Hunted, page 18
“So you think the gaslighting is a red herring?” Ethan asked.
She nodded. “I do. And I think that whatever is going on, they’re trying to make Cullen stand out as the boy who cried wolf, just like we discussed. If he sees enough ‘visitors’ but there’s no evidence to support his claims, no one will come running when something really does happen. His reputation in the community… well, it doesn’t exactly set him up to be taken seriously.”
“You know, Cullen’s place is isolated, quiet. There are a lot of big farms out there, not a lot of houses,” Sampson said.
Wyatt nodded. “I was thinking that.”
Stacy thumbed through her notebook. “Where exactly does he live? I can’t think of the name of the road.”
“Opossum Trot,” Beth said. “Why?”
She looked across the table, her face grim. “Because Chad Ormsby owns a house half a mile down the road from Cullen Jarvis’s farm.”
Chapter 32
Ethan was on his feet before he realized what he was doing, ready to sprint out the door to find the doctor and pound him into a pulp. Beth touched his hand and pulled him back to reality.
“Where’re you going?”
He tightened his mouth. “I—nowhere.” Glancing around, he sat back down. “Sorry.”
“Why is that significant?” Gordon asked.
Beth brushed her hair back off her cheek. “Remember how you asked me whether the stalking and the disappearances might be connected?”
“Sure.”
“Well, Ethan had an… encounter, I guess you could say, with Ruby Sloane. She’s a legal assistant with the public defender’s office here in town. It raised some questions, and during a discussion with Stacy on Sunday, we became aware of the fact that Ruby’s in a relationship with Chad Ormsby. He’s the jackass who approached us that day in the park. That felt like a bit of a coincidence, so we—rather, they—decided to explore that avenue.” She nodded at Ethan and Stacy.
“What happened during this encounter?” Gordon asked Ethan.
He shrugged, uncomfortable. “She asked me out, not for the first time. She’s been hitting on me for a couple of months now. When I told her I was seeing someone, she turned a little odd. Her reaction wasn’t normal. It set off alarm bells.”
“And when Beth told us that Jason had had problems with the woman where she basically stalked him, that was another red flag,” Stacy said.
Chase scowled and sat forward. “When was this?”
“About three years ago,” Wyatt answered. “He didn’t let many people know about it. He was embarrassed.”
“But you knew about it?” Chase said to Ethan.
“No. Not until Sunday and Beth mentioned it. He never said a word to me.”
Beth shrugged. “It’s harder for men to admit than for women, especially to other men. I happened to catch him on a bad day and wouldn’t let up until he told me what was going on. He swore me to secrecy, and there never was a reason to break that promise until now.”
Chase clearly wasn’t happy with the explanation for why he was out of the loop, but Ethan ignored his displeasure. He had other concerns at the moment.
“After speaking to Wyatt about our collective suspicions, I contacted Charlie Clark and had him start extensive backgrounds on Ormsby and Ruby. I’m expecting to hear back from him tomorrow sometime. We didn’t want to run those through the department in case Ruby has friends there who’d accidentally let something slip.” Ethan scrubbed his hand over his head. “With him living so close to Cullen, that makes me think the epicenter of whatever is going on, it’s right there. And that makes me think Beth is getting too close to things with her stories about the devil worshipping, which would be why they’re targeting her.”
“It’d be worth a drive out to Ormsby’s, I believe,” Gordon said. “Take a good look around and get the lay of the land. I’d advise unmarked vehicles, personal ones maybe. If all this fits together the way you think it does—and that sounds plausible—he’s being very careful. He’s liable to have a security system of some sort in place that monitors traffic.”
“If he’s that cautious, he’d notice any out-of-place vehicles,” Stacy said. “Beth, how often do you go see Cullen?”
She shook her head. “Not that often. But Poppy’s out there quite a bit.”
Wyatt turned to Sampson. “Think we could borrow your SUV?”
“No, but I’ll be happy to drive some of you out there. As isolated as Cullen is, not much happens around him that he isn’t aware of. I’d probably get a lot further talking to him about this Ormsby character than you all would, no offense.”
Wyatt conceded that with a nod. “We’ll set something up, maybe for tomorrow if we can.”
Stacy cleared her throat. “Before we get too far down that road, I have something we need to look at. It was brought to my attention this afternoon, and it’s the reason why I was late.” She pulled a large sealed evidence bag out of the tote she’d brought with her and laid it on the table before sliding it to Beth. “Take a look at this.”
When Beth lifted it, some of the contents of the trash bag contained within spilled out into the clear evidence bag. The blood drained from her face, and she sank back into her chair as she stared at the underwear. “Where did you get that? Those are mine. Where’d you find them?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Ethan picked up the evidence bag, studying it with a frown.
“Do you know Mick Helton?” Stacy asked.
Beth nodded, clearly stunned. “Of course. He works at the thrift store in the strip mall on the hill. Did he find them?”
Stacy grimaced. “Not exactly. He says you brought them to the store as a donation the day before your apartment was vandalized.”
“What?” Beth exclaimed. “That’s ridiculous! He’s lying.”
“He’s willing to lose his job over a lie, I’m afraid.” Stacy’s voice was quiet. “He took the bag from the store for his daughter, which is against company policy. He’s agreed to sign a statement that says you brought this in and dropped it off. I also have a witness who heard you bragging about how you’ve been leading everyone around by the nose, how you’ve planned this whole thing.”
Ethan’s curse was virulent, questioning everything from Mick’s parentage to his sexual habits. “You know that’s utter bullshit.”
Stacy calmly held up a hand. “Of course I do. Now ask me who the witness is.”
Wyatt complied. “Who?”
“Ruby Sloane. Apparently she and Mick go back a ways. She helped him out with a few things when his son got in trouble, and she’s an ‘advocate’ for him now. She called me, had me meet her and Mick in the parking lot at the library. She’s very concerned,” she said, her voice loaded with false sincerity, “about all of this. Department resources are being wasted, false police reports, et cetera.”
“You took the report though, right?” Wyatt asked.
“Oh, absolutely. I was very sympathetic to Ruby and Mick. I even asked if I could contact her again, seeing as how she’d been so helpful, once I’d spoken with my supervisor to make sure I had all the information I needed. She said she might have more for me by then and she’d do some digging on her end.”
Ethan looked at Beth, triumphant. “That gives us a reason to bring her in and question her. If we can pin her down, we might get lucky.”
“At the very least, you can get her on the record. From my recollections of the incident with Jason and what I know about Ruby, she thinks she’s smarter than everyone else. If we flatter her ego, we might trip her up,” Wyatt said.
“You’re exactly right,” Stacy confirmed. “She’s one of the most supercilious people I’ve ever had the ‘privilege’ to meet. With any luck, that’ll work heavily in our favor.”
“Good job, Detective.” Wyatt glanced around the table. “Is there anything more we need to cover?”
No one had anything else, so Wyatt looked at Beth.
She shrugged. “I guess that’s it. Thank you all again for coming. Please, though, do help yourselves to some of the leftover goodies—if you don’t, Poppy will take them home, and he’ll end up in a sugar coma.”
Sampson shook his finger at her. “You’re ruining my dinner plans, girl.”
Everyone laughed as they got to their feet. Despite his words, he urged them to the side table. As most of them gathered around the food, Beth stood, touching the edge of the bag that contained her underwear.
Ethan rubbed her back. “This is actually a good thing,” he said in a low voice.
She leaned into him, carefully slipping her arm around his waist so as to avoid his gun. “I know. It’s disturbing to see this here, that’s all. I know too much about people and their proclivities, and I have to wonder who all and where… anyhow. I can’t think of that. This isn’t all of it, you know,” she told Stacy. “I had probably three times as much stuff.”
Stacy was sympathetic as she stowed the bag in the tote. “I’m sorry to have to ask, but do you mind coming over to the department so we can go through this piece by piece? I’ll need to photograph it and document it.”
Beth grimaced. “Just say the word. I figured you’d need as much.”
Wyatt approached, a plate full of confections in hand. “You did a fine job putting this together, Beth. I appreciate that you didn’t run with this and let us read about it.”
“I’d never do that.”
The sheriff smiled. “I know. You’re Sampson’s granddaughter through and through. I still appreciate your discretion.” He forked up a bite of chocolate cake and pointed at Ethan and Stacy. “You kids should go eat. It’s probably going to be a late night for you two at least.”
“Hey, I’m not going to turn down dessert,” Stacy said.
Beth chuckled. “Me either. Let’s see if we can get some of that cake before Chase eats it all. Excuse me.”
Ethan stood beside Wyatt, watching Beth as they went. “She’s upset.”
“I can’t blame her.” Wyatt leaned against the table. “I don’t like this one bit. But… you two seem to be on better terms than you have been.” A smile played around his lips. “When’d that happen?”
Seeing that the man he thought of as a father figure didn’t disapprove eased some of Ethan’s tension. “Last week, I guess, though it’s been building for a while.”
“That’s a hell of an understatement, son. I thought some of us were going to have to round you two up in a locked room somewhere until you figured it out.” He grinned when Ethan scowled, then turned serious. “Why’s Chase angry with you?”
“I don’t know. He saw us out in the hall, and he seems to be taking our relationship personally.”
Chase was heading toward them, two plates in hand. “I’m supposed to give you this or suffer the consequences.” His tone was surly as he handed a heavily loaded plate to Ethan. “And she gave me explicit instructions not to shove it in your face.” He shot a glance back across the room at Beth, who made the two-finger “I’m watching you” gesture.
Wyatt cleared his throat. “I’m heading out. Ethan, you and Stacy come see me when you’re finished here.”
“Yes, sir.” Once Wyatt was gone, Ethan looked from the plate to Chase, then sighed and picked up the fork. “Spit it out.”
“She’s my sister. What the hell are you doing?” For all the angry intensity in his tone, his voice was low. “You can’t just have a fling with her and throw her away.”
“When have I ever done that sort of thing? Name me one woman I’ve been with and treated like that. You can’t.” Ethan scowled at him. “As for Beth, she’s… different. It isn’t a fling.”
Chase studied him. “I almost think you’re serious.”
Ethan looked him straight in the eye. “I am.”
After a minute, Chase shifted. “What about the drinking?”
A couple of weeks back, after the blowup at Beth’s apartment over Ethan’s ill-chosen words, Chase had confronted him, concerned about his alcohol intake. It had been an uncomfortable conversation for both of them.
“What do you want me to say?” Ethan set his plate aside, any appetite gone.
“That you’re handling it. That you’re talking to someone.” Chase put his plate down as well and sighed. “There’s no shame in getting help.”
Even as he intellectually agreed with Chase, Ethan resented the hell out of him for saying those words. “I’ll consider it, just like I told you the last time we talked about this.”
Chase narrowed his eyes. “You want my support with this thing with Beth? You’ll do a damned sight more than consider it. Until I see that you’re serious, I’ll be keeping a close eye on you. Don’t hurt my sister because you aren’t willing to take personal responsibility for a problem. She deserves better. For that matter, so do you. You know where to find me if you want to talk.” He tipped two fingers toward Ethan then walked away, joining Gordon and the women.
If there was anything Ethan hated, it was being lectured. Knowing he was going to say something he shouldn’t if he didn’t get out of there, he left. He made it halfway down the steps before Beth caught up with him.
“What’d he say?” She stopped one step above him, bringing them face-to-face.
Jaw clenched, he shook his head. “Nothing worth worrying about.” He forced himself to let go of his anger for the moment. “I have to go. Wyatt’s expecting me.”
She searched his eyes. “Are we okay?”
In answer, he kissed her. “I’m still planning on that burger and fries at the earliest possible moment we can manage it, blondie.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Detective.” She tilted her head. “Be safe out there.”
“I will. You do the same. If you see Ormsby or Ruby heading your way, don’t let them near you. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
Once he was in his cruiser, he sank down in the seat with a tired sigh and rubbed his eyes. He’d have killed for a shot of whiskey or two, and as he realized how desperately he wanted that, he cursed.
Chase was right. As much as Ethan hated to admit it, he had a big problem with alcohol. He wasn’t sure what in the hell to do about it or where to start. One thing was for certain though—his timing couldn’t have been worse.
“Get me through this investigation, and I’ll get help,” he swore as he started the engine. “Just let me get through this and make sure Beth is safe, and then I’ll deal with my own personal demons.”
He didn’t know where he’d find the strength, but surely to God, he’d come up with it somehow. Otherwise, Chase would do everything in his power to interfere with Ethan’s relationship with Beth, and the fallout from that would likely destroy them all.
Chapter 33
The motel room was in utter disarray thanks to the two sweaty people on the bed. They’d basically trashed it, Chad Ormsby thought, although he didn’t think they’d broken anything. The maid was certainly going to have her work cut out for her in the morning, however. He’d be sure to leave a big tip.
Ruby had been a wild woman tonight. She’d done things to him he’d never imagined, and given that he’d been with over a hundred women, that was really saying something.
“What has you so turned on?” he asked as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.
She gave a little growl and pounced on his back, biting his shoulder hard enough to leave a mark. “I set a trap today for Beth Hudson. I’m just waiting for it to spring closed now. When it does… the bitch is mine.”
Ormsby went still. “You what?”
“I called in a favor and slipped a noose around her neck. By the time she figures it out, it’ll be too late. Everybody in town will think she’s crazy just like we’d planned.” Oblivious to his darkening mood, she bounded off the bed and went into the bathroom.
Whirling around, he punched the bed hard, taking out his anger on the pillows and mattress. Otherwise, he’d pummel Ruby when she came back out.
“You know you aren’t supposed to do anything without talking to me first,” he said when she opened the door a couple of minutes later. He was breathing hard from the exertion, and he glared at her. “Tell me exactly what you did.”
Still naked, she strolled over to the mini fridge and pulled out a soft drink. “I had one of my guys ‘find’ her underwear, and he’s gonna sign a statement saying she brought it in. We discussed this, Chad. It’s part of the plan.”
Furious, he grabbed her arms hard enough to hurt, then slung her onto the bed. He followed her down, pinning her to the mattress with hands that were so tight he knew he’d leave bruises.
“I could strangle you,” he told her in a hiss.
Ruby moved against him, widening her legs to cradle his hips with hers. “Doesn’t feel like you want to strangle me.”
He covered her mouth with his as he rammed into her without warning, making her scream. He didn’t worry about hurting her—Ruby liked it hard and rough, and he’d done worse to her in the past. By the time he’d finished and rolled off of her, she was whimpering. She grabbed his balls, squeezing just hard enough to warn him, then let go and fell back on the bed with a moan.
“Maybe I should piss you off more often,” she said.
“I don’t think so. Don’t do it again.”
He stared at the ceiling, ignoring her as his mind raced through scenarios and options. She’d gone in too early, without the proper foundation in place. It wasn’t the first time she’d gone rogue, but this time, the stakes were higher than ever.
He hissed out a curse and glared at her as she sat up, her attention on the TV where the movie she’d brought—a homemade porn flick—was playing. Her using that underwear card this early had ruined everything. All his work was going to have to be scrapped. Beth Hudson was going to have to be dealt with, and so was Ruby.
