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Darren motioned toward the kitchen table that had three chairs and two highchairs tucked around it. “What did you find out?”
“Your equipment building burned,” the sheriff informed.
Darren smacked the table with his flat palm. “What the hell?”
“It burned to the ground before the law or volunteer firefighters could save anything,” the sheriff continued.
“I thought they were already there collecting evidence,” Reese said.
The sheriff shook his head. “My mistake.”
“I’m guessing that means any evidence or DNA went up in flames, as well,” Reese stated. It was brilliant when she really thought about it. There would be no trace left behind of the person or persons who’d abducted her, leaving the trail cold unless her vehicle or a witnessed showed up.
“Afraid so,” the sheriff said.
“And the call that you mentioned?” Darren asked. “Was it possible that was made to draw you away from the scene of the crime?”
“It’s looking that way,” the sheriff said, shaking his head. “We can’t trace the call back to a name.” His fisted hand smacked the table. “Which means we’ll put even more resources on this thing to find out who did this to you.” His gaze shifted to Reese. “Mark my words, the perp will be behind bars soon.”
“I appreciate it, Sheriff,” she said. This area most likely didn’t see the kind of crimes common in a big city like Dallas. Another reason to get home as soon as possible. Dallas PD would be more equipped to handle criminals in her opinion. She would point that out but figured it wouldn’t make her popular with the sheriff. Since she needed him to be on her side, she decided not to comment on his inefficiency. “Was anything recovered in the area? Like my cell phones or handbag?”
He shook his head.
“We have Reese’s clothing,” Darren offered. He retrieved the paper bag and handed it over to the sheriff.
It didn’t mean the other items were lost forever, considering she had no idea when she’d last had them on her person.
“We’ll run these through forensics to see if we pick up any fibers,” the sheriff said, then put up a hand like he was stopping traffic. “Before you get any ideas, I send these off to be analyzed and it’ll take time for anything to come back. The real world isn’t anything like what you see on those TV shows, where someone makes a call or pulls a favor. Investigations take time and I plan to be thorough.”
“What about my car?” she continued, picking up the thread after nodding.
“There hasn’t been an abandoned vehicle found,” he admitted. “I’ll need the make and model so we know exactly what we’re looking for.”
“I drive a teal Lexus,” she said. “It’s the smallest sport utility.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Darren stiffen. She wanted to point out that she hadn’t used a dime of family money for the purchase and it was already three years old by the time she bought it. Her body tensed as a reaction to him.
Reese reminded herself to breathe.
“NX 200t?” the sheriff asked.
“Yes, sir,” she responded with a little more vigor than was probably necessary.
He paused long enough to shoot off a text. Then, he held up his phone. “Word is spreading as we speak. If your vehicle is in the area, we’ll find it.”
If she had her cell, she could put in a call to her landlord and find out if it was parked in her spot by some strange circumstance. No one in her building seemed eager to get to know one another, so it wasn’t like she had any friends or could call one of her neighbors to check for her.
The thought stopped her in her tracks. How long had she been a resident? Four years now? And she didn’t know anyone she could call? The thought made city living sound far less appealing when she thought about it like that. Then again, with the last name Hayes in a town like Cider Creek, small communities could be suffocating.
DARRENLEANEDACROSSthe table and folded his hands. Not only had a crime occurred on his property, but he’d also been hit with a fire. It was too late to put up surveillance equipment. He was cursing himself for not thinking of it sooner. No one in their right mind would return to the scene of a crime when deputies and the sheriff were sure to be there.
Then again, this bastard had drawn law enforcement away. Poachers came here for white-tailed deer, desertbighorn sheep and the like. The illegal hunters were smart and they would think to cover their tracks. If they worked this area enough, they would know what kind of law enforcement they were working with as well. Were they too easy of an answer, though?
They could have scared Reese away without going through the motions of tying up her hands and feet. As a counterpoint, they wouldn’t appreciate having a witness running around who could describe them or offer information on their whereabouts. She might have popped off at the mouth, or one of them might have recognized her as a Hayes and decided to try to cash in. He was just running through random ideas here, hoping something sounded right. A few things didn’t add up. Like why would she have been on his property in the first place. She wouldn’t be there for the fun of it.
“Has any member of the Hayes family been in contact with your office?” he asked the sheriff.
Sheriff Courtright’s eyebrows shot up. It didn’t take but a few seconds for him to figure out the implication Darren was making.
“As in reporting a ransom demand?” the sheriff asked.
