Page 14 of Glimmer in the Darkness

“Away on business.”

Lorelai worked in sales for Hamilton, the clothing manufacturer that kept Coventry and the surrounding communities afloat. Her work took her out of town often.

“Just as well,” Vince said. “It’s not as if I could spend much time with her with everything going on.”

“Right. And your need to hang out at townie bars and drink.”

Vince sipped his beer and lowered his voice. “You’d be amazed at the tidbits I can pick up just by listening. People know more than they realize. They see things, hear things.”

“You pick up anything good today?”

“Nothing but a lot of speculation. Guy at the far table’s trying to resurrect the theory that Eugene Cage was involved.” Vince helped himself to one of James’s potato skins. “Everybody wants to pin it on the weird kid.”

Eugene’s disability had always set him apart. In a small town where everybody knew everybody, sometimes the worst thing was to be set apart. His disability was severe enough that he’d never had a job except maintenance at his father’s campground.

Once upon a time, the campground had belonged to James’s family, but his father had sold it to Wilson Cage when James was in elementary school. They’d never had any trouble with Wilson as neighbors or as owners of the campground that abutted their property, but both Eugene and Wilson had been questioned in Hallie’s disappearance. The news media had reported Eugene was a “prime suspect,” but their information was faulty. The only suspect the authorities had ever seriously considered was Cassidy.

“Any reason why they suspect Eugene now?”

Vince finished off the potato skin and reached for another.

James moved the plate away. “Get your own, man.”

Vince chuckled and ordered another plate. “Aside from the fact that he’s different? No.”

“You talk to him?”

Vince leveled James with a look. “Not you, too. The guy’s slow. That doesn’t make him a killer.”

“It doesn’t make him not a killer, either.”

“They had alibis when your sister went missing.”

Alibis could be fabricated, couldn’t they? Had James’s own neighbor killed his sister, run his girlfriend off?

“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t. Eugene didn’t snatch Hallie. And Wilson—”

“He was at the press conference this morning. I saw him. You said it yourself—people like to see the result of their evil.”

“Should I suspect everyone who showed up today? You were there. Did you do it?”

At James’s glare Vince’s hands lifted. “Just saying…” He dropped his hands, sipped his beer.

“What do you make of the killer coming back?” James asked. “Ten years later, and all of a sudden, he’s back at it.”

“Good question. We’re in contact with the FBI, but they can’t connect these crimes to any others in the country. They’re also coordinating with authorities in Canada, just in case. For whatever reason, it seems this person kidnapped your sister, then took a ten-year break, and then started again.”

James ate the last potato skin on his plate, slathering on a good bit of sour cream. It wouldn’t be enough food to last until morning.

“Anything else?” James asked. “Any other rumors? Any Cassidy sightings?”

There’d been enough after the disappearance of the little girl, Addison, a month prior. Maybe the mention of it wouldn’t raise any red flags.

“Couple.” Vince waved hello to someone behind James, but James didn’t turn to see who it was. “About as credible as last month. People seem to forget that she’d have aged in the last decade. Why do you ask?”

“What if it wasn’t Cassidy back then? What if it’s not her now? Everyone’s so intent on finding her, but—”

“We’re looking at all the options.”