From his tone, Brantley didn’t buy it.Reese wasn’t sure he did either.
“It wasn’t a coincidence, no.When I learned about the small town Rafe grew up in, I researched it.”
Ah.Reese recalled hearing some chatter about Rafe Sharpe having known Holt from the time he spent away from here.
“As for how I came to learn about Kylie… When I’m coming up with the story arc, I like to draw from real events.In order to do that, I read a lot of true crime stories, listen to a lot of podcasts.”
Curious, Reese asked, “Is that how you met Simon?”
“Yeah.I contacted him to suss out some information on a book I was writing.He was helpful.We became friends.”Holt stood tall, his eyes glittering with renewed energy.“Anyway.When I first started researching Coyote Ridge, I came across a news article about Kylie.”Holt pointed directly at Brantley.“I’ve seen that look before.It’s the same one Travis got when I told him the same thing.My book does not resemble Kylie’s story in any way.Her story and the events that led up to her death have absolutely no bearing on my book.”
“Go on,” Brantley urged.
“When reading about Kylie, I came across a few things that didn’t add up.Remember, unlike you and your team, I unravel a mystery backward, so there’s a good chance I’m simply seeing things that aren’t there.”
“You think?”Brantley quipped.
Holt continued.“But that’s the best way I’ve found to lay out the story.I need to know the ending, along with my character’s motivation so I can fill in the rest.But it was the ending of Kylie’s story that felt off to me.”
“Meaning?”Reese prompted.
“If I were to write the story…” Holt took a deep breath and looked between Reese and Brantley.“The end of Kylie’s story would’ve been the beginning.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”Brantley asked, his exasperation evident.
“Just what I said earlier.I know it sounds crass, and I assure you, I don’t mean it that way, but her death felt convenient.At least based on what I now know about Meredith and the Southern Boy Mafia.”
“Makes sense,” Reese said, although he wasn’t sure it did.
Brantley’s gaze slammed into him .”The fuck it does.”He looked back at Holt.“You do realize that Kylie’s death isn’t a mystery, right?She was killed here.In downtown.In front of a few dozen witnesses.”
Holt nodded.“I know that.I also know Juliet Prince is responsible.And because Juliet was a dedicated journal writer, we even have her motivations.In her own words.”
Reese felt his chest tighten.Anytime he thought of Juliet Prince, he found it difficult to breathe.
“I’m not disputing that it happened the way everyone says it did.What I told Travis is that, based on what I came across, it felt to me like something was going to happen at that exact time.No matter what.Maybe even that exact place.”
Reese frowned.“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain.”He flashed a wan smile.“Doesn’t bode well for a writer, huh?But it’s true.It’s like I can see the puzzle’s picture, but some of the pieces are missing, so it doesn’t completely add up.It’s been bugging me.That’s why I reached out to Simon.I asked him to look into it to see if he saw it the same way I did.At the very least, he’d tell me if I’m way off base.”
“Not way off base,” Simon noted, his expression serious.“But I did question his sanity at first.”
Yeah.Reese talked to Simon, and yeah, he knew Simon was going to pursue the story.The problem was, Reese wasn’t sure what story they intended to tell.Based on the information pinned to this wall, they were merely restating a story that had already been told.
Holt exhaled heavily, his tone serious when he spoke.“I definitely think there’s more to this story.”
“Which story?”
“The big one.The one that all these little pieces feed into.”Holt glanced around before looking at Reese again.“Meredith Prescott’s disappearance.The mob hit.The FBI agents sprinkled throughout this little town.”
Brantley stood tall.“What FBI agents?”
“Trust me, they’re here.Seems a little too coincidental that they’re popping up now after they tried to strong-arm Meredith Prescott into testifying.”
“Testifying?Because someone claims she saw Max Adorite kill a man?”
Holt’s eyebrows dipped down.“At the time, the FBI boasted they had a star witness who would bring down the Southern Boy Mafia once and for all.But before she could testify, Meredith disappeared.”
