He cleared his throat. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” he said, his voice husky and his tone sober. “I want you to know that we are still aggressively searching for Shannon Blaine. At this point, unfortunately, we do not have any activeleads. I do, however, have one significant development to report, thanks to our search efforts.”
He paused, as if giving us time to catch our breaths.
“Late yesterday afternoon, one of the searchers found Shannon Blaine’s earbuds about a mile from her home.”
Chapter 4
ACOUPLE DOZEN HANDS SHOT UP, LIKE A MOB OF CURIOUSmeerkats, but the sheriff raised his own hand in a “Let me finish” gesture.
“The earbuds were located in a section of brush several yards off Wheeler Road. Though we’d searched Shannon’s jogging route previously, we decided to cover the area once more now that we have additional volunteers.
“We are fairly certain that the earbuds belonged to Shannon because, according to her husband, she’d put a dab of pink nail polish on them to differentiate them from his or those of the kids.”
Even from several yards away, I noticed Cody flinch at this small reminder of everyday life—or at least everyday life before Monday.
My mind whirred. The earbuds seemed to confirm that Shannonhadleft for a jog that day, and that something bad had happened to her along the way. In other words, she hadn’t simply gone on the lam, bored or frustrated with life.
“Unfortunately, at this time, we still have no concrete leads regarding Shannon’s whereabouts,” Killian added. “We’re continuing to look at all possibilities, including foul play. I want to add that the fund for the safe return of Shannon Blaine, established by family and friends, is now at fifty thousand dollars.... I have time to take a few questions.”
The hands shot up again, with various reporters barking for Killian’s attention.
“Sheriff!” Matt Wong shouted. “Are you thinking Shannon was abducted and the earbuds fell off in a struggle?”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
“That is certainly one possibility, but, without any evidence, I’m not going to speculate about that.”
“Gina Tesco, Channel Six News,” a woman’s voice called out. “Do you believe Shannon could still be alive?”
“Shannon Blaine is still considered missing.” As Killian uttered those words, I saw Shannon’s mother desperately clutch Kelly’s hand. “And it’s our goal to find her. We are using all resources available to us. We continue to coordinate search teams and employ the use of the sheriff’s department’s helicopter. And we will follow up on any information that seems credible. As of today, we have received roughly one hundred and fifty tips to the hotline.”
Killian pointed a finger toward a male reporter midway back. “Bill?”
“Have the tips included possible sightings worth investigating?” he inquired.
“There have been reported sightings, but none have checked out so far.”
“Sheriff, back to the earbuds.” It was my good buddy Alice Hatfield. She’d topped her car coat today with a black crocheted beret, befitting the morning’s cooler weather. “Why do you think searchers failed to notice them the first time they went over that area?”
“We didn’t have as many searchers on Tuesday morning as we did yesterday. And it’s also possible the earbuds ended up under leaf cover, which later shifted with the wind.”
I shot my own hand up.
“Sheriff Killian, Bailey Weggins,Crime Beat. Isn’t there still one other possibility? That someone tossed the earbuds along the road, perhaps evenafterMonday, to make it look like Shannon had been jogging there?”
Heads swiveled in my direction. I think most people immediately caught my drift. Sure, the earbuds could have been knocked off her if she’d been snatched while jogging, but if Cody had murdered Shannon in their home, he may have planted the earbuds immediately afterward, or even later, when the police’s interest in him began to intensify.
There was even a far-fetched possibility, I realized, that Shannon had placed them there herself, as part of a plan to fake an abduction.
“Ms.Wiggins, did you say?” the sheriff said, sounding more curious than snide. He joined a force of about a hundred people who had mispronounced my last name in my lifetime.
“Weggins.”
“Yes, Ms. Weggins, that is also a possibility. But as I said, I’m not going to speculate. Next.”
I shifted to the left a little, hoping to catch a glimpse ofCody’s reaction to my question, but my view of him was now blocked.
The sheriff fielded a few more questions. Was the lake being searched with sonar? (Answer: “No, we are holding off on that effort for the time being.”) Were registered sex offenders still being interviewed? (Answer: “Yes, that is ongoing.”) And, last, had the Blaine home been searched again, and if so, was luminol used? (Answer: “We are not going to speak on areas that might impact the investigation.... That’s all for today.”) He promised that there would be another press briefing tomorrow, the time to be announced.
