Not because she was jealous. But maybe because it hurt to think he had gotten over the pain of their parting so easily.
She gripped the steering wheel harder and made the block and headed home. What Aaron Ames did with his life was none of her business. All she cared about was taking care of Gary and herself.
She was surprised to see that Gary’s truck wasn’t in the driveway. He almost always got home before she did. Once inside, she texted him.Everything OK?But he didn’t answer.
He’s probably out with friends, she told herself. Except that Gary hadn’t gone out with anyone during their short time in Eagle Mountain. He wasn’t the type to party and almost always came straight home from work.
Half an hour later, she called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail. She was on the edge of panic. Had the sheriff picked him up again?
With trembling hands, she searched for the nonemergency number for the sheriff’s department, but her call went to voicemail. She hung up, then tried to think what to do. She could go to the sheriff’s department, but was anyone even there after hours? Or rather, was there anyone there who would let her in?
She stared at her phone again. She had deleted Aaron’s number from her contacts a year ago, but she could still remember the digits. She dialed it, only to have an unfamiliar woman answer. That shook her. Did he had a girlfriend? A wife?
“Is Aaron there?” she asked.
“Aaron don’t have this number anymore,” the woman said, and hung up.
Willa tucked the phone away. She didn’t know Aaron’s new number, but she did know where he lived. And she was desperate to make sure Gary was safe.
Aaron’s truck was still in the driveway of the A-frame. Willa parked her Toyota behind it, then forced herself to get out and walk up to the door. She knocked and waited for an answer.
She was about to turn around and retreat to her car once more when the door opened. Aaron, barefoot and shirtless, wearing only joggers and the St. Michael medallion his mother had given him when he became a police officer, opened the door. His dark hair was damp and he smelled of herbal shampoo and shaving soap. She had a horrifying vision of walking right into his arms and resting her head on his shoulder, surrendering to the comforting sensation of his strong arms around her.
“Willa? Is something wrong?”
She stared at him, embarrassment heating her face. What was she doing here? “I… I can’t find Gary,” she said. “I thought maybe…maybe you had arrested him again.”
He stepped back, and the door opened wider. “We haven’t arrested Gary,” he said. “Come in and I’ll help you find him.”
She followed him into a small living area. He picked up a T-shirt from the end of the sofa and pulled it on. She stared, distracted by the ripple of his back muscles as he pulled the shirt over his head, but unable to look away. When he turned to find her watching him, her face heated again.
“Why did you think we had arrested Gary?” he asked.
“Because that’s what happened before. You took him in for questioning and let him go, but the next day you arrested him.”
“That was a different case,” he said. “Sit down. Please.”
He sat on the sofa and motioned for her to join him. Instead, she perched on the edge of a chair across from him. “You told the sheriff about what happened in Vermont,” she said. “You told him to question Gary.”
“We questioned a lot of people from the camp,” he said. “We’re still questioning people. The more people we talk to, the more likely we’ll learn something useful.”
“Is Gary a suspect in Olivia’s disappearance? He didn’t even know her.”
“He’s not a suspect. A neighbor confirmed his alibi and we haven’t found any connection between him and Olivia. Unless you know something he hasn’t told us.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You double-checked his alibi? You didn’t believe me?”
“It’s not about what I believe or don’t believe,” he said. “All that matters is what a jury believes. Two witnesses are always better than one.”
“Like the two girls who said they saw Gary talking to Rachel before she disappeared.”
“Two witnesses would have been more convincing than one, yes.”
“But not convincing enough for the DA to prosecute.”
“We didn’t have a strong case. All we had was an FBI profile and the statements of those two girls. It wasn’t enough. I don’t think the sheriff here would even have arrested your brother.”
“Then why was he arrested in Vermont?”
