Me: Hold off on looking up anything on Lane. Instead, do a background check on everyone at the Harlington Sheriff’s Department. See if they have any direct connections to Arlington or the foster care system there.
Sy’s reply was quick.
Sy: Everyone??
Me: Start with the deputies first.
Sy: Will do.
“Looks intense,” Jodi stated, catching my attention.
“It is.”
“Which case is it?” she asked while continuing to lotion her body.
“The Edmonds’ one,” I said, deceiving her yet again. Each little lie felt like a pinprick to my chest, but what the hell else was I to do? Let her in on every detail of this case, knowing it would bring more and more danger her way? No. I wouldn’t do it. “I—” I started to give her some bullshit story, but then my phone rang. I expected it to be Sy. I was surprised when I saw the call was from a client. He was calling on my cell phone instead of at the office. As much as I wanted to tell him to fuck off, I knew it was urgent.
“I’ve got to take this,” I told Jodi, before exiting the room, closing the door behind me. “Oliver,” I said by way of greeting.
“Micah, I hope this isn’t a bad time.”
“It is,” I quickly responded.
“I’m sorry, but this can’t wait.”
“Make it fast,” I insisted, folding one arm over my chest, and heading down to my kitchen.
“It’s Oliver Junior. He’s been at the hospital since you dropped him off almost two months ago.”
“I’m aware.” I held the phone with one hand as I poured two cups of coffee. Oliver and I had been in regular contact for business that he needed my firm to handle. He’d been giving me infrequent updates about Oliver Junior.
“After weeks of taking his meds consistently and finally opening up with one of the psychiatrists on staff, he’s revealed more about that cult he was in.”
“That’s interesting, Oliver,” I stated, sounding the least bit interested as I poured the last of the cream into Jodi’s coffee. I’d need to make a note to pick some more of that up at the grocery store.
“I thought you would find it interesting. More so, remember the strange girl he was talking about that was pregnant?”
I paused. “There was no one we could find in the cult that was pregnant.” Oliver had been concerned his son impregnated a woman during his time with the group.
“No. Junior’s saying the girl was pregnant when he first saw her and that she was young. Couldn’t have been older than sixteen or seventeen.”
Alarm bells began going off in my head. Aside from investigating whether or not any of the female members of the group were pregnant and coming up short, I hadn’t done much digging into the backgrounds of the other members of the cult.
“What are you saying, Oliver?”
“I don’t know exactly. But Oliver Junior is adamant that he met with a young girl who was pregnant. He says she was scared. He’s lucid, Micah. This isn’t his schizophrenia talking, I don’t believe.”
I strummed my fingers against the countertop, thinking. Another pregnant, teenage girl. I didn’t believe in coincidences. Given that the cult Oliver Jr. was a part of passed through the same areas Amy Cherney and the girl from my older, unsolved case, it was starting to feel as if things were connected.
I ran my free hand across my forehead. This fucking case was taking on so many twists and turns.
“I’ll be up there tomorrow morning to speak with your son.”
“I’m not sure he’s ready to speak with you,” Wilson said.
“Make him ready. I’ll be at the hospital at nine a.m.” I disconnected the call and began texting my team what I’d learned. This was a trip I could make by myself, but they needed to know what was happening.
“You’re a busy man this morning.”
