“So she never made it.” Even though I’d known it all along, the thought sat in my chest like a rock.
“No. She never did. The blood matched hers, but another match was there. Want to guess? It’s not enough without a body, but it’s a start.”
“Barry Galloway?” It was the name that had been floating around in my brain since I discovered he had a fake profile on Allison’s online cam account and had beenhiding behind it to DM her. It was odd, but people online could be strange, thinking they were anonymous. That was never really the case.
“Yep. The blood in the car and the online activity mean we can haul him in for questioning. Doubt we can hold him for long without a body.” His mouth turned down into a frown. “It’s a start, though, and with the bungled investigation we’re on the right track. We’re going into the whole case from the ground up. New interviews and a new search.”
“So, you want me to keep the pressure on.” It wasn’t a mystery from his perspective. Galloway was going to get out, but maybe they’d get more evidence. And his father would probably be suspended during the pending investigation. “We can do that. You’re picking Barry up?”
“As we speak.” Casper’s lips curled into a smirk. “I’m going to put the pressure on. Hope he breaks.”
“When are you starting the grids?” Kipp asked, taking the papers out of my hands as he read through them. “I’m assuming you’re going to go through the vista area first.”
“I have the formal requests, but I expect everyone will receive them tomorrow. Hattie, you’re welcome to join if you want, but some of the terrain is rugged. We’ll start there first, but I’m not sure that’s where we’ll find the body. Looks like the car was dumped there. We’re hoping for a tip.”
Kipp rose to his feet at the same time as Casper, leaving me to scramble after them as they clasped hands. My brain was still trying to catch up on the new developments racing together like a train on tracks that had been disconnected.
“We’ll wait to hear from you, but I’ll be there for sure.”
“Me too,” I added. Search teams were something I’d done before, and while they could bring back a lot of bad memories, they were also meaningful actions that helped close cases.
Casper gave us a quick nod before heading out, leaving Kipp and me to stare at the reports he had left behind.
“Well, you were right.” Kipp pulled me into his arms. “You’re amazing.”
His words were soft in my hair, but tinged with the sorrow that I’m sure we both recognized because now we knew that Allison was truly dead. She’d died violently and had been forgotten for months. IfThe J & J Hourhadn’t come to Wildwood Meadows to investigate, she’d have been swept away forever. Lost. Like Jane.
CHAPTER 35
Hattie
After we met with Casper, Kipp went back to finishing his project, promising dinner later. With the information bomb we’d just received, I needed to update my team, so I logged into our video call to see who was online.
Poppy and Nova popped up on the screen immediately.
“Hey, Hattie.” Poppy looked relaxed with a glass of wine in one hand. “Got something new?”
Nova, on the other hand, seemed ready to start working, already pulling out a notepad and taking down the binder labeled Allison, which made my stomach churn a little.
“I do have something. Hopefully, we can log all the information. Nova, can you do that and then upload it to our secure database for the others? Ping them so they can grab it.”
“I can do that, no problem.” She was already nodding as she pulled a pencil from the cup by her computer. “What do you have?”
Giving them the rundown, they listened with wide eyes as I explained the new information and Casper’s request. While we talked, they both reviewed the reports he provided.
“He’s bringing Barry in then?” Poppy finally asked.
“Yep. He’s thinking he won’t be able to keep him there, though. The DM’s are just circumstantial, and just because he has a little of his DNA in the car doesn’t mean he’s her killer. As a matter of fact, it couldn’t be proved that she was murdered. A good lawyer could argue that all that blood could be the result of an accident of some kind.”
“Like a paper cut?” Nova scoffed.
“Yeah. Those are deadly,” Poppy deadpanned. “Seems like the opposite could be argued, and that it was enough blood loss to kill her.”
“They just need reasonable doubt.” It sucked, but it was the way the system worked. “We’re going to double down on Barry. Later tonight, I’ll release a podcast about Barry and his connections. If we find anything else concrete, I want it.”
“You got it.” Nova scribbled furiously.
“Wedid good,” Poppy said just before she signed off. “Be proud of yourself, Hattie.”
