Page 61 of The Missing Couple

“He can’t tell us a whole lot about the trafficking activities,” the sheriff explained, “but he had some interesting stories about other things.”

Charly braced herself. She had no clue but something about his voice told her it was a bombshell.

“The night your parents were murdered,” he began, “Laney came home all shaken and acting crazy,” he said. “He didn’t pay much attention. But the next morning when he put his laundry in the basket—apparently Laney is a stickler about that—he noticed spots of blood on the blouse his mother had been wearing. And beneath the blouse was a gun. He doesn’t know what happened to the gun, but he saw it. Touched it. It wasn’t until later that day that he heard about your parents. But he figured the whole scenario was crazy. His mama couldn’t be a killer. But when I asked Kerwin, he started crying and the paramedics had to get him to the hospital so I couldn’t press the issue. But I will because I’m taking his reaction to mean she did it.”

Charly stared at him in disbelief. “Are you saying Laney Rogers shot my parents?”

“I’m saying it’s something I’ll be looking into. I just thought you should know.”

“I don’t get it.” She shook her head and faced forward. “Why would she do that?”

“I can’t say, but maybe now you can finally stop blaming me.”

Charly stared at the man she had often felt on some level had wanted her father out of the way. The man she worried hadn’t done his job to the best of his ability when it came to finding her parents’ killer. Was it possible that she and Jen might finally have closure on that nightmare?

She turned in the seat to check on Billie. “You okay?”

He nodded. “I am now. You?”

“Maybe. The jury’s still out.”

He smiled. She smiled back.

The best part of all this was that Briana and Martin were alive and out of the reach of the bastards who would have taken them away forever. And maybe Charly would have an answer to the question that had haunted her for sixteen years.

The bad part was that Billie would be leaving.

She turned around and collapsed into her seat. She wasn’t ready for that…at all.

Chapter Seventeen

Saturday, July 11

Bradly Retreat

Deep Woods Trail, 3:30 p.m.

Charly made herself a cup of chai tea and settled into a rocker on her front porch. She couldn’t remember when she’d last sat on the porch and enjoyed an afternoon. She also could not remember the last time she’d had to do her morning routine. Tuesday maybe?

A smile spread across her face. All because Billie had come into her life.

She drew in a deep, cleansing breath. She’d sent Shelly home this morning around four. The woman had refused to leave until Charly was showered and in bed.

She’d slept until noon. A call from Sheriff Malone had awakened her. Laney Rogers and Paul Grant had confessed to working with a human trafficking ring to select certain women and some men to fill orders. They watched their targets and then drugged and abducted them. Held them as necessary until the time of delivery. Laney used Kerrick to accompany her when watching the women. He’d had no idea what his mother was doing. His face was the one that would be found on cameras, not hers. Some mother she had turned out to be. Her husband had helped as needed, like the night he drove the black SUV to deliver Briana and Martin to the cabin on their property for safekeeping until the delivery date. Paul was the one who approached them with the offer nearly two decades ago and served as the contact with the buyer.

All for money. The Rogerses were always in trouble financially, it seemed. Which was also the reason Laney Rogers had murdered Charly’s mom and dad. Sheriff Malone said she had confessed at four-thirty this morning.

Charly’s parents had been talking about creating a retreat when he retired. Laney and her husband had started theirs two decades earlier and were struggling. Laney was convinced that she wouldn’t be able to survive the competition. So she literally killed the competition.

Except Charly had done exactly what her parents had dreamed of and Laney had been far too afraid to risk going after her. Getting away with murder once was one thing. She hadn’t dared attempt it twice—particularly with victims from the same family.

Charly drew in a deep breath and sipped her tea. So now she knew. She didn’t feel any better, but she didn’t have to keep looking back, which was a good thing.

Billie had called her at seven this morning, but she hadn’t heard the call. She’d been in a deep coma, apparently. He’d said his parents and Martin’s were on the way and he would be staying at the hospital. Briana would be released later today but Martin would be staying in the hospital for another day or so. Since the buyer had decided he didn’t want Martin, he’d been ignored and suffered from serious dehydration.

Charly was so happy for Billie and the families.

Jen was coming home next weekend. She and Charly would have some time to absorb and analyze all this new information. To get right with it, so to speak. They planned to spend a private moment at their parents’ graves.