“Look at the names of relatives associated with these Eddies and see if any of them ring a bell.”
Amy leaned close to Rudy’s shoulder and studied the names. She scanned through most of the list before she saw a familiar name.
Clara.That was Eddie’s wife’s name.
She pointed at the monitor. “This one.”
“Are you sure?” When she nodded, he clicked on the name. “At this point, you can do some cyber-stalking to see if you can find him on any of the social media sites.” He clicked on something and more sights popped up. “Or you can go to these people-search sites that provide more specific information for a fee. You have to decide how badly you want to find him. I’d recommend this one.” He clicked again. “It’s a little pricier than the others, but it’s more reliable than most of the sites, and it allows you to do as many searches as you want in a month for a single fee.”
“Thanks, I’ll check these out on my computer and see what I can find.”
“Now you’re being secretive. Are you sure I don’t need to tell the sheriff?”
“Why would Robert care that I’m looking up an old friend?” Amy asked. “There’s nothing between us.”
“Seriously? He took you dancing a while back and you have lunch together every Friday.”
How did Rudy know she’d gone dancing with Robert?
Right, this was a small town and people liked to gossip. Was that why Robert took her to lunch on Fridays? To establish a relationship between them, knowing word would get back to a certain widow?
Had it worked?Debbie hadn’t called the sheriff’s office for a couple weeks now.
Was Robert interested in more? After the buckshot thing, He’d joked about asking her out a gain, but he hadn’t—other than their Friday lunches—and Amy was glad. He was a nice man, but she wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship yet.
She kept telling herself that, but she couldn’t wait for her date with Ben this Friday.
Ignoring Rudy, she returned to her desk and paid the fee to the website the deputy had suggested. If she found Ben’s daughter, it would be worth every penny. She hated using her debit card, but since she no longer had a credit card, she didn’t have a choice.
Adrenaline rushed through Amy twenty minutes later as she wrote down Eddie’s last known address. With an address in hand, she couldn’t wait to find him.
And Cassey.
* * *
Amy pulledher car to a stop where State Road 22 met Highway 15. This was where it happened. This was where Melanie died.
The state road ended in a “T” at the two-lane highway. She could easily see how a distracted or speeding driver could easily miss the turn.
Putting her car in gear, she turned down the country road toward Eddie’s last known address. She’d left early this afternoon after telling Charity she had some personal things to take care of. She felt bad taking time off already, but she needed to track down Eddie.
A few minutes later, Amy pulled her car up to a small white clapboard-sided house. It looked old with a tiny unkempt yard. A small detached garage, missing a door, stood beside the house. An old, pale blue Oldsmobile filled the small structure.
Disappointment tugged at her when she didn’t spot a blue Suburban anywhere on the property.Of course, that would be too easy.Besides, she doubted Eddie actually lived here. She knew he lived some distance outside of Portland and had a lengthy drive to come play with the band. That was why he was often late or a no-show, especially if he had car problems, which he often did.
This place was only forty minutes from Providence. If Eddie lived here, he’d have at least a three-hour drive to Portland. When she’d gone with Lance last year to talk to Eddie, she remembered it being a long drive, but not this far from Portland. Besides, this house looked nothing like she remembered from last year.
Amy approached the front door and knocked. No one answered, so she knocked again, longer, and louder. She was about to walk away when the door finally opened. A young woman squinted at the bright sunlight. Judging by the dark shadows around her eyes and her tousled, mousy-brown hair, Amy had woken her.
She was too desperate for answers to feel bad. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m trying to find Eddie Green.”
The girl stifled a yawn. “Um... he hasn’t lived here for years.”
“Are you related to him?”
“He’s my cousin.”
“Do you know where I can find him?”
