Page 43 of Unburied

From her left, Mason let out a little snort. “No kidding.”

Vivi had to agree. The way Elijah had reacted was suspicious. “Do you think he did it?”

He shrugged. “I honestly don't know. He doesn't seem the type, and there's not nearly enough evidence to suggest he did.”

“I know,” Vivi lamented. “It's like we're missing half the pieces. But I still think he knows something,” she insisted.

“That's a given,” Mason replied. “I just don't know what. Is he protecting himself or Ellen?”

Vivi thought on that for a long minute, turning the question over in her mind and examining it from every angle. “Maybe both. Like you said, it's unlikely that she would be unable to do anything by herself. Maybe they're both responsible and he needs to stay quiet.”

“Definitely a possibility.” Mason nodded. “We'll have to see what Tyler thinks. Speaking of…” He passed Vivi his phone as he shifted the truck into gear and pulled out onto the main drag. “Check this, would you? Tyler called while we were talking to Elijah, and I didn't want to interrupt.”

Vivi thumbed through the phone, entering the passcode he relayed to her, then pulled up the new voicemail. She turned on the speakerphone function so they could both listen.

“Hey, it's Tyler. I’m up in Orlando right now meeting with a relative of Russ's. But I've been thinking. Something about Ellen and Russ's divorce was bothering me, and I want to take a look at those papers again. I'll give you a call as soon as I get back into town so we can…”

There were some muffled noises in the background before Tyler came back. “He's here, I’ve got to go. Talk to you later.”

The line clicked off, and Vivi glanced at Mason. “Wonder what he found?”

“Not sure. Guess we’ll see what he finds up there, if anything.”

There were so many questions and not nearly enough answers. Vivi was beginning to feel like they were looking for a needle in a haystack.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

While Tyler was in Orlando, Mason planned to do a little digging around. From the papers Tyler had, they had found an acquaintance of Russ’s, a man by the name of George Grudenfelder. Vivi was at Vantage, so Mason decided to stop by and see if the man could shed any light on the situation.

From the information Vivi had pulled up, the man was single, having lost his own wife several years ago, and he now spent his days primarily playing golf on the private course next to the retirement community where he lived.

After a quick stop at the front desk, Mason followed directions out to the pro shop. One of the men there confirmed that George had teed off just after 8:30 that morning and should be wrapping up soon. Mason settled at the small table outside to wait. Within half an hour, a golf cart came puttering up the drive, and Mason recognized George. George threw a wary glance Mason's way as Mason stood and lifted his chin in greeting.

“Can I help you with something?” George asked. Mason held out a hand, and George gave it an abbreviated shake. “Mason Kane. Hoping I could ask you some questions.”

“About?” George inquired.

“Do you remember a man by the name of Charles Orwell?” Mason asked.

“Sure. Golfed together once a month or so,” George replied.

“What can you tell me about him?” Mason continued.

“Why?” George raised a suspicious brow. “He done something?”

“Not exactly. Mason is kind of worried about him. His girlfriend lived with Russ and Ellen when she was young. Ellen’s in an assisted living facility now, but no one has heard or seen anything from Russ for quite a while,” Mason explained.

“Not sure I can help you,” George replied. “Haven't seen him in… Oh, fifteen years or so? Ever since he and his wife split.”

Mason nodded a little in sympathy. “Did he ever talk to you about Ellen and what caused them to split?”

“Not really,” George shook his head. “Got the feeling something was going on, though.”

“How do you mean?” Mason asked.

“Just the way he was acting,” George replied. “I'd say that started sometime after that little girl came to live with them. Maybe put a strain on the relationship. Especially after what happened to Ellen’s daughter.”