Page 79 of Veil of Silence

A small blue jacket lay among the leaves.

“Everyone, back up,” Cross ordered.

The volunteer—Dale Meagerman—lifted both hands. “I only saw the sleeve. I didn’t touch anything.”

Cross called in the discovery while Nora stared at the jacket. It appeared small enough for a child Preston’s age. Dirt streaked one sleeve, but the blue material didn’t look faded.

In other words, it hadn’t been there very long.

Austin stopped beside her. “Do you recognize it?”

She searched her memories before shaking her head. “No, not really.”

By the time Prine and Luke arrived with a crime-scene technician, Cross had moved the other searchers away from the ravine. The technician photographed the area before approaching the branch.

Beside Nora, Austin studied the jacket. His attention sharpened.

“What is it?” she murmured.

“Look at the way it’s positioned.”

Most of the jacket lay beneath the fallen branch, with only a few inches of one sleeve exposed.

“It could have fallen that way,” Nora said.

“It could have.” Austin didn’t sound convinced. “But it almost looks . . . like someone placed it there like that.”

Her gaze jerked to his as the meaning of his words hit her. “You mean, like someone wanted us to find it?”

His jaw tightened. “Exactly.”

Prine approached them a few minutes later. “Shelby confirmed that Preston owns a blue windbreaker, but it’s been at Mikey’s house since his last visit. She can’t tell from a picture whether this is the same one.”

Prine radioed for a K-9 team to work outward from the ravine as soon as the technician cleared the area. The jacket was evidence, not proof that Preston had ever been there.

A chill spread across Nora’s skin.

If the jacket belonged to Preston, someone had taken it from Mikey’s house before bringing it here.

Someone who wanted the search to lead back to him.

Chapter

Thirty

Austin’s phone rang as the last search teams crossed the church parking lot, and a Knoxville number filled the screen.

He stepped away from Nora and Marlowe before answering. “Donnelly.”

“Mr. Donnelly, this is Dr. Bennett with the Knox County medical examiner’s office. I’m calling about your father.”

Austin’s grip tightened on the phone. Was this the call he’d been waiting for? “You have the autopsy results?”

“Not the full results. Toxicology and several other tests are still pending, but I wanted to speak with you about our preliminary findings.”

A group of volunteers passed carrying muddy walking sticks and empty water bottles. Austin moved farther from the church, stopping beside his SUV.

“What did you find?”