Ozarks Missing Person, page 7
At the man’s flat statement, Grace took another step toward Matthew, placing herself directly between the two men in their line of vision. “We appreciate your candor. Ms. Murray is Mr. Murray’s only living family member, and I’m hoping to get some answers for him. She was scheduled to work Friday night, but we’re not sure where she went from there. Do you have any idea?”
“She was scheduled, but she didn’t stay long,” the other man complained. “Ditched out for a party.”
“Her car isn’t in the parking lot,” Matthew observed. “I guess she drove herself to wherever the party was?”
“I guess she did,” Steve said, his expression stony.
“Any idea who might have been having this party?” Grace asked.
“The Powers kid,” Steve said dismissively. “Cocky little jerk.”
Grace wanted to laugh at the notion of a man she towered over by a head referring to anyone as “little,” but beside her Matthew stiffened.
Pulling her notepad and pen from her bag, she flipped to a random page and scribbled the name. “Powers, you say?”
“Yeah. The young one, not his daddy,” Steve clarified. “Never thought anyone would be more of a pain in the rear end than his daddy, but there you go. The rod was most definitely spared on the kid.”
“Trey?” Matthew asked, his question barely more than a whisper. He cleared his throat. “You mean Trey Powers?”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s the one. Family has that crazy old castle over on Table Rock.” His lips tightened and he shook his head. “He said something about havin’ a crawfish boil that night, and she took off like a dog after a duck.”
“A crawfish boil?”
“No doubt it was a catered affair,” he added with a derisive snort. “Kid wouldn’t know how to light his butt on fire if someone handed him a match.”
The day drinker at the end of the bar barked a laugh, and Grace turned her attention to him. “You know him? This Trey Powers?” She felt Matthew go rigid again when she spoke the name, but he didn’t say anything.
“You talkin’ to me?” the guy at the end of the bar asked.
“I might be,” she countered. “Do you know Trey Powers?”
“Everyone around here does,” he replied, gesturing to the entire bar with his beer bottle.
The couple who’d been eating abruptly scraped their chairs back, dropped a twenty onto the table and rose to leave. “Thank you! Great as always,” the older man called, raising a hand in farewell as he ushered his wife to the door.
Grace split a puzzled glance between Steve, his departing customers and the lawyer who’d turned into a statue beside her. “I’m sorry, how does everyone know the, uh, Powers boy?”
“You’re definitely not from around here,” Steve replied.
“I’m acquainted with who they are,” Matthew said quietly. “You’re sure she was going with him?”
“That boy and your sister have been carrying on as long as Mallory’s worked here. He comes around, and she goes chasin’ right after him. And that’s exactly what happened Friday night.” Steve tossed his towel aside in disgust. “Well, I’m done with it. When she turns up again, she doesn’t need to bother coming around here wanting her job back.”
Grace opened her mouth to ask more questions but stopped when she felt a hand clamp around her elbow. Glancing over at Matthew in bewilderment, she saw only his furrowed brow and the firm, forbidding line of his mouth.
“Thanks for speaking with us,” he said, preemptively bringing her interview to a close. “If I see Mallory before you do, I’ll be sure to pass the message along.”
Grace wanted to protest, but he gave her elbow another hard squeeze. She met his eyes and found him staring back at her with eyes wide with a plea for understanding. “Let’s head out, shall we, Agent Reed?”
She got the hint. He obviously knew something he didn’t want to say in front of the bar owner. Pulling out a card, she slid it across the bar. “I’d appreciate a call if you hear from her.”
“Yeah, sure,” Steve replied.
But Grace caught sight of him chucking the card beneath the bar as Matthew all but pulled her to the tinted glass doors.
The sunlight was blinding. They stood outside the door, blinking but not speaking. At last, Matthew started to move toward her car, and she gathered her wits again.
“What was that? Who are these Powers people? How can you be so sure Steve didn’t have anything more to say? I had more questions,” she said, lengthening her stride to match his.
Matthew stopped beside her SUV and drew a deep breath. “I’m giving us a chance to fall back and regroup. Trust me on this.”
“Right, but—”
“Steve wasn’t going to say anything helpful. The minute Mallory walked out his door, he was done with her.”
“I guess we need to talk to this Trey Powers person, then,” Grace persisted. “Where can we find him?”
Matthew’s grim expression returned. “It’s not as easy as you think.” He nodded to the driver’s side. “Let’s go. I’ll explain on the way back to town.”
Grace frowned but acquiesced. She’d be a fool to discount his input. Still, the pieces weren’t all fitting together for her. Opening her car door, she paused to look at Matthew.
“Should we head back to Bentonville now?” she asked across the roof of the vehicle. “Didn’t Steve say they had a house on Table Rock Lake?” She hooked a thumb in the opposite direction.
“They do,” Matthew confirmed. “But they don’t actually live there,” he added, a derisive smirk twisting his lips. “It’s their lake house. The Powers family, and all that comes with them, you’ll find in Bentonville.”
Chapter Six
Matthew was quiet for the first few minutes of their ride back to Bentonville. Grace had to be champing at the bit to ask questions, but she remained silent as well. He appreciated her circumspection. If Mallory had taken off with Trey Powers, there would be a lot of knots to untangle.
At last, Grace cracked. “Who are these Powers people?”
“You had to have heard of some of them,” Matthew insisted. “Senator William Powers?”
“This Trey guy is Senator Powers’s son? I didn’t think the senator had grown kids. Didn’t he run on being the voice for the next generation of Arkansans? His kids are teenagers.”
Matthew shook his head. “Not son, nephew.” He turned to watch the passing scenery for a moment. “And yes, Senator Powers has a son from his first marriage, but he is the younger son. Tyrone Powers is the elder, and Trey’s father. The family owns a law firm in Bentonville. Powers, Powers & Walton. Perhaps the other surname rings a bell?”
“Part of the Walton family?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
Matthew shrugged. “An offshoot. Close enough to be connected, but not close enough to be counting bags of money.”
“You’re saying these people have a lot of money and—” She halted, seeming to struggle to find an alternative to the obvious word.
“Power,” Matthew provided with a wry smile. “There’s no better word for it. The last couple of generations have certainly lived up to their name.”
“And Trey is how old?” she asked, glancing over at him.
He shrugged again. “A couple of years younger than me, maybe?” Matthew drummed his fingers on the armrest. “He’s an attorney as well, but the Powers attorneys don’t bother with schools like the U of A. I think he went to Harvard. Or Yale. One of the Ivy League schools.”
“Fancy,” she said dryly.
“Powers, Powers & Walton is what we would consider a white-shoe law firm in this area.”
“What does that mean?”
“They don’t like to get dirty. They make money by protecting other people with money. Most of their cases are business related. Lawsuits, contracts, mergers and acquisitions...but every once in a while, somebody’s kid gets in trouble and PP&W is there to step in.”
“As defense attorneys?”
He nodded.
“I assume they’re good ones.”
“The best money can buy.” Matthew turned to look at her. “I haven’t come up against any of them in court, but people in our office have.”
“Doesn’t sound like confronting this Trey guy is something you’re looking forward to doing.”
Matthew didn’t detect any judgment in her observation. “Honestly, no. There’s a lot of truth in the old adage about people having the best defense money can buy.”
Her mouth thinned into a disapproving line, but she nodded. “You won’t get any debate on the inequities of our justice system from me.”
“You see firsthand how those who don’t have money suffer at the hands of our system.” He fell silent for a moment. “Firms like PP&W always find a way to stack the odds in their favor. I like taking on cases I have a chance to win.”
“Don’t you think taking only the cases you can win is a bit ignoble?”
Her disdain came through loud and clear. “I never claimed to be noble, Agent Reed. I’m an ambitious man. I have my eye on a political career. Not only do I need to build up my résumé as a prosecutor, but I also have to be careful about who I cross. So, no, I don’t want to cross swords with the Powers family.”
He looked away. He didn’t want to watch her expression harden. But when she spoke, her words were gentle and understanding. “I get you. Everybody has ambitions. I’ve spent most of my career defending mine. I’d be a hypocrite to attack you for yours.”
“I’m not a fan of knocking on Trey Powers’s door. I will if I have to in order to help this investigation...and my sister,” Matthew said, turning to look at her. “I’m only saying I might need to tread carefully. Hell, the judge I appeared in front of yesterday used to be the Walton in Powers, Powers & Walton. He is not my biggest fan.”
“Oh?” She graced him with a smirky smile. “Contempt of court?”
“Dented his bumper,” Matthew corrected.
She gasped. “Oh...my... God. I’d rather pay the contempt fine.”
“I’m in judicial jail, I promise you,” he said, returning her smile.
“Have you won anything in his courtroom since?”
“Of course I have,” he said with a laugh. “The system is flawed, but it does work. At least, to a certain extent.”
“Okay, well, don’t worry, Counselor. I will handle talking to Trey Powers. No need for you to get involved.”
“It won’t be easy getting to him.”
“I guess I’d better start my charm offensive now.” He watched in a mix of amusement and horror as she initiated voice command on her phone and asked the automated assistant to call Powers, Powers & Walton in Bentonville, Arkansas.
He waited, eyebrows raised. Special Agent Grace Reed was proving to be as fearless as she was dogged. A quality that made an already attractive woman even more enticing.
A perky young receptionist answered the call. “Powers, Powers & Walton,” she chirped.
“Yes, this is Special Agent Grace Reed of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division. I need to speak to Trey Powers, please. Is he in?”
Matthew liked that she added the please, even though her statement wasn’t remotely a request. She might be determined, but she wasn’t a steamroller.
“I, uh,” the young woman stammered. “Yes, ma’am.” She paused, possibly realizing her tactical error. To her credit, attempted to raise the drawbridge again. “I can check. May I tell him what this is in reference to?”
“I’m afraid I can’t say,” Grace replied coolly.
There was another pause, then a curt, “One moment, please.”
Matthew smirked. “Man, you’re good,” he murmured as the sound of classical piano trickled through the car’s speakers.
“It’s all in the delivery,” she said, a smirk twitching her lips.
The two of them sat in tense silence while the piano concerto continued. Matthew would have bet money the next voice they heard was the receptionist returning to the line to tell them Trey was unavailable to take their call.
He would have lost.
Seconds later, a young male answered the phone with a mildly amused chuckle. “This is Trey Powers. May I help you?”
“Yes.” Grace’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, and she sat up straighter in the driver seat. “Mr. Powers, this is Special Agent Grace Reed from the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division.”
“So I heard,” Trey drawled, but Matthew caught the thread of annoyance that ran through each word. “What can I do for you, Miss Reed?”
Matthew swung his head to see Grace’s eyes narrow, but she kept them fixed on the road ahead of them. “Agent Reed,” she corrected evenly. “I’d like to set up an appointment to come in and speak to you in person, Mr. Powers.”
“Concerning?”
“A young woman named Mallory Murray. I’m told the two of you are acquainted.”
“Mallory Murray...” Powers repeated. “Oh, yes, Mallory. She works at Stubby’s out on the highway, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, sir,” Grace said briskly. “Can you tell me when you last saw Ms. Murray?”
“Last saw her?” Powers asked, nonplussed. Matthew bristled at the stalling tactic. “It’s been a while...”
“I’m told she left her shift at the bar to attend a party at your house last Friday evening.”
“Was it last Friday? I guess so.” He gave another one of those mirthless chuckles. “Sorry, it’s been a long week already.”
“And she was in good health when last you saw her?” Grace persisted.
There was no pause on the other end. “Absolutely. She was fine. Good health and good spirits. Beautiful as always.”
“Did Miss Murray drive herself to the party at your house?” Grace asked.
“The party was not at my house here in town. It was at my family’s lake house,” Trey corrected, perceptibly haughtier than he’d been a few minutes ago. “And I assume she drove herself there.”
“She didn’t ride with you?” Grace pushed.
“Ride with me? No.” The last word came out on a scoff. Matthew curled his fingers into loose fists. He wanted to introduce this cocky jerk to one of them. “No one rode with me.”
“But you did invite her to come to the party at the lake house.” It was a statement, not a question, but Grace’s statement made it clear she expected a reply.
“I invited a number of people. It was a party. A crawfish boil. I was having it catered, so I knew there would be more than enough food,” he said dismissively.
“Did you speak to Miss Murray at the party?” Grace carried on.
“Yes, we spoke,” Trey answered, his words chosen with more care and spoken with deliberate measure.
Matthew sensed Grace was about to attempt to establish a more intimate connection. Trey must have felt the shift, too, because he covered the phone and spoke a few muffled words.
A second later, he said, “I’m sorry, I have a client waiting. I hope this has helped you with whatever you’re investigating Mallory for, Agent Reed, but I’m afraid I have to go.”
Grace didn’t bother correcting his assumptions about why she was asking about Mallory, and Matthew had to admire her restraint. Agent Reed played her cards close. Nothing was given away for free. They’d confirmed a connection between his sister and Trey Powers. It would need to be enough for now.
“Thank you for speaking with me. Would it be okay if I call with any follow-up questions?” Grace asked politely.
“I’m always available to members of our law enforcement community,” Trey replied, notably stiffer than he had been when the call started. “Goodbye. Good luck catching her.”
A beep sounded through the speakers to signal the call had disconnected.
The hum of tires on hot tarmac filled the silence. Matthew bit his tongue, unwilling to be the one who broke peaceful contemplation. He wanted Grace’s take on Trey, and for her opinions to be as untainted by his own as possible.
“Well, I guess I can say he was every bit as entitled as I expected,” she commented mildly.
A snort escaped him. “Not more?”
“Well, he goes by the name Trey,” she said, emphasizing the nickname by drawing the single syllable into multiples. “My expectations were pretty high.”
“The Powers family is formidable,” Matthew returned flatly. “You can try to talk to him again, but I’m fairly certain we just finished the last unguarded conversation you’ll have with him.”
Grace nodded. “I don’t disagree with you.”
“Where do we go from here?” Matthew asked.
“I might do some poking around online,” Grace said offhandedly. “Try to get a bead on who some of the other guests were at this party. Maybe they’ll have something more for us to go on. I’m not exactly sure if Mr. Powers is hedging or if he didn’t pay much attention to your sister at the party.”
Matthew shrugged. “Sounds like it could have gone either way. He didn’t seem overly concerned about her or why anyone was asking about her.”
Grace nodded. “He assumed she was in trouble. Usually when I start asking questions about someone, the first thing people ask is if they’re okay. Then they start to wonder what the person I’m asking about has done wrong.”
Matthew turned to gaze out the window. A sign noting the mileage back to Bentonville flew past. “I’m starting to worry,” he admitted grimly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her glance over at him in surprise. “Only starting?”
He sighed. “I guess I was hoping she’d taken off with some guy. Finally landed the big fish she’d been hoping to catch.”
“But you don’t think she has?”
Matthew unfurled his fingers and rubbed his damp palms against his thighs. “There would have been no bigger fish at that party than Trey Powers. It was his party, and he strikes me as the type who likes to be the center of attention.” He closed his eyes and allowed the droning hum of tires on pavement to fill his mind for a blessed minute. “No, Mallory would not have left the party with anyone but Trey.”
