“It doesn’t look familiar—this driveway or fence. I’m trying to think about the houses on Abel Hill…”
“Isn’t there some way you can search for it—on the police systems or something? I’m wondering if anyone even lives there. Kurt Kent from the bar—he said maybe some neighborhood kids were looking for a cut-through to town… which means maybe it’s abandoned, and then maybe…”
“It wasn’t searched,” Reyes finished her thought.
“You tell me,” Nic said.
“I’d have to check the log of the canvas.”
“Can you run the property, see who owns it? I researched the two companies that had plants here—RC Chemical and later, Ross Pharma. One article said Ross bought the plant owned by RC. It looks like the house is on the same land with their buildings—red brick, black roofs.”
“Town Hall has all the land records. I searched those buildingsmyself, me and a trooper—the ones that used to be Ross Pharma. We didn’t see a house.”
“And utilities? Can we find out if they’re servicing that house?”
“Yeah—from the companies who run them. Electric, cable. Or they might have satellite or another provider for internet, if they have it. Then there’s heat—natural gas or oil. We get both around here.”
Yes, she thought.That all makes sense. That all seems possible. She finally drew a breath that filled her lungs.
“Can I show you one last thing?” she asked.
“Sure.”
Nic zoomed in on the satellite image of the property on Abel Hill Lane. She’d been staring at it on and off for over an hour, not believing her own eyes.
She pointed at a small object just beyond the house—beneath a tree, but a tree with a missing limb right in the center. From the top, she could see through it to the image hiding beneath the canopy.
“What does that look like to you?”
Reyes squinted, stared. “I have no idea. Maybe a tractor. Piece of farm equipment?”
“Or a pickup truck. Dark color,” Nic said. She let the thought sink in.
Reyes looked closer. “I suppose—can you zoom in more? Maybe get a different angle, or a different shot from another day?”
“This is the only one I could find. But think about it, she was seen getting into a truck—heading into town, not away from town. And now there’s a property that hasn’t been searched…”
“Thatmaynot have been searched. We won’t know that until we look at the log.”
Nic’s thoughts were running wild again.
She wanted to tell him about Chief Watkins, about what she’d seen. She didn’t want to drive him away by accusing his boss of something. And what something would that even be?
She couldn’t hold back.
“Did you know Chief Watkins drives a dark gray truck?”
Reyes burst out laughing. “Wait…” He covered his mouth with his hand, stifled the laughter. “You think the chief’s truck is the truck Edith Moore saw?”
“So you do know?”
“Everyone knows. He’s had it for years.”
“And you didn’t say anything?”
Reyes grew defensive. “No, I didn’t. Do you know who else has a truck? Mr. Klinger down on Mulberry Street. Henry Drumming on Maple. Let me think… oh—I know! Mrs. Urbansky! Sweet Orla Urbansky—now, hers is silver, but we already established that Edith Moore couldn’t see a fucking thing because of the storm and is just hoping to cash in when your mother finally decides to come home!”
Nic stared at him now, stunned by the abrupt change. He was just as quick to anger as he was to soften.
