“What about the woman? What can you tell me about her?”
“Well, kinda pretty, long hair, like down past her shoulders, dark brown, a lot of makeup like those city girls wear. She had on this bluish colored, slinky tank top. I couldn’t see her legs so I don’t know if she had on jeans or whatever.”
Coop and Jimmy exchanged looks. It was her. It had to be.
“What time was this, Arlis?”
“I get off at ten and was finishing up, so a little before ten. That’s all I know, Sheriff. I’m sorry.”
Coop extended his hand. “You’ve been a big help, Arlis. Thanks for coming in.”
After promising to call if he remembered anything else, the kid left.
“Get out another teletype.” Coop’s voice rang with command. “There can’t be that many red Corvettes in this area. Add the part about the blue tank top.” He grabbed his hat from the wall. “I’m going out to Teddy’s and see if I can get anything else.”
An hour later, his euphoria faded. No one remembered seeing a woman matching her description on Sunday night. Ladies Night, and the place was packed with folks from every surrounding county, as well as truckers and interstate traffic. Just one more face in a sea of strangers. They did have security cameras on the parking lot but not the area where she parked. He secured the stuff from Sunday anyway, hoping they would produce something.
He stood beside his SUV and debated what to do next. Getting some much-needed sleep topped the list. He strolled around behind the tavern to the spot Arlis indicated he last saw her. Eyes on the ground, he cautiously scanned the area. A mixture of asphalt, gravel and concrete made up the parking lot which offered nil in the way of evidence. He widened the search, but after nearly an hour of looking, admitted there was nothing to be found.
Hands on his hips, he took one last look around, then headed back to his car. The sharp blare of his cell phone stopped him at the door.
“Delaney.”
“DPS may have found her car,” Jimmy’s voice vibrated with excitement.
“Where?”
“Oil road out past two-o-six, the one leading to the old abandoned oil well near the county line.”
“On my way. Tell Josh I want him on Day Dispatch for a while.” Night calls would go through central before routing to the deputy assigned after hours. Alice was the last person he wanted on those lines right now. “Either of ‘em don’t like it, they can see me.”
“Yes sir.”
Twenty minutes later, he stood talking with the highway patrolman who found the car. “It’s registered to a Lana Watkins from Dallas. Crime scene van on the way.”
“Anything inside?”
“No purse or anything personal. Not locked. No keys inside. There’s a lady’s jacket in the passenger seat. I looked around some, but didn’t find anything. Looks like she just parked here and left.”
By the time the crime scene guys hauled the car away, Coop had trouble keeping his eyes open. After a quick call to bring JD up to speed, he headed home.
Light thunder rumbled in the distance as he parked in the drive.
Jack ran from the corner of house and bounced around his feet, tail wagging so hard his whole body shook.
“Well, Big Fella,” he said as he rubbed the head thrust his way. “Glad to know I’m on your nice guy list.”
Man and dog made their way into the kitchen.
After a quick lap from his water bowl, Jack plopped down under the table, then flinched and whined when thunder rolled again.
The dog evidently didn’t care for storms.
Sam sat at the table, laptop open in front of her. “Hey.” Her tentative greeting was accompanied by a nervous shifting in her seat.
Their last meeting fresh on his mind, he tried to keep the mood light. “Please tell me there’s coffee.”
She nodded toward the pot on the counter. “No offense, but you look like death eating a cracker.”
He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, well, I feel worse.” He took a cautious sip of the caffeine rich drink and sighed. Unlike some people, coffee didn’t keep him awake. And given his current state of fatigue, he’d be lucky if he didn’t fall asleep standing up.
“Sit down before you fall,” she directed. “I’ll get your dinner.”
He considered arguing, but only a moment. He was so damn tired. Every movement took more effort than the previous one. As he passed her open laptop, he nearly dropped his cup.
The headline at the top of the page jumped out at him: Ghosts Are Real.
Sam moved about the kitchen, pulling the meal together, trying not to focus on the intimacy of the act. I’m a doctor. I’m concerned for his health. Nothing more.
The denial worked its way through her brain, but she was honest enough to admit she enjoyed it. Even if she didn’t trust him. Or herself around him. Or something.
“Where’s Eva?” Exhaustion made its way into his voice, dropping it an octave.
“Ladies Guild meeting.”
