

‘And once when she said she was all her son had.’

He nodded. ‘That came off as sincere. She blew fifty Gs on a private school for her kid’s kindergarten while working nights in a nursing home. That doesn’t add up unless the only person who matters is her son. She’ll do anything, say anything to protect him.’

‘She’s wily. Brittany, I mean. She gives us just enough to send us to the McClouds – the family, not just Rex. Why? She’s got an angle. I can feel it.’

‘I know. We need to be watching for how that thread weaves into this mess.’

Paige frowned. ‘Brittany said that Crystal had been molested. What if something happened to her when she was twelve? When she was a “MAC, Loud and Proud”? What if someone there molested her?’

‘Then we have a very big problem.’

‘We have Brittany’s cell number. We could call her and ask. We both have new phone numbers, not tied to us, so she won’t know it’s us calling. Maybe she’ll pick up.’

‘Stevie tried the number several times. Brittany’s not answering.’

‘She’s on the run,’ Paige said. ‘I would be, too, in her shoes. Especially since she nearly got us killed. I’d sure as hell run from me.’

‘Let’s find out if Crystal really was one of the MAC kids,’ Grayson suggested. ‘If she was, it adds all kinds of motives for her going to that party. And motives for whoever killed her.’

‘We could start with Crystal’s middle school. Ask them if she was a MAC kid.’

‘But we don’t know where Crystal went to middle school,’ he said.

‘I can find out. I will need to make a few calls. Three, four tops.’

‘Then do it. I want to see how you manage it,’ he said, making her grin.

‘A challenge. How can I refuse? Call number one, Winston Heights High School, where that class ring came from.’ She searched for the school’s website and phone number. ‘It’s in the Hagerstown area and there’s a chance it was Crystal’s high school.’

‘But you want the middle school.’

‘Sshh.’ She dialed the school with her new cell phone. ‘Hello? My name is Mary Johnson. I’m doing a background check on a potential employee. The applicant’s name is Jones, Crystal. She should have graduated in 2004 . . . Of course I’ll hold. Thank you.’

Grayson didn’t look impressed. Yet.

The woman from the school came back to the line. ‘She never graduated?’ Paige said. ‘Did she transfer to another school? . . . I see. She dropped out entirely. That’s troubling. I should rip up her application, but I really liked her. I’d like to give her another chance. Can I ask one more question? She’s put on her app that she attended Samuel Ogle Middle School. It would be great to confirm that at least . . . She didn’t? Where did she attend? . . . Longview Ridge. Thank you for your time.’

Paige hung up. ‘Got her middle school,’ she said with satisfaction.

‘Yes, but you don’t know if that school received MAC funds and if she was one of the students.’

‘O ye of little faith. Call number two, the middle school’s librarian.’

‘Why the librarian?’

‘Because all the kids go there at some point and librarians don’t have to worry about confidentiality policies like the front office. Plus, the librarian would have gotten goodies from the MAC program, but likely wouldn’t have had contact with the charity itself, so no worries that she’ll report our snooping to the McClouds.’

‘What if it’s not the same librarian?’

‘Then I find the old librarian’s name and call her. Hush,’ she hissed when he opened his mouth for another
what if
. Paige brought up the middle school’s website and dialed the main number. ‘Can I have the school library, please?’ Her call was transferred and an older lady answered. Excellent.

‘This is the library. Mrs White speaking.’

‘Hi, Mrs White. My name is Brittany Jones.’ Grayson’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth but Paige waved him silent. ‘My sister went to your school fourteen years ago. Her name was Crystal. Do you remember her?’

‘Let me think,’ Mrs White said. ‘That would have been when . . . 1998? That was the year we got the new computers. Of course I remember Crystal. She had the most beautiful blond ringlets. Like spun gold. Natural, as I recall. How is she?’

‘Um, well . . . she’s dead, ma’am. She was murdered six years ago.’

‘Oh my,’ Mrs White gasped, shocked. ‘How terrible. Oh my dear Lord.’

‘It
was
terrible,’ Paige said soberly. ‘I was moving recently and came across a few of her things. I hadn’t been able to look at them before, you know.’

‘I know,’ Mrs White said sadly. ‘Oh, mercy, child. I’m sorry to hear this.’

‘Crystal used to read to me all the time. She made me love books. One of the things I found with her belongings was a book from your library. That’s why I called you. If it’s all right, I’d like to keep it and just send you a replacement copy.’

‘Of course, dear, of course. That would be fine. If there’s anything else I can do . . .’

‘Maybe there is. Mrs White, another of the things I found in her box was a medallion. It’s plastic. I remember her getting it when she was at your school, but I can’t remember what it was for. It’s pretty scratched up, but has M-A-C on it.’

‘M-A-C?’ The librarian paused. ‘Oh.
MAC
. It was a program chaired by one of the state politicians. McNeal. McGee. McSomething. Back in the nineties they chose a few schools and gave endowments for the year. That’s where we got the new computers. All of them are completely obsolete now. We’ve replaced them twice.’

‘Do you remember how Crystal got this medallion?’

‘I imagine she was awarded it at the party given by the charity. One child was chosen to represent each school. The party happened at the politician’s house. They had ice cream, as I recall. The children submitted an essay with their picture and the charity picked one.’ Mrs White’s swallow was audible. ‘Crystal got a new dress. It was blue and she was so proud of it. She wore it to school one day before the party, to show me. I don’t guess you girls got new dresses very often. With that hair of hers . . . she looked like a little china doll.’

Paige found her own throat closing. ‘Thank you. This has helped me, a lot.’

‘Me too. It’s nice to know that one of my books was something she kept.’ There was a teary laugh. ‘Even if the scamp would owe quite an overdue fine after all this time.’

‘I’ll send the replacement copy,’ Paige promised. She hung up and stared at her phone until her eyes stopped stinging. Grayson, too, looked drained.

‘She was there.’ Paige blinked, clearing the moisture from her eyes. ‘She even got a new dress. Something happened that day, Grayson. Something that made her go back the night of the party, eight years later.’

‘Something that she was certain would make her a lot of money.’ He sighed. ‘Things just became a lot more complicated. If something did indeed happen, it could have been anyone on the estate. And it was fourteen years ago.’

‘Just to be clear, we’re both talking molestation,’ Paige said. ‘Sexual in nature.’

‘That’s what my gut’s telling me. This is going to be very difficult to even approach, much less prove. Fourteen years and no complainant? Not a good combination.’

‘There’s no complainant because she’s dead,’ Paige said, frustrated. ‘You’re not giving up?’

‘Hell, no. I’m just getting started.’

Chapter Twenty

Thursday, April 7, 11.30
A.M
.

S
ilas was growing impatient. He’d watched his employer’s front door all morning, waiting for him to emerge. All he’d seen were Grayson Smith and his PI going into the building, coming out a half-hour later.
If you only knew how close you really were
.

His trigger finger was itchy. He glanced down at his personal cell. So was his redial finger. He’d been trying to reach his wife for an hour. She was overdue checking in. She might have gotten caught somewhere where she couldn’t phone. Inside a store, perhaps. Violet needed new clothes. New everything.

His cell finally rang and he snatched it up. ‘Rose.’

‘No. Not Rose. Not even close.’

His chest flattened. No breath would fill his lungs. ‘No,’ he whispered.

‘Oh, yes.’

‘What have you done with her?’

‘What I had to. Say hi, sweetie.’

‘Papa?’ Violet sobbed. ‘Where are you? Mama’s—’ She was abruptly silenced.

‘Violet!’ Silas shouted.

‘No, we’re back to me,’ his employer crooned. ‘Little Violet has gone to sleep. Not to worry, just a sedative. She’ll live –
if
you cooperate. I didn’t like that little show of temper this morning, Silas.’

‘Don’t you
touch
my child.’

‘But I’ve already touched her.’