Page 140 of D for Dead

It was getting late and Jake was ready to head back to the motel after a long day spent with the medical examiner.

Rivers was still over at the Johnson place with Wagner, overseeing the recovery of remains from the well. Jake had spoken with him, learned they were close to calling it a day. Wagner would drop Rivers off at the motel on his ride home.

For now, it was just him and the two deputies, Wayne Rawlins and Emily Benson, in the sheriff’s office. They were waiting for their shift cover, then both would head home for a few hours’ rest. Rawlins looked dog-tired, but Benson was still perky and full of life. Jake had learned over the past day that she rarely shut up. It got a little distracting, but he couldn’t knock her enthusiasm. She was a small-town girl, having grown up in Melford, and this was probably the most exciting case she would see in her career.

‘Do you remember much about the Cunninghams?’ he asked her, finishing the dregs of his coffee and switching off the computer he had been using.

‘Sure. Everyone knows everyone around these parts. I was not long out of diapers when they moved to town. City folk. George never spoke much, but Mary was nice. I remember trick or treating when I was a kid. She would always give us candied apples she’d made. After Troy left town with Nadine, it was just the two of them. He didn’t come back to visit much and they moved east a few years back.’

‘What about Troy? Do you remember much about him? Did he have anything to do with the Rooney twins?’

Benson screwed up her nose. ‘He pretty much kept himself to himself. They were all older than me. I remember thinking Leslie and Crystal Rooney were pretty cool when I was a kid. They dressed the same, had a lot of boyfriends and they were very popular. Troy didn’t run in their circle.’ Getting up, she gathered the coffee cups, took them to the sink. ‘You want another cup before I empty the pot?’

‘I’m good thanks.’

‘I don’t remember Troy having many friends. It wasn’t that he was unpopular. He didn’t want to join in. Used to take himself off into the woods, fishing and hiking. There was one kid he was friendly with for a while. Rawlins, you remember that kid Troy Cunningham hung around with one summer?’

Rawlins glanced up from the drawer he was returning files to. ‘Virginia’s nephew you mean?’

‘Yeah, he’s the one.’

‘I remember him. He was only here one summer. Creepy kid.’ Rawlins nodded, thinking back. ‘Into all his sports and used to insist everyone call him Cap or Captain.’

‘So he was friendly with Troy?’ Jake asked.

‘Yeah, they were always off in the woods together. Troy was harmless enough, but that Cap kid was bad news.’

‘Bad news how?’

‘Like I say, he was only here one summer but we had more trouble in those six weeks than we usually do in six years. Caught him shooting a crossbow at Judy Kemp’s dog. He said it was an accident, the little fella got in the way. Then there was the incident with the young Landry girl. What was her name, Emily?’

‘Victoria Landry.’

‘He kept following her around and she claimed he broke into her bedroom, stole a pair of her panties. Of course we could never prove it. We had a couple of fires too and reports of vandalism. You know, punctured tires, graffiti, that kind of thing. Pretty sure that was Cap. Might have been Troy too. As I say, Troy Cunningham was harmless enough when it was just him, but Cap was a bad influence. Damn glad when the boy left town.’

Jake nodded, taking the information in. Was there a connection?

‘The summer Cap was here – was it the same summer Danielle went missing?’

‘No, I was really young when Danielle disappeared,’ Benson told him. ‘Don’t remember her much. I do remember Cap. Would have been four or five summers later.’

Jake got up, stretched. It had been a long day and he didn’t think he would have trouble sleeping tonight, if he could get his mind to switch off. There was still something missing. Something not adding up.

Benson walked out with him to the car.

‘Is Marcie looking after you boys okay?’

‘She is.’

‘Hope you’ve been staying for her breakfast. Her pancakes are legendary.’

‘I’ll be sure to give them a try.’ Jake opened the car door, paused. ‘You said Cap stayed with his aunt.’

‘That’s right. Virginia Martin.’

‘Is she still in town?’

‘No.’ Benson shook her head. ‘Virginia passed away a couple of years back. House still belongs to her family. I’ve heard they’re rich folks from back east. They rented it out for a while, but it’s been empty for the last six months or so.’