Chapter 5
The next morning, Jamie Simmons walked into the Sheriff’s Department with a smile on his face. Sam and I sat in the observation room behind one-way glass.
“What did Gus tell him to get him here?” I asked Sam.
“He told him they found something that might be connected to his sister-in-law’s case. Gus asked Simmons if he could run it by him before he brought it to her mother. Simmons was more than happy to oblige.”
“I’ll bet,” I said.
Gus hadn’t entered the room. I knew that was part of his tactic. Simmons came dressed for work in dark-blue scrubs. He sat calmly, sipping from a paper coffee cup Gus had offered him when he walked in. Simmons checked his smart watch a couple of times, but didn’t seem irritated by the wait.
He was tall, with a trim, lanky build of someone who had exercised regularly his whole life. A basketball player, or someone who biked a lot. He had thinning, dark-blond hair and wore a pair of round, wire-rimmed glasses. I couldn’t help staring at the thick wedding band on his left ring finger.
The door opened and Gus walked into the room. He’d left his suit coat in his office and had his shirtsleeves rolled up. That, too, was a tactic.
“Sorry to keep you waiting so long,” Gus said. He had a yellow legal pad and put it on the table.
“I don’t mind at all,” Simmons said. “But I do have to be at work in an hour. Do you think this will take that long?”
“I’ll do my best,” Gus said. “I was sorry to have to call you out of the blue on something like this.”
“Oh, I don’t mind one bit. I’m glad you did. The more I know … the more I can prepare my wife and mother-in-law. They don’t like to revisit what happened to Elizabeth. So if you think there’s a chance I can help you with what you need without involving them, that would be best.”
“We’ll see what we can do,” Gus said. He flipped through the pages of his legal pad. He had a portion of his original report tucked in between them. He pulled it out.
“We’ve spoken before,” Gus said as he read the excerpt from his report. “I have to admit, I hadn’t remembered that. I didn’t realize that you were friends with Ellie Luke. I mean, outside of your relationship with her sister.”
“We were classmates,” Simmons said. “Friendly, yes. Ellie and I were in the same cohort in nursing school.”
“Is that how you met her sister?”
“My wife and I became close after. It was one good thing to come out of such tragic circumstances.”
“How so?”
“I just got to know her. Her family. There were fundraisers in Ellie’s name after her death. I met Erin during that time frame.”
“I see.”
“Detective, I don’t mean to rush you. But as I said, I need to get to work shortly. You said you’d found something you believe is related to my late sister-in-law’s case. What was it?”
Gus looked up from his paperwork. He put the pad and report face down in front of him.
“Mr. Simmons, I’m sorry if my memory isn’t what it used to be. Twenty-two years is a long time. But I have in my notes that we did speak before. I spoke to many of Ellie’s friends after she went missing.”
“Yes,” Simmons said. “We were all in shock. We all wanted to do whatever we could to try to find her.”
“Of course. Do you remember much about that period?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, how would you describe your relationship with Ellie? How close were you?”
Simmons frowned. “I told you. We were classmates.”
“But you hung out socially, too?”
Simmons’s posture changed. He leaned back in his chair. “I’m not sure why you’re asking that. What is it that you found, Detective?”
“Mr. Simmons, I really need to try to clarify what your relationship with Ellie was. It’ll help me put some things into context.”
“What things?”
“Do you remember the last time you saw Ellie?”
Simmons’s easy demeanor shifted. He went rigid, his lips pursed tightly together.
Beside me, Sam’s text alert went off. He quickly silenced it, but the expression on his face as he read it turned sour.
“Why are you asking me that?” Simmons said. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well,” Gus said. “I have to admit. I didn’t realize you had a relationship with Ellie.
I didn’t put two and two together until this morning.
I wrongly assumed you were just her brother-in-law after the fact, you know?
So while I have you here, I just want to maybe have you help me refresh my memory about a few things from back then.
You know, just tie up some loose ends so I can put this case to bed once and for all. ”
“Once and for all?”
“Sorry. Poor choice of words.”
“Detective, I really need to wrap this up. So if you could just let me know what it is you need from me, I can be on my way.”
Sam slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“What is it?” I whispered to him.
“Trouble. Maybe,” he said. “That was Deputy Ryan. I’ve had her keeping an eye on Hayden Simmons.
Her mother showed up at her friend’s house twenty minutes ago.
Ryan says they got into some kind of argument in the driveway.
Hayden was really upset. Crying. She went back inside but Erin Simmons took off.
Ryan decided to follow her. Erin Simmons just pulled into the parking lot outside. ”
“She’s here?” I asked.
“I think I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” Simmons said to Gus. His face was flushed. He pulled at his collar.
“Mr. Simmons, there’s nothing to get excited about. I think we’re on the same side. I think we both just want to find out once and for all what happened to Ellie Luke. Don’t we?”
“Of course,” Simmons said. “But you’re making me increasingly uncomfortable.”
“That’s not my intention.”
“Then what is your intention?”
“Okay. I’ll level with you, Mr. Simmons. You seem like a smart guy. You clearly care a lot about your wife and her family. I can only imagine how tough it’s been for them after what happened to Ellie. And to go all this time without really knowing. To have her case go cold.”
“I’d say that’s your problem,” Simmons said. “I do remember talking to you all those years ago. It must eat at you. Knowing you couldn’t solve this case. Knowing you’re probably the reason her killer might still be out there somewhere.”
“Lord,” I said. “Sam, Gus can’t lose his temper. Simmons is goading him.”
“Gus can handle him,” Sam said. Sam’s phone rang. He answered it.
“Yeah,” Sam said. “We’ll be right down. Just stick her in the interview room across from Gus’s office.” He clicked off.
“Jamie?” Gus said. “I think maybe you weren’t completely honest with me today. I think maybe you and Ellie Luke were more than just classmates. You did more than just travel in the same social circles, didn’t you?”
Jamie Simmons vaulted to his feet. “We’re done here. I have nothing else to say to you unless I have a lawyer present.”
“Shit,” Sam muttered.
“Calm down,” Gus said.
“I will not,” Simmons said. “I know my rights. And I know the tone of your questions, Detective Ritter. This is an interrogation. You brought me here under false pretenses.”
There was a knock on the door behind us. Sam’s clerk poked her head in. “I’m sorry. But you really need to get out here.”
“Yeah,” Sam said. I hated to leave the observation room. Jamie Simmons hadn’t yet made good on his threat to walk, but he knew what Gus was after.
“Gus can handle himself,” Sam said. I was right on his heels as we went down the hallway and up one floor to Sam’s office. We only made it a few steps out of the stairwell before Ellie Luke’s lookalike sister nearly ran into me.
It really was uncanny, the resemblance. Erin had those same ice-blue eyes. The same shape to her mouth. Even after all these years, she wore her hair in the same style as her sister had, cut just to the shoulders and parted down the middle.
“Mrs. Simmons,” I said. She looked past me, her face red.
“Where is he? Where did you take Jamie?”
“Mrs. Simmons,” Sam said. “Why don’t we go talk in my office?”
He put a light hand on her shoulder. She jerked away.
“I know what you’re doing. I know what my daughter’s done. This is insane. I’m calling a lawyer. I’m calling a whole team of them.”
We were drawing a crowd. A few deputies turned to see what the commotion was all about.
“Please,” I said. “My name is Mara Brent. I work for the prosecutor’s office …”
“I know exactly who you are. Hayden told me. You’ve poisoned my daughter’s brain.”
“What? I haven’t,” I said.
“My daughter is disturbed. That’s what you need to know. She’s sick. She has no idea what she’s stirring up. She didn’t even know my sister. She’s become obsessed. It’s morbid. She needs help.”
“Mrs. Simmons, please,” Sam said, trying once more to guide her out of the hallway.
She pushed back.
“Don’t you dare touch me. I want my husband. He’s done talking to you. Any of you. I’ll sue the county. I should have done that years ago. You do not have my permission to speak to my daughter outside of my presence. Do you understand that?”
“Mrs. Simmons,” I said. “Your daughter is over eighteen.”
“She’s a kid! A disturbed, confused kid. I’ll get a court order if I have to. But this ends today!”
The stairwell doorway opened behind me. By the reaction on Erin Simmons’s face, I didn’t have to turn to know who just stepped out.
“Jamie!” Erin ran past me and flew into her husband’s waiting arms.
“It’s okay,” he said, comforting his wife.
“Take me home,” she said.
Gus stepped off the elevator in front of us. He frowned as he saw Mr. and Mrs. Simmons behind me.
“You!” Erin screamed, pointing to Gus. “I don’t want that man anywhere near me. It was you, wasn’t it? You planted all that stuff. You told my daughter what to say.”
“Erin,” Jamie said, his tone filled with alarm. “Honey, let’s go. Don’t say another word. Not here.”
He put his arm around his wife and led her back into the stairwell.
“Mr. Simmons.” Gus stepped forward. He stuck his foot in the stairwell door, blocking it from closing. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his jacket, having grabbed it before coming back upstairs.
“Get away from us!” Erin shouted.
Gus handed the paper to Jamie Simmons. Simmons’s eyes darted over it. I already knew what it was. Gus had secured the search warrant for Jamie Simmons’s house, car, phone, and computer.
“I’m sending deputies over to your house as we speak,” Gus said. “You can be present, but we’re searching the house.”
“You can’t do that!” Erin said. “My God. Jamie, tell them they can’t do that! This is insanity. They’re treating you like some kind of criminal!”
Jamie Simmons said nothing. He just kept a tight arm around his wife. Before she could say another word, he jerked the door shut, forcing Gus to move out of the way. Then Jamie and Erin Simmons disappeared down the stairwell.
“My God,” I said. “She doesn’t understand what’s coming.”
“I think she understands plenty,” Sam said. “It sounds like Hayden broke down and told her everything about two hours ago. Jamie Simmons knew exactly why he got called down here. He was trying to play you, Gus.”
“Dammit,” Gus said. “I need that house secure. I want to make it over there before they do. The deputies are sitting on it, but I want to get there.”
“We’ll be right behind you,” Sam said. I just hoped word of what happened in this building hadn’t yet spread beyond it.