“Where was he at the time of Audrey’s murder?”
“He said he was home alone. I spoke to his parents. They were out to dinner on the night of the murder. They said Logan was home when they went out that night and when they got back. But they were out for a couple of hours, and it just happened to coincide with the time the murder took place.”
“It doesn’t mean Logan’s guilty of anything. Do you have any evidence to suggest otherwise?”
“Not yet.”
“Then why is he your main suspect?”
“We dropped by his parents’ house a few days ago to speak to him again. They said Logan had left town for the weekend with a couple of his friends, but we talked to those friends. They said they’d made no such plans.”
“Why would Logan lie about it?”
“That’s what we would like to know. I circled back to Logan’s parents again this morning, hoping he was back so we could ask him a few more questions. But he wasn’t around, which means no one’s seen the kid in four days.”
4
Four days earlier, a gas station security camera had caught Logan on surveillance. He rolled up to the pump, parked his truck, and climbed out, dressed in dark jeans and a black hoodie, the hood shadowing a baseball cap pulled low on his head.
Logan filled the tank, went inside, and piled a basket full of junk food and drinks. He returned to his truck minutes later and opened the passenger-side door. A duffel bag could be seen sitting on the floor. He set the food and drinks on top of it and then slid into the driver’s seat.
It was the last time he’d been seen.
I parked in Logan’s parents’ driveway, and when I exited my vehicle, I was surprised to see Rosemary walking to the front door. She made a fist like she was preparing to knock, and then she hesitated and turned toward me.
“Hey, Georgiana, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“I came to speak with Logan’s parents.”
“Then I guess you heard.”
“That Logan’s missing? Yeah, I did.”
Rosemary moved a hand to her hip. “I had no idea. My next-door neighbor just told me, and I came right over. I have to say, I’m worried. What if the man who killed Audrey has Logan? Or even worse, what if Logan’s dead too?”
“Until we have more information, we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet,” I said.
“It’s hard not to, don’t you think? Why else would he leave and not return home after a couple of days?”
“Logan told his parents he was going out of town for the weekend with friends. But when those friends were questioned, they said no plans had ever been made.”
“It doesn’t make sense. It’s not like Logan to lie. He’s a good kid. An honest one, too, in my experience.”
Not completely honest, it seemed.
He’d lied to his parents.
But why?
Was it so they wouldn’t worry?
Worrying was inevitable.
It was just a matter of time before they realized they’d been misinformed.
Foley seemed convinced Logan was their prime suspect. He didn’t say it right out, but I could tell. Maybe I should have leaned into that possibility more myself. After all, the young man was on the run. But before I condemned him, I needed to know more, and I needed proof, evidence suggesting he played a role in Audrey’s death.
I knocked on the door, and it swung open to reveal a middle-aged woman with short, curly red hair and striking blue eyes. Clad in yoga gear and a bit out of breath, she looked at us as though we’d interrupted her usual workout.
