Page 170 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Nate gave the door a shove closed with his boot as he took off his jacket then plunked himself down in his chair. After dropping Captain Bob and Lucky off at their home, he’d planned to head back to the office and fill Sanchez in on the latest developments, but a fender bender and mammoth effort to push Mrs. Dickerson’s ancient Ford pickup out of the ditch she’d slid into had cost him three solid hours. He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and realized it was nearly out of juice, so he reached for the landline just as Kay knocked and peeked her head inside.

“Nate, I’ve got something for you.”

He looked at the pink message slip she held up and gave a little wave. “What’s up?”

“This came in before I headed out to grab the mail a couple of hours ago—some woman from over on the mainland who refused to give me her name, but she said she has information about the Little Girl Lost case.”

“Did you tell her to call the tip line?”

“I did, but she insisted she talk to you—said she has information about Callie’s mother.”

Nate took the sheet Kay handed him, studying the Boston area code written in Kay’s neat handwriting.

“I’m not sure if it’s a hoax,” she continued. “More than likely is, but I wanted to pass it along anyway and let you decide.”

“Thanks.”

She walked to the door and stopped with her hand on the knob. “Oh, Moe wanted me to let you know that they’ve got the plows out now that it’s really coming down.” She looked toward the window and made a tsking noise as she shook her head. “Rain mixing with sleet indeed. Looks like we’re on our way to a solid five or six inches of the white stuff.”

“It’s switching back and forth—getting sloppy and slippery. Let’s get something out over the broadcast—issue a parking ban along the main streets here in town until nine tomorrow morning so Moe and the crew have a chance to deal with the sidewalks. Let’s also encourage people to get home and stay off the roads unless it’s an emergency.”

“I’ll take care of it right now.”

“You should head home too.”

She frowned. “The phone’s been ringing off the hook all afternoon. Sandersonians are calling in with real problems instead of those foolish pranks, which is a welcome change.”

He looked at the number on the pink slip, more than a little intrigued to see what was what. “Give me an hour—until Shawn and Denny come in to cover the night shift—and I’ll drive you home if you want.”

“I appreciate it, but I’ve been driving in this stuff since you were wearing diapers. I should probably be asking you if you want me to drive you home.”

He grinned. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

She smiled back. “Sure thing. I’ll get a bulletin out to the radio station.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Kay closed the door behind her, and Nate picked up the phone, dialing the Boston-area number.

“Hello?” a woman answered on the third ring.

“Yes, good afternoon. This is Sheriff Nate Carter from the Carter County Sheriff’s Department. My dispatcher gave me the message that someone from this number was hoping to talk to me.”

“Yes, that’s me.”

He turned toward the window, watching the snow pouring down in the glow from the streetlights. “You have information about the Little Girl Lost case?”

The line stayed silent for several seconds. “Yes.”

He lifted his brow, waiting to hear what this woman supposedly knew, but clearly he was going to have to coax the information out of her. “You mentioned knowing something about Little Girl Lost’s mother?”

There was another long pause. “Yes, I knew Samantha Fletcher.”

His grip tightened on the phone as he thought of the S on the locket. Samantha. “That was her name? Samantha Fletcher?” He turned back in his seat and wrote down the name, then Callie May Fletcher.

“Yes.”