Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Ellie hung up, grateful for at least an ID. “Deputy Landrum, get a photo of Minnie Benton for our murder board.”
“On it.”
The name brought the victim to life in Ellie’s mind as if she could see the young mother hugging and rocking Iris. Although she still had no idea of Iris’s age…
She took a deep breath. “The bruises are suspicious and definitely suggest someone may have been at the ridge with her.”
“She could have gotten the bruises earlier in the day, then that drove her to drink,” Sheriff Waters suggested.
“And there was the note?” Shondra added.
Ellie’s thoughts raced. “All true. But it creates enough questions for us to take a deeper dive into the situation.” She turned to the deputies.
“Deputy Landrum, search missing persons reports for Minnie Benton and a child named Iris Benton. We have to find her family before news reaches the public.”
The sheriff’s phone rang, and he checked the number then stepped from the room to answer it. He popped his head into the room a minute later. “Reports of an accident outside of town. A man and child. Could be the kidnapper on the run.”
Ellie’s pulse hammered. He had a point. “Was the child a little girl?”
The sheriff nodded. “Don’t know yet. I’ll follow up.”
Ellie’s stomach clenched. “Keep us posted.”
She pressed her hand over her chest to stem the panic. Until they knew the details, she had to follow protocol and everyone had to handle their assignments.
“I’ll look into Minnie and search for a birth certificate for Iris,” Ellie said.
She opened her laptop and searched for information on Minnie.
First, she checked the DMV databases. The address listed on her driver’s license was for a house in Chattanooga.
Next, Ellie searched records for her birth certificate to find her next of kin.
It took a few minutes, but she didn’t find one for a Minnie Benton, although there was a Minerva Benton born on the date listed on the driver’s license.
She could have used Minnie as her nickname.
Minerva’s birth parents were listed as Bertha and Claude Benton.
She ran a search looking for an address for them and found it.
Once she did, she dug into the family a little and learned Minnie was not an only child. She had an older sister named Beth Ann, so she also copied her address.
“Minnie’s parents live on Lookout Mountain,” Ellie said. “I’m going to pay them a visit and make the death notification. Perhaps they have Iris.” At least she hoped they did.
Shondra gave her a sympathetic smile. “Want company?”
“Thanks, but you can help here. I’ll call Cord and ask him to meet me.” It would be nice to have a man along to talk to the father while she handled the mother.
“Landrum, did you find anything on the missing persons reports?”
“No report for a child named Iris, although without knowing her age, it could take a while,” Landrum said.
The other possibility made Ellie’s stomach twist into a knot. All the more reason to call Cord and talk to the Bentons. She grabbed her phone and left the room, then held her breath as she pressed his number.