38
The drive with Cynthia back to the sheriff’s department was a tense one. As Rowan drove, Noelle continued to work her phone, relaying information to her investigative team as Cynthia gave it, trying to figure out where Sid would take his hostages. Cynthia would speak only when asked a question; she volunteered no extra information. She had texted her daughter to suggest she spend the night at her friend’s because she was going to the sheriff’s department.
She didn’t tell her daughter why, letting her assume she was going to work.
“Where’d the gun you planted at the scene come from?” asked Rowan, keeping her eyes on the road. It was dark, and she cringed as she thought about Evan and Zack spending another night under Sid’s thumb.
Assuming they’re still alive.
“JB stole it when he was a teenager,” said Cynthia in a flat voice. “It’d been customized for the original owner. Engraved and had a fancy grip. But since the owner had reported it stolen, I knew it would work as the husband’s gun. Stolen property ends up in weird places. And the husband Sid shot was dead.” She shrugged. “The victim wouldn’t be able to answer any questions about where he got it.”
Cold. Calculating. Where is the hysterical woman we saw in the kitchen?
Noelle focused on her phone.
“Anything?” Rowan asked the detective.
“No property listed under Dale or Sid Forbes. So they’re still searching for a likely place he would use to hide Evan and Zack.”
Not what I wanted to hear.
“Rod must have told Sid he had evidence the gun had been planted,” Rowan speculated. “Is that what Sid wanted from Sophia?” She glanced at Cynthia in the rearview mirror. The woman was staring out a side window into the dark. “Sid wanted the proof? In a file or on a thumb drive? But Sophia had no idea what Sid was talking about, did she?”
“She swore she knew nothing—” Cynthia stopped. Her face closed off; her tears had dried.
Rowan caught her breath. “You were there! You saw him torture Sophia! You probably saw what he did to Rod too!”
Noelle whirled around in her seat. “Is that true?” Cynthia stayed silent. “You’re in a lot deeper trouble than just moving evidence. You’re an accomplice. You were there. You knew what Sid was doing!”
“He threatened my daughter!” Cynthia shrieked. “Do you not understand what that means? Of course you don’t! Neither of you have kids. You have no understanding.” She shook her head and looked out the window again. “This guy is terrifying. It’s like he has no soul. All he cares about is wreaking havoc on people he thinks wronged him. His brain doesn’t work right.”
“Then you should have gone to the police,” stated Noelle. “Your brain clearly wasn’t working right either. It was focused on covering your ass.”
“And protecting my daughter!”
Noelle said nothing and returned to her texts.
“You honestly have no idea where Sid could have taken Zack and Evan?” Rowan asked, fully aware Cynthia had already answered.
“No. I’ve been trying to think of where he would go. But he essentially has nowhere. That’s why he ended up at our grandma’s.”
The inside of the vehicle was silent for a long moment.
“Sid said he made a mistake with Rod,” Cynthia said, breaking the silence.
“A mistake?” Rowan clenched the wheel. “His injuries sounded very deliberate.”
“He said he made a mistake in that the torture was over too soon. He admitted his temper got the best of him when he killed Rod. And he wouldn’t make that mistake again. I saw joy and anticipation when he spoke about getting revenge on Evan. He wanted to draw it out and make it hurt.” She met Rowan’s gaze in the mirror. “ Now do you understand what kind of man he is?”
Rowan pressed her lips together as a shiver shot up her spine.
“He knew about you, Rowan. He knew you and Evan had a happy relationship and a nice home. He’d seen articles about Evan, singing his praises for solving investigations. He wanted to tear him down . Destroy every happy and successful piece of his life.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” said Rowan. “Sid walked free. Rod and Evan essentially did nothing to him.”
Cynthia scoffed. “Not in Sid’s mind. Before he was cleared of any wrongdoing, he lost his job, he lost his girlfriend, and became deep in debt. He’d been tried and convicted in the media. No one would hire him after. Guess who he blamed for turning his life to shit?”
“Sid Forbes deserves all the blame,” said Noelle. “He shot an innocent man. That’s who’s to blame for turning his life to shit. Himself.”
“You’re preaching to the choir,” said Cynthia. “I’m just telling you how he thinks. Evan Bolton has everything Sid used to have, and he has assigned Evan full blame for losing it. It makes him furious. Destroying Evan had been in his sights for a while. He’ll want to draw it out, make it last.”
Rowan tried to focus on driving, but her stomach churned with acid and her hands had turned to ice.
So much hate. And Evan had no idea.
“Wait!” Rowan accidentally jerked the wheel, then straightened the SUV. “He’s behind the shit going on at Evan’s job! He altered the finger— no, you altered the fingerprints! You had access to Evan’s prints on file and planted them wherever the fuck you wanted! You were full of shit when you told us you hadn’t altered any other evidence!” She took a deep breath. “Do you know what that did to him? Evan got suspended! And was horrified that people at work believed he’d lied about his investigations. That crushed him!”
Cynthia was silent.
Which was Sid’s goal.
“I suppose you’ll say he threatened your daughter and made you do it.” Rowan was bitter, tired of the woman’s excuses. “He and JB burned down my house. That was my grandfather’s house! You have no idea of the memories that fire destroyed. And Thor could have died !”
Rowan wiped tears from her eyes. “I assume you were behind the Craigslist post? And figured out how to link Evan’s email to it?” She snorted. “As if Evan would try to sell something he’d just stolen.”
But she made Evan’s boss believe it.
“You’ve been involved in every aspect of Sid’s plan,” said Rowan. “You can’t lay all the blame at his feet. I can’t believe you can work for the sheriff’s department and would do something like that over and over.”
Noelle looked over the seat. “You’ve had me doubting every person I work with. Those are good people! You made me trust no one !” She turned around and slammed her back against her seat. “Don’t fuck with things like that!”
“But—” began Cynthia.
“ Don’t say another word! I want silence until I can get a camera on you and record all the shit you say.”
Rowan gripped the wheel and pressed the accelerator.
What else is Cynthia lying about?
Thirty minutes later, Cynthia had been placed in an interview room and left to stew.
“I need to cool down before I talk to her,” Noelle muttered, watching the woman on her computer’s camera feed. Cynthia had refused a drink and then laid her head on the table and not moved. She ignored any questions.
“What if she’s lying about Evan and Zack?” asked Rowan, watching the motionless woman. She couldn’t shake the fear that Cynthia’s stalling was risking two lives.
“Even more reason for me to question her carefully,” said Noelle. “She hasn’t given us any information about them. Either she really doesn’t know or she doesn’t plan to share. I can’t barge in there and yell at her, demanding answers. I’ve done enough of that with her today.”
Noelle took in the people in the conference room. Both Maxine and Lori were present, along with the deputies Ogden had assigned her team. “We’ve got no leads on where Sid could have moved the hostages,” Noelle announced to the group. “It appears the man had no friends—except for JB and Cynthia. He’s a loner. We need to figure out where a loner would hide two people.” She moved to the huge wall map of Deschutes and the surrounding counties. A dozen red pushpins marked Sid’s previous home addresses and employment locations on record. “The ideal location would be an empty, isolated building or something with a basement or a lower level where sounds can’t be heard.”
The thought of Evan screaming while being tortured filled Rowan’s mind. She shoved it away.
“Most likely locations are not near a neighborhood or businesses where people are always out and about,” Noelle said. “I know I’m stating the obvious, but I want to hear any possible ideas from everyone. It might trigger an idea for someone else.” She frowned. “I’m a California transplant. I don’t know this area like the people who grew up here. Let’s round up any longtime locals that are still in the building tonight. We’ve got Sid’s previous addresses for home and work, so if we start at those locations and study what’s nearby, we might come across an ideal site. He’s going to take them somewhere he is comfortable with and knows very well. He’s got two people to hide and keep quiet. He’s not going to take a risk in a location he doesn’t know.
“And it’s the locals who know these places.” She pointed to a marker in a rural spot on the map. “This is a previous home address for Sid. Look at all the empty country around it. I want to know if any homes in the area have been condemned or abandoned within a mile or two ... or if there’re empty sheds no one has used in a decade, or even fucking caves. Maybe an isolated and no-longer-used gravel pit. I don’t care how odd the suggestions are that you have in mind. I want to hear them all.”
Everyone stared at her.
That’s searching for a needle in a haystack. They don’t have the manpower to check every empty building in three counties.
But Noelle had nothing else to work with. No leads. No tips.
All she had was a woman who refused to speak.
“Go!” Noelle shouted. “I want every longtime local who’s still in the building in this room in the next five minutes.”
It’s late. Most employees will have gone home.
But the detectives and deputies scattered.
Noelle looked at Rowan. “I don’t know where else to start,” she said quietly. “We’ve got a BOLO out on his truck, and his driver’s license photo has been sent to all media outlets. Until tips start coming in, we’ve exhausted the few leads we had.” She turned back to the map and touched a red pin. “Our speculation about Sid having weapons training appears to be accurate. He worked at this gun range for nearly three years before he was arrested. It lends credence to my theory that he is the shooter from today and the auto body shop.” Her gaze went from pin to pin. “A diverse work history. A car dealership. Three restaurants. Two construction companies—”
“A construction company could have put him working in all sorts of locations,” said Rowan.
Noelle looked drained, ready to collapse. But her eyes were determined. “I know. I’m trying to get a list of their projects from the last five years.”
Rowan gestured at the view of Cynthia on the computer. “She’s your best lead right now. Are you up for that yet?”
“Another minute.” Noelle studied the screen. Cynthia hadn’t lifted her head.
Maxine burst in the door, hauling an apprehensive older woman. “Carla’s lived just outside Bend all her life.” She took the woman to the map of markers. “Are you familiar with any of the areas around these red pins?”
Rowan noticed the woman’s shirt back had the name of a local janitorial company and guessed she’d been working in the building with a cleaning crew.
We need all the help we can get.
Carla indicated one pin, and she and Maxine quietly discussed, pointing at places near the marker. A second later, Deputy Coates returned with two other deputies. Both carried energy drink cans and half-eaten sub sandwiches. They joined Maxine and Carla while Coates left to find more people.
Rowan met Noelle’s gaze and saw a flicker of hope.
This isn’t the worst idea.
“You’ve lived here all your life, right?” Noelle asked Rowan. “Get in there.”
“I have, but I don’t know anything of the marked areas. Sorry.” Rowan felt useless. She knew the ins and outs of several neighborhoods, parks, and trails, but none of them were near where Sid had lived or worked.
One of the deputies stepped away, his expression apologetic. “Sorry. I grew up more south of here.”
“Thanks for looking,” said Noelle. “Send in anyone else you come across.”
After he stepped out the door, Lieutenant Ogden entered with Lori right behind him. He frowned slightly as he noted Rowan’s presence and then turned to Noelle. “I hear you’re doing a mass questioning.”
“I don’t care what it’s called,” she said. “Unless you’ve got some good leads in your pocket, this is all I’ve got.”
“He’s lived here forty years,” said Lori. She met Ogden’s gaze and pointed at the map.
“True.” He moved to look over Maxine’s shoulder. She tapped a spot with her finger as Carla nodded emphatically.
“Hey, Noelle,” said Maxine. “This is a condemned house on the outskirts of town not far from a restaurant where Sid worked. Carla said it’s been sitting empty for years. Junkies used it for a while, but the city cleared them out and boarded it up. Worth a look.”
“I’ll send a patrol by,” said Noelle. “Thank you, Carla. Check with your family and friends, please. See if anyone else has other ideas.” The woman nodded and darted out the door.
Noelle took a deep breath. “I guess I’ll see if Cynthia is ready to talk.” She left the room and a minute later appeared on the computer screen in the interview room. Rowan watched with Ogden and Lori as Cynthia refused to even look at the detective. After ten minutes of Cynthia repeating that she didn’t know anything, Noelle cuffed her again and moved her to a holding cell. She returned to the room, frustration in her gaze. “Maybe that will stimulate her memory,” she said grimly.
I think Cynthia believes Sid can still hurt her daughter.
Over the next two hours, a small trickle of people filed into the conference room. Noelle asked patrols to investigate four locations, but all turned up nothing. No Sid or his truck.
No Evan or Zack.
It was past 10:00 p.m., and Rowan couldn’t stop yawning.
“Go home,” ordered Noelle, and then gave a jaw-cracking yawn.
“We all need sleep,” Rowan said with a pointed look at the detective. Rowan didn’t want to close her eyes. She suspected the minute she lay down, her mind would race, and then she’d lie there for hours, worrying, stressing, and imagining the worst.
Twenty minutes later, her brother, Malcolm, knocked at the conference room’s open door, and Rowan stared at him in sleepy confusion. “Is Thor okay?”
“Yes.” He pointed at Noelle. “She texted me. Told me what you’ve all been up to and to get you home for some sleep.”
“Traitor.” Rowan tried to glare at Noelle but was too tired.
“Tomorrow,” said Noelle. “We’ll have a fresh start tomorrow.” The detective showed no indication that she was headed home.
I can’t tell her what to do.
Rowan pushed herself out of the comfy conference chair as Malcolm stepped close to the map, studying the pins. Rowan waited, a pang of sorrow touching her as he looked. Malcolm had spent a lot of time exploring the county, trying to make up for decades of confinement. Places she took for granted were new and wondrous to him. He’d rapidly filled several memory cards with photos and videos, needing to preserve every new sight.
He touched the pin at the gun range where Sid had worked and then moved his finger a half inch away. “There’s an old hydroelectric plant here. It’s been abandoned since the forties or fifties, I believe. It’s a small brick structure.” He shrugged. “Kids covered it in graffiti at one point, but when I discovered it, the dirt road was hard to spot, and the old equipment inside was covered in undisturbed dust. Felt like no one had been there in years.”
“That’s the kind of tip I want to hear,” said Noelle. “I’ll send a unit to drive by. Thanks, Malcolm.”
“It’s not the kind of place you can drive by,” said Malcolm. “The road is horrible, and the last bit is completely overgrown. They’ll have to walk about a hundred yards in the dark, and it’s downhill. It sits in a valley next to the creek.”
“Crap.” Noelle sighed. “I guess it can wait until morning, then.”
“I know the way,” said Malcolm. “I’ve probably been there a half dozen times. I can easily find it with a flashlight.”
“That’s not necessary,” said Noelle. Her words didn’t match her hopeful tone.
“You just need to know if his vehicle is there, right?” asked Malcolm. “It’s on my way home. There’s no way anyone could drive the last hundred yards unless they were in a Humvee, so if he’s there, his vehicle will be easy enough for me to find without getting that close to the building.”
“It can’t hurt,” said Rowan, eyeing Noelle. “I’ll go with him. It’ll take us a few minutes, and then we’ll go on home. Then you can focus on other sites.” She couldn’t pass up an opportunity to do something that could help find Evan and Zack.
Indecision flashed in Noelle’s eyes.
“Well ... then have a good night, Noelle.” Rowan met Malcolm’s gaze.
We’re stopping by.
She headed toward the door as he followed.
“Hang on,” said Noelle. “You’re going whether or not I say yes, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” answered Rowan and Malcolm in unison.
“Jesus.” Noelle sighed. “Okay. I expect a call either way in thirty minutes.”
“You got it,” said Rowan. “And then you should nap. Let Maxine or Lori take over for a while.” Noelle’s eyes were bloodshot, and she’d yawned as much as Rowan.
“Uh-huh.” Noelle busied herself on the computer.
Stubborn.
“Let’s go,” Rowan said to her brother. Her exhaustion lifted, her mind pleased that she was doing something ... anything ... to help.
We’ve got to find Evan and Zack.