13
Evan asked Rowan to look up Tara Tilson’s number in his phone as he drove her and Thor back home. His astonishment at Zack’s announcement had waned, and now he was angry that he’d missed such an important detail.
Why did no one tell me about a boyfriend?
He’d struggled to hide his surprise in front of Zack, not wanting the boy to realize he’d been clueless. A few more questions revealed that Zack didn’t know Ian’s last name or what he did for work and didn’t know how long Sophia had been dating him.
Zack had stared at him as understanding dawned. “You haven’t talked to Ian?”
“No one told me about him.”
The boy had blinked several times, and horror filled his gaze. “Do you think he has Mom?”
“Nothing has made us suspect that, Zack. But I’d like to talk to him.” He didn’t want the boy’s imagination running wild.
When asked for a description, Zack had said, “He reminds me of Iron Man. Not that he’s a genius, but his eyes and his beard thing look like the actor’s. His hair’s a lot longer, though.”
Looks a bit like Robert Downey Jr.
That was all Evan had to go on.
He made a mental note to check in with the lab that was attempting to get into Sophia’s phone and laptop. He suspected she’d have pictures of a man who resembled the actor. No doubt her cell phone records would show calls to his number.
Could he be the burner phone she called on Friday?
Running down the list of people Evan and Noelle had interviewed, he realized none of them had been close enough to Sophia to know she was seeing someone. Except for one person: her business partner, Tara.
“Why hasn’t this Ian contacted us?” Evan muttered for the third time. “His girlfriend is missing.”
“It makes him look guilty, doesn’t it?” said Rowan. “Although it’s only been thirty-six hours. Maybe they don’t talk that often.”
Is Ian our suspect?
“I’ve got Tara’s number. You ready?” Rowan asked.
“Yes, put her on speaker.”
Tara answered on the second ring.
“Tara, it’s Evan Bolton. I have a quick follow-up question.”
“Whatever you need, Detective.”
“Why didn’t you tell me Sophia was dating someone?”
Silence filled the line.
“I didn’t know she was,” Tara finally said. “Are you sure?”
“Her son says she was dating a man named Ian. Has a goatee. Sound familiar?”
“No. Not at all. Could Zack be mistaken?”
Evan didn’t think so. “Sophia would have told you if she was seeing someone, right? You two talk about that stuff?”
“Only to an extent,” said Tara. “In the past, she didn’t tell me about anyone until she believed it could go somewhere. I got the impression she’d dated a few guys, but it didn’t last beyond a second date or so.”
“She took Ian to dinner at her father’s.”
“Oh. That sounds like they were serious, doesn’t it?” Tara sounded a little wounded that Sophia hadn’t confided in her.
“Could she have met him at the shop? Maybe he’s a client.”
“I’ll check names of our customers,” said Tara. “And ask employees if Sophia told one of them that she was dating. I’m at the store, so I can get right on this.”
Evan thanked her and ended the call. He pulled into their driveway a minute later to drop off Rowan and kissed her goodbye.
Rowan sighed. “I’d ask when you’ll be home, but—”
“I have no idea.”
“Exactly.” She kissed him again, and her brown gaze held his. “It’s okay. I want you to find her as much as you do.” She hopped out of the SUV and let Thor out of the back seat. “And eat something. You haven’t had lunch.”
Evan looked at the time. “Shit. I’ll grab something on my way in.” He shifted into reverse and headed back to work.
Twenty minutes later, a bagel sandwich in his stomach and a large coffee in hand, he entered the conference room. It was quiet. It felt as if no one were paying attention to the case, but he knew Noelle, Maxine, and Detective Shults were all on the job. No one would have a day off until every lead had been exhausted.
Tara had called back and said none of the employees had known Sophia was seeing someone, and Tara knew the only Ian in their database; he was in his seventies and married. Dead end. Evan set down his coffee, looked up a phone number, and called the other person who had been at dinner with Rod and Sophia.
Dean O’Brien had been a patrol lieutenant when he retired from Deschutes County a year before Rod McLeod did. A longtime member of Rod’s circle of friends, O’Brien had never been Evan’s favorite person. He seemed like a decent guy, but he always laughed a little too loud, drank a little too much, and told too many bullshit stories—like the one he’d told Zack about his missing fingers. Evan had always brushed aside his dislike of the man since the guy had lost some fingers and was a good cop.
Evan’s call went to voicemail. “O’Brien, it’s Evan Bolton. Call me back as soon as you can.”
His phone rang within thirty seconds. He’d suspected correctly that O’Brien wouldn’t answer a call from a number he didn’t recognize.
“Evan!” O’Brien said. “Is this about Rod and Sophia?”
“It is.”
“I almost called you yesterday to check in, but I didn’t have anything important to tell you. I knew you had enough on your plate, and you’d get to me when you were ready.”
“I appreciate that,” said Evan. “It’s been crazy. When did you last talk to Rod or Sophia?”
“Both of them at dinner last Sunday at his place,” O’Brien replied promptly.
“Tell me about Ian, the guy Sophia brought.”
O’Brien paused for a long second. “The new guy. I knew she hadn’t introduced anyone to her father in a long time, so I figured she liked this one. Seemed all right. Rod was polite, but I don’t think he was very impressed. I left before they did, so I didn’t get to hear Rod’s opinion.”
“Did you get a last name?”
O’Brien sucked in a breath. “Wait. You don’t know who he is ?”
Evan grimaced, stung by the highlight of the gaping hole in his investigation. “No. I didn’t even know she was dating until Zack said something today. Sophia’s business partner, Tara, didn’t know either. What can you tell me about him?”
“That means he hasn’t contacted you about her disappearance. Shit. I don’t remember a last name,” O’Brien said slowly. “Not even certain it was spoken. He did tell me he was an accountant for some place. When I said I wasn’t familiar with the company, he told me they’re based in Boston. He had a subtle Boston accent but said he moved here a few years ago and works remotely. We mainly talked about skiing, which was one of the reasons he moved here.”
“Nothing else to help me track him down?” Evan didn’t like it. “Any chance he mentioned he was going out of town? Maybe a work trip to Boston?”
“I’m thinking. Hang on. Memory turns to shit as you age. Your turn will come.”
Evan checked his email while O’Brien thought and spotted a message from the public information officer, asking Evan to approve a press release. He opened it and Sophia stared back at him. It was a good photo. The press release stated she was missing and also included photos of vehicles like hers and her father’s, asking the public to notify the sheriff’s department if they were spotted. There was no mention of Rod’s murder or the horrific scene in Sophia’s home. Evan scanned the copy, didn’t see any errors, and sent his approval. It would be posted on the department’s social media and sent to all local news outlets.
“Sorry, Evan,” said O’Brien. “I can’t think of anything he said that was helpful. Seemed like a good enough guy. Can’t say I saw any sparks between him and Sophia, though. You know how it is when a relationship is new and you’re always smiling at each other? These two acted more like acquaintances, not boyfriend-girlfriend.”
“But you were told they were?”
“Well ... I guess I jumped to conclusions there. Don’t know why else she would have brought him to dinner if they weren’t involved. He got along real well with Zack. But damn ... you know as well as I do that you need to quickly rule out the boyfriend.”
“Need to figure out who the fuck he is first.” Frustrated, Evan changed gears. “Did Rod have issues with anyone recently?”
“I would have called you immediately if I knew the answer to that, Evan. Haven’t heard him grouch about anyone for a while. He was in a good mood Sunday. Relaxed. But didn’t mention plans he had coming up for the week, so I don’t know what he’s been up to recently.”
Evan pressed his lips together, debating whether he should mention Rod’s private files.
Might as well.
“Have you ever been in Rod’s office upstairs?”
“Yeah. Looks exactly like his desk setup at work, doesn’t it? I gave him crap about it.”
“I noticed that too. Did you know that Rod kept some photocopies of old cases?”
Two seconds of quiet filled the call. “No ... I’ve never seen any, and he never talked about them. That definitely crosses a professional line, but I’ve heard of other detectives doing that when they retire. They can’t let go of an unsolved case.”
“These were all solved cases.”
Silence.
“Huh. Maybe he kept them as mementos? Work he was proud of?” Uncertainty filled his tone.
“He wasn’t involved in all of them.”
“How many cases are we talking about?”
Evan hesitated. He’d already revealed more about the evidence than he should. “A lot.”
“Weird. I don’t know what to make of that.” O’Brien sounded as confused as Evan felt.
“Me neither.” Evan was not going to tell him that some case files were missing. Disappointment rushed through him. He’d hoped O’Brien had an explanation for Rod’s collection. “Who else should I talk to? You knew him best, and honestly, I hadn’t seen him much for the last year or so. We’d text a few times a month.”
“You know Rod thought of you like a son.” O’Brien sounded hesitant, clearly uncomfortable speaking about feelings. “And don’t feel guilty that you didn’t stay in constant contact. The phone works both ways, you know. Anyway, he told me several times that he was proud of you, but I think he took more credit than he should for your skills as a detective.” O’Brien snorted.
A lump formed in Evan’s throat. “He was the best.”
“He always hoped you and Sophia would give it another go.”
Evan smiled. “Yeah, he told me that a few dozen times. Neither of us were on board.”
“Oh! Wait a second.” Excitement filled the line. “That asshole ex of Sophia’s. Rod said he was getting out of prison early. He never trusted that guy.”
“No one did,” said Evan. “And with good reason, but I’ve already talked to Charlie Graham. He’s got a pretty good alibi that we’re checking out.” He’d sent Detective Shults to Graham’s group home to examine video of his comings and goings.
“Rod was watching him after he got out. Said he wanted to know if the guy ever came within a hundred yards of Sophia.”
“Are you saying that Rod had Graham followed?”
This is new.
“He was doing it himself. Of course he couldn’t do it twenty-four seven, but he put some substantial time into it. I know he followed Graham to some bars and restaurants. Watched him go out with a woman a few times. Rod didn’t like that and tried to stick close in case Graham got violent with her. He said it only lasted three dates.”
“Sounds like Rod was keeping busy.” Evan didn’t like it. The actions were creepy and obsessive.
Look at his filing system. He had obsessive quirks.
“I told him to knock it off. If Graham ever spotted him, who knows what the guy would do.”
“When was Rod doing this?”
“Let’s see. I think he did it for about two weeks but stopped right around St. Patrick’s Day. I had a bunch of guys getting together to celebrate, and Rod was going to pass it up so that he could tail the asshole. That’s when I confronted him about it. I laid into him about being out of line and acting like a freak.”
“Are you sure he stopped?” St. Patrick’s Day was about a month ago.
“He told me he did, and he showed up at my party. Shit. Think he kept following Graham?”
“Don’t know. But he was a stubborn man. You know how he was when he was focused on something.”
“It’s what made him a good cop. He called you stubborn too.”
One side of Evan’s mouth lifted. “A few people have told me that.” He always took it as a compliment. “Anything else you can tell me?”
“I’ve been racking my brain since I heard. Sophia’s ex is all I’ve got, and I forgot about that guy until just a minute ago. You’ll keep me informed, right?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Evan said, understanding the man’s need for information but not planning to share additional elements of the investigation. Clearly O’Brien was still connected to law enforcement gossip. Anything Evan told him could spread and grow contorted as it traveled along the grapevine.
Evan ended the call and stared at one of the whiteboards in the conference room. Charlie Graham’s name was prominent. He’d been treated for his gunshot wound and released from the hospital the same day.
Rod followed him.
Did he get too close?
Graham warranted another look. He checked the time. Lori Shults would still be at Graham’s halfway house, and he knew she’d call immediately if she found something. He tried to focus on the work in front of him, but his mind kept wandering to one thing: Rod’s autopsy was in a few hours.
This will be my toughest viewing ever.