Chapter Twenty-Four #2
“How do I know she’s really your friend?” Harold asked.
Olivia pulled out her phone and opened her photos app.
Perching on the stool next to him, she selected several photos of herself with Zoe, then turned the screen to show him.
He withdrew reading glasses from his shirt pocket and settled them onto his nose one-handed before examining the images.
He leaned forward to study the photos, then sat back and appeared to make a decision. “How do you know Zoe is missing?”
“No one’s heard from her in days, not even her husband.”
“That’s concerning.” He lowered the ice and tested his lip with his tongue. “When did you say she was last seen? I listened to the opening of her show Saturday night. That was a live show, so I know she was OK then.”
Olivia said, “She left her studio that night and never arrived home. She just disappeared.” She didn’t mention the storage unit or change of vehicle. Harold didn’t need the details. Olivia wasn’t sure she could trust him yet.
Harold shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like something Zoe would do.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Olivia agreed. A gust of wind rattled the porch swing outside. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“In May,” Harold said without hesitation.
“She came to Clarice’s funeral.” Sorrow clouded his eyes.
He closed them for a few seconds to compose himself.
He opened them and said, “Clarice and Zoe were close.” His eyes went moist. He plucked a white handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his face.
“I’m sorry. I just miss her so damned much. ”
“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Olivia felt his grief in her soul. She remembered Zoe’s B and B stay. “Why didn’t she stay here with you?”
“I have five bedrooms, but they were all taken the week of the funeral. Clarice and I fostered a lot of kids. Some live here in town. I see them regularly. About half our kids moved out of state, but almost everyone came back for her funeral. I even have a couple of honorary grandchildren.”
“Those are the ones he threatened?” Olivia asked.
“Yes. Clarice was special. She had this gift for reaching kids in challenging situations. It was her superpower. She never gave up on them, no matter how far gone they seemed. She worked some downright miracles. Over the decades we were foster parents, I can only remember one or two kids who could resist her.”
“She sounds very special indeed.”
“I was lucky she chose me. I couldn’t have kids.
I had mumps as a teenager. People nowadays don’t realize it can do that.
” He sighed. “I thought I was destined to be alone. I couldn’t believe she still wanted to marry me after I told her, but she didn’t particularly want her own kids.
She’d been the oldest of thirteen. She said she already raised enough babies.
She wanted to help older kids. So that’s what we did.
Over the years, we took in dozens of them.
Some only stayed with us for a few days. Others were with us for years.”
“How long did Zoe live with you?”
“Two . . . no, almost three years. Clarice always asked for teenagers because they were hard to place. That woman had the patience of a saint.”
“Zoe came to you after her parents died?” Olivia asked.
He gave her a quizzical look. “Her parents didn’t die, at least not back then.
They passed away years later.” He polished his glasses on the hem of his shirt.
“I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you her story.
” He tilted his head, giving the thought careful consideration.
“I suppose since you’re a journalist you could find all this information if you looked hard enough.
Criminal records are public. Zoe was about sixteen when her parents were arrested for insurance fraud.
They stole tens of thousands of dollars from senior citizens.
She was miserable. Having incarcerated parents makes one a loner, as if high school in general isn’t hard enough. ”
Olivia’s mind whirled. Why was she so surprised? Zoe had lied about other things. But fabricating the deaths of her parents seemed . . . worse, somehow. It felt like a betrayal of their friendship. She said nothing, however. She didn’t want to discourage Harold from talking.
“But Clarice worked her magic. Zoe was smart. So smart. She needed some tutoring, but she caught up quickly. I was a mathematics professor and Clarice taught English, so between the two us of, we had the skills.”
“Did she have any close friends back then?”
“Only her boyfriend, Jacob. They had a lot in common. His father had also been in jail. They were both ostracized. I wish we’d have had the chance to help Jacob, but he was eighteen when his family crisis happened.”
“Crisis?” Olivia asked.
Harold nodded. “His father disappeared, and his uncle went to prison for murder.”
A chill passed through Olivia. Definitely not a coincidence.
Harold’s gaze wandered to the ceiling. “I think his mother had been dead since he was little, but I don’t remember the details. My memory isn’t what it used to be.”
He seemed sharp as a knifepoint to Olivia.
“Anyway,” Harold continued. “He was an adult, so he wasn’t forced into the foster care system.
Though it might have been better if he had been.
He lived in the same house, all alone, until he graduated high school.
He had a job, but he couldn’t pay the bills.
The county tried to take the house for back taxes, but it took a while to evict Jacob.
Clarice and I helped him fight it.” He cleared his throat.
“At least long enough for him to find another place to live.”
“What happened to him?” Olivia asked.
“Nothing,” Harold said. “He got an electrician’s license. I believe he still lives in the area, though I haven’t seen him in a while. He was a quiet boy. Except for his relationship with Zoe, he kept to himself. I expect he does the same as an adult.”
“Did he come to Clarice’s funeral?” Olivia asked.
Harold hesitated, just for a split second. “I don’t remember seeing him.” This answer also felt intentionally vague.
“Do you know where he lives now?”
“Somewhere on the mountain.” He gestured to the window, which had a view of it.
Olivia zeroed in on her real question. “Do you know if Zoe saw him while she was here for the funeral?” Had she cheated on Dylan in retaliation for him cheating on her?
Or because she needed the connection with a human being she could confide in, someone she’d known and trusted during her most vulnerable years?
He stood and began pacing. “I wouldn’t know.”
He didn’t say I don’t know, though that would be the more natural response. I wouldn’t know left technical wiggle room, as if he didn’t want to lie, but he also didn’t want to tell her. His answer felt like a politician saying I do not recall in a congressional hearing.
“Do you remember Jacob’s last name?”
Olivia knew the answer before Harold said, “Sure. It’s Brown.”
“He’s related to Evan Brown,” Olivia clarified. “The man whose remains were recently pulled out of a lake.”
“Yes. Evan was his father.” Harold stopped and stood still, seemingly lost though he was in his own home.
“Do you have any idea where Zoe might have gone?” Olivia asked.
Harold shook his head. “I keep in touch, but Clarice was closer to Zoe.” He absently rubbed his ribs. How badly had he been beaten? And by whom?
“Who broke in here?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Harold dropped onto the stool again, his mouth set in a stubborn line.
“You said he earlier.” Olivia had to convince him to talk. “He’s after Zoe, right? I want to find her before he does. We can help her.”
Harold stared at his shoes.
“Do you think she would go to Jacob?” Olivia asked.
“Maybe.” Harold lifted his gaze. “She might be worried about him. Jacob could also be in danger. The man who is looking for her is Jacob’s uncle, Tim.”
“Evan’s brother? I thought he was in prison.”
“He was released a few weeks ago.” Harold met her gaze. “His sentence was twenty-five to life, so he more than met the minimum. The parole board decided he was no longer a risk to society.” Disdain dripped from his voice. He pointed to his face. “Clearly, they were wrong.”
“Why does Tim want Zoe?” Olivia asked.
“Because Zoe is the one who put him in prison,” Harold said. “He blames her for ruining his life and stealing thirty years out from under him. That’s nonsense, of course. He was a criminal who committed a murder. But that’s not the way he sees it.”
Lincoln stood in the doorway, his expression puzzled, as if unsure that he’d heard Harold correctly. Nicki stood behind him.
Olivia was also confused. She quickly got Lincoln and Nicki caught up on her conversation with Harold, then turned back to him. “Did you say Zoe put Tim Brown in prison? Was she the unnamed caller?”
Harold nodded. “Yes. It was her phone call that tipped off the police that Tim and Evan were the burglars who’d killed the homeowner and his son.”
“But Zoe was just a teenager back then,” Nicki said.
Harold lifted both palms. “This is all I know. Zoe brought Jacob home one night, distressed, saying that they’d been at Jacob’s house and that Tim was going to kill them.
The kids were scared and panicking. Neither one of them were making much sense.
They refused to give us any more details.
But the one thing that was clear was their terror.
They’d seen something at Jacob’s house, something that implicated Tim in a murder.
He’s always been a violent, cruel man.” He touched the bruise on his face.
“It seems prison has only made him worse.”
“So they called the police and told them what they knew?” Lincoln asked.
“Yes,” Harold said. “They drove to a pay phone and Zoe made the call. The police searched the Browns’ house, found evidence Tim and Evan had committed a bunch of burglaries, including one where two people died.
The police arrested Tim and issued a warrant for Evan.
We know why they never found Evan—he’s been dead the whole time. ”
Olivia said, “The police originally said they thought Evan ran off with the jewelry, leaving Tim to answer for their crimes.”
Lincoln added, “But Evan was dead. Maybe Tim killed him. You said he has a temper. Would he kill his own brother?”
Harold nodded. “I believe he would.”
“But you don’t know what Zoe and Jacob saw that night?”
“No.” He shook his head.
“But when Tim came here, he wanted information about Zoe’s whereabouts?” Lincoln asked. When Harold nodded, Lincoln continued. “What did you tell him?”
Harold said, “I told him I don’t know where she is because it’s the truth.
I haven’t seen Zoe since May.” He pursed his lips, then winced.
“I’m surprised he didn’t kill me. Not that I care all that much.
I’m old. I’ve had a wonderful life, and I’d sacrifice my few remaining years for Zoe.
Life isn’t the same without Clarice. I’d be OK joining her. ”
“Do you have any ideas about where Zoe might be?” Olivia asked.
Harold stared at the ceiling. Olivia couldn’t decide if the old man was racking his brain for ideas or if he was deciding whether to tell them. Finally, he met her gaze. “Clarice and I have a cabin on the mountain.”
“Zoe knows about it?” Lincoln asked.
“Yes. When we had kids in the house, we took them skiing and hiking there. Zoe just liked to sneak out into the woods with a book. It was a great getaway, a place they could go to forget their troubles. Nature is healing. After the kids were all grown, we rented it out, but it needs repairs. I haven’t kept up with maintenance for the last few years.
But I also couldn’t bring myself to sell it. ”
“So, she could have gone to Jacob or to this cabin?” Olivia asked.
“Yes.” Harold gave them the address of the cabin. “Last I heard, Jacob was living on Simmons Road. I don’t know the exact address.” He lifted the ice to his mouth. “You have to find Zoe before Tim does. He is determined to make her pay.”