“Where’s Garrett?” I ask Ian.
“He was taking one last walk around the fair to make sure it was cleared out when I left. I’ll let him know to look for the Ford and send him a photo of Vivienne as well.”
I glance at the clock on the wall and note the time. “Let’s get everyone out in groups searching the banks of the river. We know that’s where our guy likes to dump.”
“I’m already on it,” Cade says. “Four groups total. It’s a big area so they’ll be out all night.”
I let out a sigh of relief, thankful for my brother. “Okay. Cade, you head to her house. See what you can find. Ian, we’ll patrol town. See if we can find the car. In the morning, I’d like you to speak with Miss Elle at Fields of Daisies.”
“You got it.”
The sun is just starting to rise when the call comes in.
“Sheriff,” I clip into the speaker.
“We’ve found her.”
“Fuck.” I hit my fists against the steering wheel, feeling defeated. “Where?”
“North of the river. Banking on the split.”
I sigh, shaking my head. We were so close. We found her car and her phone inside it with messages from a man she was meeting up with.
“It looks like she’s been here for a while, Sheriff. Cade is estimating about a few hours after she last spoke with her parents.”
“We need to find this man she was messaging.”
“We’ll find who did this.”
“I fucking hope so.”
Ending the call, I hang my head and prepare myself for having to break the news to the couple that their daughter is dead.
I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept in twenty-four hours and delivering the news to the couple, who I now know as Mrs. and Mr. Lee, wasn’t easy. They lost their son two years ago, and Vivienne was their only child left. Shit like this never gets easy. I finish all the paperwork I needed to get done and close my books, ready to go home and crash.
We can’t figure out who this Andrew guy is that Vivienne was supposed to meet up with. He did send a text asking where she was with no response from her, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t just covering his tracks. Cade is working hard trying to find this guy.
Throwing on my jacket, I close the door to my office and stop to speak with everyone at the station before heading out. Once home, I take a quick shower and plop down onto my bed, letting the exhaustion pull me under.
Five hours later, my eyes snap open when I register the blaring of my phone. Rolling over with a groan, I hit answer.
“Hey, son.”
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“Would you mind coming over and helping with your mother’s green house? I pulled a muscle and Colter was called out for a barn fire.”
“Sure. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Thanks, son.”
Rolling out of bed, I throw on a pair of jeans and a tee and head down the road to my parents’ house, where I spend the rest of the day building a goddamn greenhouse.
“Oh, West, it looks so lovely, thank you so much!” my mother gushes, admiring her brand new greenhouse.
“Dad’s blueprints were shit by the way,” I tell her, scowling towards the cattle field where my dad is.
“You did it, though, and that’s all that matters. I’m so excited to fill it. That old greenhouse was falling apart, I didn’t like when the kids would go inside.”
