44. Lottie
Lottie
“ A re you sure you can’t reschedule?”
I walk out of my closet wearing high-waisted jeans and a cropped long-sleeved shirt. Teddy is sitting in my chair, his elbows on his knees and his fingers clasped together.
“She asked me to meet today. I couldn’t tell her no. She might have something important to share.”
“Then she should go to the police.”
“I agree, but the last time she dealt with them, they made her feel like a suspect. I can’t imagine she’d feel safe going to them again. If it’s important, I’ll encourage her to go to the police. I’ll even offer to go with her.”
“I’m not sure I like that plan either.” Teddy sighs as he stands. He palms my cheeks. “We haven’t heard a peep out of the person threatening you. I can’t imagine they just gave up.”
“No, I don’t reckon they did either. I swear I’ll stay in contact with you the whole time I’m there.”
“Fuck. Of all the days for Jackson to ask me to take on a case.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Okay. I know I can’t talk you out of going, so you better swear to stay in touch. If I call, you answer. ”
“Understood.” I nod. I don’t particularly love the idea of going by myself either, but it’s a Monday afternoon.
Everyone is working, and I’d never ask them to drop everything to escort me around Greensboro.
Not when I have no concerns that Candace is going to hurt me.
I’d feel different if it had been Zachary or Steven who reached out.
Candace truly loved Crystal. She’d never have hurt her.
I need to know what Candace knows. This could be the break we need to get justice for Crystal.
We both leave my house, Teddy on his motorcycle and me in my car.
He’s headed home to prepare for the case Jackson sent over this morning.
The sight of him on that bike hits me square in the vagina every damn time.
We might need to take another trip to the lookout.
I could show him exactly what he does to me.
Focus.
The forty-five-minute drive to Greensboro goes by in a flash. Nerves flutter in my belly. Could this really be the big break I’ve always dreamed of having? Maybe Candace is having trouble with someone.
Teddy would be even more pissed if she came to me instead of the police.
I find a parking spot down the street and walk into the coffee shop. Candace isn’t here yet, so I grab a coffee and find a table. She comes in a few minutes later, searching the room for me. I give her a wave, and her shoulders relax.
“Hey.” I stand to give her a hug. “Everything okay?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know, Charlie. Something weird is going on. A while ago, we started getting threatening messages from a spam account that said if we didn’t take down Crystal’s memorial group, we’d regret it.”
Those words bring back a memory of the text I received. “I hope you didn’t do that.”
She shakes her head. “Of course not. But I did hide the group to make it look like we did. The problem is, it didn’t fool this guy for long. A few weeks later, the messages started back again, except I was the only one getting them.”
“What?”
“Tara and I were both getting messages. Now, it’s just me. She’s super worried.”
“I bet you both are.”
“That’s not the worst part. They also threatened you.”
“Hold on. Someone was sending you threatening messages, and in those messages, they threatened me ?”
She pulls her phone out to show me.
Stop talking to reporters. If you say another word about Crystal’s disappearance to Charlie Jackson or anyone else, I’ll hurt her and you.
“Candace. We need to take these to the police.”
“I already tried. The Greensboro police department said, ‘Sorry, we can’t help you.’”
“Until an actual crime is committed. Such a stupid rule.” I roll my eyes.
“Agreed. But I needed you to know what’s going on.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. I want to ask her something, but I’m not sure if I should.
“I already know what you’re going to ask, and the answer is no. I don’t know if Zachary, Steven, or Tara could have something to do with this. Given their connection to Ms. Mansgrove, it’s possible, but I’ve never had a suspicion until now. ”
“How much time have you spent with Zachary and Steven?”
“Not much in recent years. We used to be close after graduation, but we drifted apart. Life got in the way, and we didn’t stay in touch like we’d wanted.”
I sit with that for a minute. Candace jumps in before I can share my theory. “You think it was one of them who hurt Crystal?”
I shrug. “I don’t have any facts to back up the claim, but yeah.
They both knew her schedule. They’d have a window of opportunity to attack.
Steven could have used the extra practice to act surprised when she never showed.
I’m not sure about Zachary, but he still had the opportunity.
They’ve both been involved in her memorial group, so they’d be up-to-date on the case. ”
“Do you think they’re the ones messaging me?”
“It’s possible. After the episode about the divers aired, they could’ve felt threatened.”
Candace sits straighter in her chair. “Steven was super wired that night.”
“What night?”
She closes her eyes as if she’s trying to recall the memory.
“The night of her disappearance. He was bouncing around and acting over the top onstage. And he never once asked about Ms. Mansgrove. I texted people and told him it was weird that she wasn’t there.
He kept saying that she probably just forgot. ”
“That’s not totally abnormal,” I hedge.
“He only gave her ten minutes before he left. Said he had more important things to do that night. I waited for twenty just in case, but ended up leaving, too.”
“I’ll give you that it’s a little suspicious, but it still isn’t proof. ”
“No, but we might be able to follow his movements that day to see if he had any interactions with her.”
“ We are not doing anything.” I laugh. “I’ll contact Sheriff Lansing to let him know our theories, but we’re not going to do any investigating on our own.
” That’s a lie. I’m totally going to investigate, but I don’t want Candace to go on some crusade in case Steven really is the person threatening us.
Candace shakes her head and chuckles. “You’re right. I just got a bit ahead of myself.”
“Take it from someone who knows. Don’t let this stuff build in your mind.
It’s not our job to solve the case. That’s what the police are for.
My job is mostly for entertainment purposes, despite my desire to find justice in each case I cover.
I know Crystal meant a lot to you, and one day, I hope her case gets solved, but don’t let this consume you. Okay?”
Candace takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m with ya. I don’t know how you do this job all the time.”
“I’ve become adept at keeping things separate. I don’t let it seep into my personal life.”
“That’s fair. Thank you for meeting with me. I really appreciate it. Being able to get my worries off my chest helped a ton.”
“Good.” I reach over to squeeze her hand. “I need to get home. Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be good.” We stand up from our table and head out of the coffee shop. We say another goodbye and then laugh when we walk in the same direction to get to our cars.
A hand on my arm jerks me to a halt.
I gasp at the man shoving a gun into Candace’s side. “Scream, and I shoot her.”