Something was wrong with Carter Lyle's conviction. And Ray's name was on every page that mattered.
18
The phone woke him at six. Noah reached for it on the nightstand, knocking over the glass of water he'd left there the night before. He pressed the phone to his ear without checking the screen.
"Sutherland." His voice was gravel.
"Rise and shine." McKenzie. Too awake for this hour. "Derek Hollis showed his face last night."
Noah sat up. "You have him?"
"Nope. But Mark Spence got into it with him. Spence is at the Adirondack Medical Center. Cut on his forehead. They're keeping him for twenty-four hours to check for concussion."
"I'm on my way."
He dressed in the dark, splashed water on his face, and was in the Bronco before the sun cleared the ridge east of the lake. He'd come home late and left early and the distance between those two facts was becoming the shape of his days.
Mark Spence was sitting up in bed when Noah found him on the second floor. Hospital gown, white bandage taped above his left eye, a bruise already spreading beneath it in shades of purple and green. The television was on to a morning news broadcast. Atray of untouched breakfast sat on the rolling table beside him. He looked like a man who hadn't slept and was furious about it.
"Finally. Have you caught Hollis? He nearly killed me at the house."
"Not yet."
"Did you check the deli?"
"Yes."
"And the farm?"
"Mr. Spence. What happened?"
Mark lifted himself higher against the pillows. The movement made him wince and he pressed a hand to his ribs. "He showed up in the middle of the night. Three in the morning. I heard him out there clearing his belongings from the RV. I guess he must have heard you were looking for him. I grabbed my baseball bat and headed out. Caught him with an armful of boxes heading for his car. He told me I had it all wrong. That he was being set up. That he had nothing to do with Fiona's disappearance."
"And?"
"I told him I'd seen the photos. He denied that was him. I swung. He ducked, caught me with a right hand across the temple. I went down and he was gone before I got back on my feet."
"That'll be cleared up when we find him."
"If? You better find him before I get out of here and hunt him down myself."
"Settle down, Mr. Spence."
"Settle down?" Mark's voice rose and his face flushed beneath the bandage. "My daughter is out there with that sicko. Maybe locked up somewhere. I saw the news about that Danvers girl. I heard about the other one that showed up. The cop posted outside the room down the hall won't let me speak to her. But she has to know something." He stared at Noah. "Are you goingto say something or what? Do something. Instead of wasting your time here."
"A little late, isn't it? To show concern for your kid."
Mark's expression hardened.
"You had this man on your property for God knows how long," Noah continued. "And you want us to believe you didn't know what the relationship was between your daughter and him."
"What are you talking about? There was no relationship."
"Or you were too busy to pay attention."
Mark grit his teeth. "You know, you cops are always the same. Point the finger at the family while some creep gets away free."
"To have him on your property, you must have gathered references."
