“I brought him here,” Simon explained.“Showed him the work Holt had done.I needed to see if I’d be causin’ more harm than good by followin’ this story.”
“And?”
“Since Travis’s bid for my services was about to reach two mil, I figure I’m movin’ in the right direction.”
Reese frowned.“He’s payin’ you two million?For what?”
“He’s not payin’ me.I turned him down.I don’t take payment for a story.When there’s money involved, there are also expectations,” Simon explained.“What about you?Y’all are tight with Travis, right?”
“We are.”Usually.Reese cut his gaze to Brantley, then back to Simon as he explained.“He’s been keepin’ his distance.With the wedding and all, we didn’t have time to catch up with him.We’ve tried since, but he’s not makin’ it easy.I think he’s dodgin’ us, to be honest.”
“What did you tell Travis?”Brantley asked Simon, waving his hand at the stuff on the walls.
“I told him I would investigate the story how I see fit and that I’m not lookin’ for payment.And I’m not.Not from the families.I earn my paycheck from the podcast.Anyway, he said he’d pay me to look into Meredith Prescott.I told him I wasn’t that kind of investigator.”
“We are,” Brantley noted.
“I know.Which is why I’ve come to you.Regardless of whether Holt’s theory is true, I think he’s stumbled across something that needs to be looked at.I do think there’s a story there.”
Brantley gestured at the wall.“Based on what I see here, the story’s already been told.The total sum of this is right where we are today, and to be honest, I’d prefer not to rehash the loss.”
“I get that,” Simon said, glancing between them.“I’m not here to stir anything up, but I would like to look into Meredith Prescott’s disappearance.Based on what little information I’ve gathered, the woman no longer exists.”
“And you think what?That she’s in hiding?”Reese stated.
“Or dead?”Brantley added.
“Yes,” Simon said simply.
“Which is it?”
“I won’t know until I start looking.”Simon gestured toward the door.“I was hoping to see if I could review any case notes you have.”
“On?”
“Everything.I’m looking for a thread to pull.There’ll be something somewhere that leads me to what happened to Meredith when she vanished from her life.It’s my understanding her family believes she left for greener pastures.I want to start looking at where she went from the moment she walked away from them.”Simon gestured toward the door.“And since you just took my investigator, I was thinking it’s logical to look to you for help on this.”
“I’m pretty sure you started lookin’ into this before we offered Archer the job,” Reese corrected.
“Perhaps.”Simon grinned.“Still leaves me without an investigator.”
Brantley stepped forward, pointed at Holt.“Tell me what you know.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.Keep it simple.Just the facts.I know you have them because you wouldn’t’ve confronted Travis otherwise.”
“The facts,” Holt said, shifting his feet.
Reese could tell he was uncomfortable, but he waited patiently, willing the man to push past it.
Holt took a deep breath.“As you probably know by now, I’m using Coyote Ridge as the backdrop for my next book.Well, for a series of books now that my editor’s on board.”
Reese wasn’t sure they were on the same page when it came to the facts they were seeking, but he didn’t interrupt.
“Anyway,” Holt continued.“The idea of a mystery unraveling in a small, tight-knit town that rarely sees any crime appeals to me in a big way.”
“Of all the towns on the map, you just plucked Coyote Ridge right outta your ass, huh?”
