The Voice’s pronouncement followed him to the car. Once behind the wheel, he vented his frustration. “These damn cryptic messages are driving me crazy! What do you want from me? And why the hell can’t you say more than a few words at a time?”
Silence answered him.
Ten minutes later, he pulled into the drive.
Sam swept the front porch while Jack lounged on the steps. “Hi there. Didn’t expect you home so soon.” Her smile of welcome quickly vanished. “What’s wrong? Not another body?”
“Where’s Eva?”
Her brows drew together in a tight frown. “The front parlor, working on the books.”
He headed for the door, and stopped. “Maybe you should come, too. I’m not sure how she’ll handle this.”
Color drained from her face. “Oh my God, Coop, what’s wrong?”
He held up the folder. “ID on the last victim. Might have been a guest here. One of those women Eva wanted to set me up with.”
Silent, they entered the parlor.
“Coop wh –” Eva stopped and looked from one to the other. “What’s wrong? Is it Jason?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” said Coop. “I need you to look at a photo and tell me if you recognize it.”
“…Okay.”
Coop pulled the picture from the file and passed it to her.
She gasped and put a hand to her throat. “Peggy Wallace. She was here last month. I remember because of the hair. And her personality…such a lost and lonely soul.” She looked at Coop, eyes filled with sadness. “She’s the other one, isn’t she?”
“I think so. I need anything you might remember about her; when she arrived, how long she stayed. All of it.”
Eva pulled a ledger from a desk drawer and thumbed through it. “Here it is. Told me this was her last week of freedom before school started again. She booked August third through the ninth, but, checked out a day early.”
“Did she say anything about people she met here?”
Eva’s cheeks turned a bright rosy-red as she glanced back and forth from him to Sam. “Only you. Which is my fault.” The older woman squirmed in her chair, obviously uncomfortable with the topic. “I had high hopes when I first spoke with her on the phone. After we met, though, I knew it would never work, so didn’t encourage her.”
Thrown off by the admission, he asked. “Why? I thought that was your number one priority.”
She closed the ledger and looked at him, blue eyes full of compassion. “I hate to speak ill of the dead, but,” she huffed out a breath. “Bless her heart, she was a hot mess, as they say today.”
“In what way?”
Her gnarled fingers slid over the ledger’s rough exterior, eyes downcast. “She seemed to be, um…I think the term is a party girl.” Faded blue eyes softened as she looked at him. “She said she just wanted a good time, but down deep, I think she was a terribly lonely woman. She had just broke up with a long-time boyfriend.” She glanced between them, cheeks coloring again. “The night you joined us for dessert meant a lot to her. She said you treated her like she mattered.” She paused in thought. “Let’s see…that was Thursday night. You left for Austin the next day for your sheriff’s meeting. She left on Saturday.”
“She didn’t say anything about where she went or who she saw?”
“No, not really. She mentioned sightseeing, shopping on the square, ate at Bub’s. She did go to Teddy’s on Friday night and was late getting home. Then late Saturday afternoon, she came down with her luggage. She said her plans changed, and she checked out.”
His pulse quickened. Teddy’s. The first victim went there, too. Was that the connection?
“Did she seem upset or anything?”
“No. In fact, she seemed quite happy, like the change in plans was a good thing.”
He gave her a light kiss on the cheek. “Thanks.” He stuffed the photo back in the file and took Sam’s hand. “No leaving the house alone until this is settled. Please. And Jack doesn’t count as company.”
Twin lines of worry appeared between her eyes, but her voice remained light. “Well, since you said please…oh wait. I’m supposed to meet with Doc and his attorney this afternoon at the clinic.”
“What time?”
“Four.”
“I’ll pick you up at three-thirty.”
“I hate to bother you. I can drive myself. Jack will be with me.”
“Sam –”
“You know how Jack is. He won’t let anyone near me.”
He hesitated, mulling over the long list of things he needed to do regarding the investigations. “Fine. Drive yourself, but call me when you leave here, and when you get there.”
“I will.”
“And call me when you’re done. I’ll follow you home.”
“Coop –”
