A muscle ticked in the man’s jaw. “That little bastard is not my granddaughter.”
Benton’s wife gasped. “Claude, that’s an awful thing to say.”
“It’s true,” he barked.
Mrs. Benton winced, and Ellie gave her a sympathetic look then pressed her card into the woman’s shaky hand. “I understand this is painful, Mrs. Benton. Please call me if you need anything. I’ll do whatever I can for you.”
“We won’t be calling,” Mr. Benton said through gritted teeth.
Mrs. Benton clenched the card in her hand, then lurched up and ran down the hall, a sob wrenching from her.
Mr. Benton slung his hand toward the front door. “Now see yourselves out.”
Ellie pushed up from her seat, so furious at the cold-hearted man she wanted to punch him. “We’ll have the ME notify you when Minnie’s body is released so you can make arrangements.”
“Don’t bother.” Mr. Benton turned and strode toward his study, ignoring his wife’s sobs echoing through the hollow house. A house that had first looked so welcoming and beautiful but had proven not to be at all.
FIFTEEN
Cord cursed as they walked outside. He’d barely resisted slugging that SOB in his wimp-ass nose.
“That man is despicable. I have a feeling Minnie ran away because of him,” Ellie said in disgust.
“So do I. With his attitude, he may have known about the pregnancy and threw her out because of it.”
Ellie worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “True. Which means he lied. And if he lied about that, what else did he lie about?”
Cord raised his brows. “You think he may have had something to do with her death?”
“I don’t know but I intend to find out.” Ellie pressed the key fob to unlock the Jeep.
“Too bad he cut you off so abruptly,” Cord said. “Maybe Minnie left Iris with her sister.”
“I hope so. I’ll pay her a visit.” Ellie’s chest tightened as worry for the child built. “If Iris isn’t with the sister, I’ll have my deputies search churches, fire stations and hospitals where Minnie could have dropped the child for safety purposes.”
Cord’s expression turned grim. “We have to consider another possibility, El.”
Ellie swallowed hard. Considering all the facts, the scene, and questions about the case, in her mind Ellie had already ruled out suicide. “That if Minnie didn’t take her own life, whoever killed Minnie took her child.” If so, that meant they were not only dealing with a murder investigation, but a possible abduction or a second homicide.
SIXTEEN
Mama T’s, Chattanooga, TN
“Let’s stop at that pizza place we passed on the drive here,” Ellie said. “I’ll ask Deputy Landrum to verify that I have the most current address for Beth Ann.”
Cord’s keys jangled as he pulled them from his pocket. “Meet you there.”
As Ellie settled in the Jeep,she phoned Deputy Landrum and filled him in. He promised to call or text as soon as he verified the address for Beth Ann. Still, Ellie’s conversation with Cord echoed in her head. She started the engine, sick to her stomach at the thought of a missing little girl in the hands of a ruthless killer.
Determined to find Iris, she took several breaths and reminded herself that she couldn’t jump to conclusions. She wanted to initiate an Amber Alert but at this point didn’t know the exact age of the child, simply an estimate based on the fact that Minnie might have been pregnant when she left home. Although she couldn’t discount the possibility that Minnie became pregnant after she left home.
Considering that she’d carried the baby for nine months, Iris would be anywhere from a few weeks to over a year. There were a lot of variables to consider.
Add to that fact, they had no photo or idea what the little girl looked like.
The very reason they needed to speak to Beth Ann. Maybe she had some answers.
Ellie wove through the downtown streets of Chattanooga, admiring the charming town, although today was not about sightseeing or the festivals the beautiful town offered. It was an information-gathering day and the skies were as gray as Ellie felt herself.
