Deb studies the picture for a while and says, “You know, I think Ash has tools that look like that. My cousin loves things that match. It’s all about appearances. He has a pretty big shop in his pole barn. Sometimes Teddy will borrow tools from Ash. You could ask him if anything’s missing. I think he’s home. He got that new truck he’s been talking about and honks every time he leaves or gets back as if he thinks I’m dying to see it one more time.”
“All right,” says Zoey. “One more person to talk to. Our beds can wait.”
“Thank you,” says Deb. “Thanks for all you’re doing to find Teddy. I’m sorry that he does things like this.”
“Like what?” says Zoey.
“Like disappearing for a few days. Like getting himself into trouble. He’s a sweet man, my Teddy. He really is. But sometimes he just can’t help himself.”
Ash answers the door wearing khaki pants with the cuffs rolled up, revealing a blue-and-pink-striped lining. Red Wing workboots are on his feet, although they’ve never seen a day of work. They look new or maybe just well-kept and cared for. Ash wears a sky-blue cable-knit sweater over a pink polo shirt to match the lining of his pants.
“Oh, no” are the first words out of his mouth. He looks at Clay and Judd and says, “I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” says Judd.
“Teddy. Isn’t that why you’re here with a police officer?”
“No,” says Clay. “We’re just here to ask a question.”
“Thank God.” Ash half laughs. “Guess I’ve been listening to too many true-crime podcasts.”
“Guess you have,” says Zoey. She holds out her phone and shows Ash the photograph of the sawzall. “By any chance do you have a tool that looks like this?”
Ash looks at Zoey’s phone. He stares a long time. Too long as far as Clay’s concerned.
“Hmm…” says Ash. “I might. I don’t do as much work around here as I used to. Could have something like that out in the pole barn.”
“Mind if we take a look?” says Judd.
Ash twists his face into something unnatural. “Not at all. Hold on. I’ll get the key.” He turns and disappears into the house.
Zoey watches him go, then says in a hushed tone, “Is he always this weird?”
“Yep,” says Judd. “The guy fell ass-backward into money and acts like he earned it. I don’t know where the hell he buys his clothes.”
“I do,” says Zoey. “1980.”
Clay laughs but stops when he hears a woman’s voice. She sounds like she’s complaining. Ash scolds her and she snaps back at him.
“Sounds like Ash has a lady friend,” says Judd.
They hear footsteps and all take a step back from the screen door.
“Got the keys,” says Ash. He steps outside and closes the door behind him. He descends the porch steps and heads for the pole barn. Ash looks flushed, and Zoey makes out a handprint on his left cheek.
“We catch you at a bad time?” says Zoey.
“Not at all,” says Ash. “Was just giving a few directions to my new maid. I’m a stickler for cleanliness. Always have been. Want to make sure she does things right.”
Judd and Clay share a glance but say nothing. Their feet crunch on the gravel path until they reach the pole barn, a metal garage–looking building with one large door for vehicles and a regular-sized door for people. That’s the one Ash unlocks and in they go. He flicks on the fluorescents that blink to life. There are three vehicles. A brand-new Ford F-150, atlas blue with an extended cab. The other two are covered in tarps, but Clay knows one is an old 2002 BMW and the other is an MG Roadster. There’s also a speedboat on a trailer, an ATV, and a John Deere Gator utility vehicle.
“Tools are over by the workbench,” says Ash.
They walk to the far end of the pole barn. A ten-foot-long workbench sits against one wall under eight-foot fluorescent tubes in a fixture that hangs by a chain from the ceiling. Above the bench and against the wall is a pegboard where tools hangon hooks. They all match each other as if they were purchased as a set. Some are power tools and some are hand tools but they’re color coordinated with lime-green-and-blue handles, just like the tool Graham identified at the hardware store. Someone drew Magic Marker outlines around the hanging tools so there’s no doubt where each tool goes. One outline looks like a sawzall, but the tool is missing.
“I think we’ve found what we’re looking for,” says Zoey. “Or at least where it came from.”
“Did Teddy borrow your sawzall?” says Judd. There’s an irritation in his voice because this is something Ash should have shared when he learned Teddy was missing.
