AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gennessey’s incredulous gaze snapped up to look at Cole. “You want us to canvas the town? I know it’s small, but it’s still going to take time we don’t have.”
“It would also be a waste of time. If she had been heading somewhere around here, we would have found out where by now. She went out of town. Where’s the most logical place she’d go?”
“Oh, shit.” Gennessey stood. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. BB, you’re with me. Owen, send us the make and model of the car that picked Autumn up at the hospital. I have an idea how we can find out where she went.”
∞∞∞
Gennessey parked the car on the street and exited without saying a word. BB was too curious not to follow her. She’d avoided his questions, not because what they were doing was a secret. It was because no explanation she gave would be enough to describe an encounter with Needham Crane.
As they walked up the gravel driveway, Gennessey looked at the scene before them the same way BB must have viewed it — a sparse but immaculate yard, an older home only large enough for one, maybe two, people, an unpainted, raw wood porch, a rickety Adirondack chair which barely looked sturdy enough to stand the weight of the man sitting in it.
The man was a sight himself. Dressed in overalls which were clean but worn, dusty brown boots, and a faded button-up shirt that was threadbare, Needham Crane was bald except for the white hair circling his head from ear to ear. His long face was tanned and wrinkled with bushy brows shadowing keen eyes. Other than knowing he served during the Korean War, Gennessey never guessed how old Mr. Needham was nor did she ever dare to ask. She always thought him to be ancient. Now, she considered him timeless. His bout of arthritis failed to keep him from being active, and he watched over his town like a hawk. He never talked about himself much, but he’d been an idol to her. She couldn’t believe it had taken her this long to come to him.
“You’re later than I expected.” His gruff voice grated on her ears like sandpaper. She didn’t realize how much she missed the sound until now.
“I’m off my game.” She stepped on the porch and leaned against the railing. BB stopped on the top step. “This is my friend, Brennan Beckett. We work together.”
BB lifted his chin to the man in greeting. “Sir.”
“You watching her six, son?”
BB nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“You’d better, or you’ll answer to me.”
Gennessey smiled and glanced over at BB, pleased to see the respect on his face as he watched Mr. Needham. “BB, this is Needham Crane, one of my favorite people here even if he is a little scary.”
“You’re still as disrespectful as ever,” Needham grumbled.
“I would never disrespect you, Mr. Needham. Other people, maybe. But not you.”
He regarded her with his steely stare, a grunt his only response to her teasing. Finally, he asked, “How’s Cohen?”
“Stable. Not quite out of the woods, but the doctors are optimistic.”
“Helluva thing. He’s a good kid. Talented. Got one of his paintings inside.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Really? Which one?”
“Doesn’t matter. What do you need? I know you’re not here just to shoot the shit.”
“Autumn’s missing. She left the hospital in an unknown vehicle. Her cell phone’s off. We think she’s in trouble. I need to know what you’ve seen.”
“Two black SUVs, but I’m guessing they’re with you.”
“Our team. They came to help us figure out who shot Cohen. We think it’s connected to Autumn somehow.”
“Safe bet. She has two phones.”
“How do you know?” BB asked.
Gennessey rolled her eyes at him. “Because Mr. Needham doesn’t miss anything. When did you see her with them?”
“Two days ago, outside the flower shop. She got a call from your cousin on one, then a call from somebody else on the other.”
“About what time was that?” BB asked.
“Fourteen thirty-seven.”
