Chapter Ten
Lost in the Woods Getaway
Charly braced as Billie turned onto the drive that led to their destination.
Unlike Charly’s retreat, the place offered more than cabins.
There was everything from glass dome dining under the stars to yurts, hot tubs to soaking pools.
Laney Rogers organized all sorts of activities and had even in recent years built a spa-like salon offering everything from manicures to massages.
Billie shut off the engine in front of the office, which was a large cabin with a parking area in front.
Like Charly, the owner lived in the cabin that also served as an office.
But this one was far larger than Charly’s.
Over the years it had been renovated and expanded into a much more elaborate place.
There was nothing elaborate about Charly’s cabin or her retreat. Her place offered a more rustic charm.
The office was still open—the sign on the door showed that it closed at six and provided a number to call for after-hours service.
Billie opened the door, a bell over it tinkled and Charly entered first. Laney was alone in the office and appeared to be tidying up in preparation for closing.
She glanced up, spotted Charly then glanced at Billie.
She smiled but it was as fake as the eyelashes she pasted on every morning.
Charly silently chastised herself for thinking such a thing. Laney was a gossip and plenty arrogant, but she was still a somewhat nice person.
Now she was just kidding herself.
“Well, good evening, folks.” Laney shifted the smile in Charly’s direction and she could have sworn it dimmed. “What brings you out this way?” Her mouth suddenly formed an “O” and her hand went to her chest. “Oh my, Charly, I heard about your accident. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Of course she’d heard. Charly summoned a smile of her own. “Thanks.”
The entrance door opened, the bell tinkling.
Charly glanced back in that direction. Kerrick Rogers, Laney’s son and only offspring, swaggered into the office and wouldn’t you know he wore a black hoodie.
Seemed a little warm for a long-sleeved hoodie to Charly.
The man dressed more like a teenager than a nearly forty-year-old.
“Cabin ten is squared away,” he said as he approached the counter and plopped the key there. Then he propped against it as if interested in whatever his mom was doing with her surprise visitors.
“Thanks, baby,” Laney said, her smile broader than before. She turned to Charly. “Charly, you know my son, Kerrick.”
There had been a time—before Alex—when Laney had done all in her power to throw Charly and Kerrick together. Then Charly’s retreat could have become the Getaway II. Never in a million years.
Charly glanced at the man who’d tried his best to fulfill his mama’s wish.
“Sure. We run into each other all the time.” They didn’t really all that often, but it sounded good.
“This is Billie Jagger,” Charly went on, looking from Kerrick to his mother.
“His sister is Briana Willard. She and her husband are the couple who went missing the other night.”
Kerrick’s gaze flitted to Billie then back to his mother. His expression remained as placid as when he’d first walked through the door. Totally unlike his mother, who could go from sad and distressed to perky and happy in less than a second.
Laney gasped. “Oh, my Lord. I’m so sorry to hear this, Mr. Jagger. We’re all sure praying that they’ll be found safe and sound. The whole community is on the lookout for that poor couple. It breaks my heart every time I see it on the news.”
“Thank you,” Billie said. “I appreciate that.” He looked to Kerrick then. “Actually, I came here hoping to speak with you, Kerrick.”
Laney’s sympathetic expression changed instantly. “That’s… Why would you want to speak with Kerrick?” She divided her attention between her son and Billie. “Do you need some help with something?”
Charly opted to keep her mouth shut since she didn’t know how Billie intended to approach the questioning.
Besides, she was having far too much fun watching the ever-changing reactions of the woman behind the counter.
It wasn’t easy to undo the unflappable Laney Rogers.
Charly might never see this moment again.
“We just watched the video footage from the last known sighting of my sister,” Billie explained. “She was at the Last Chance convenience store. Charly—” he gestured to her “—recognized Kerrick as a person who arrived while Briana and her husband were there.”
Laney’s face showed absolute horror as she stared at her son.
Kerrick shrugged. “When was that?” he asked, his attention fixed on Billie.
“Sunday afternoon, just after two.” Billie watched him closely, analyzing his every tick, every shift in body language.
Charly imagined his intense gaze was unnerving to the other man. She glanced at Laney. His mother was certainly undone.
Kerrick nodded slowly, his gaze narrowed, as if he was trying to recall. “What were they driving?”
“White Ford SUV,” Billie said, his gaze still glued to the guy.
“Martin,” Charly said, “her husband, was pumping gas. Briana went inside. I’m sure you saw her. Gorgeous blonde, late twenties. You’ve probably seen her on the news, too. But that afternoon she was wearing a really cute white sundress with pink flowers. And pink flip-flops.”
Kerrick nodded again, relaxing visibly now that his attention had shifted to Charly. “Yeah. Yeah. She had a six-pack of my favorite beer.”
Charly’s insides froze. How had he seen the beer? It was in a bag.
“Did she say anything to you?” Billie asked. “Did you notice if she was upset? Maybe she looked scared?”
“This is getting a little intense,” Laney spoke up when her son didn’t immediately respond to the new barrage of questions. “Maybe you need to speak with Sheriff Malone about this.”
Kerrick held up a hand. “It’s all good, Mom.
” His attention swung back to Billie, his body language going cocky again.
“She did now that you mention it. She looked pretty upset. And the way she was glaring in the direction of her husband.” He moved his head slowly side to side.
“She was fired up about something for sure and it was probably his fault.”
Charly looked to Billie to gauge his reaction. He seemed calm and collected except for the tick in his jaw, which was new to her. Obviously, he was angry but holding back in hopes of learning something relevant.
Kerrick laughed. “Just kidding. She didn’t seem upset or anything. Just focused on walking to her SUV.” Kerrick nodded once and gave a wink. “Her husband is one lucky guy.”
Charly’s jaw dropped. Was the man an idiot? Any second she expected Billie to go off on him.
Finally, Billie shook his head. “I wish the convenience store had audio.” He exhaled a big breath.
“Sadly, only video.” He tilted his head and studied the older man in the hoodie.
“Did you know that Mr. Bates sent copies of the video footage from numerous cases over the years? Starting with Francesca Andrews. You remember her, right?”
All the swagger went right out of the other man’s bearing. His expression fell like a rock from a cliff.
Laney abruptly did a one-eighty and hurried into the private office beyond the counter. Billie and Kerrick remained locked in a staring contest. If Charly had her guess, the woman was calling her husband for backup.
Charly needed to say something to break the tension before it expanded any further.
“It’s really great that he’s been diligent that way,” she blurted.
“It helps the police to know where a person was just before they disappeared. You can gather all sorts of information from where they’ve been.
” She shrugged. Scrambled mentally to think of something else while Kerrick eyed her now with blatant suspicion.
“And who they encountered at each location,” Billie said.
The features of Kerrick Rogers’s face tightened. “Are you trying to accuse me of something? Is that what this is about?”
“Francesca was found,” Charly said, her voice a little high-pitched. “Thank God. Too bad she disappeared again from her home in Nashville. Still, I’m sure your mama,” she went on as Laney hurried back to the counter, “was glad the worst didn’t happen here. It’s really a terrifying prospect.”
“I’ve called Sheriff Malone,” Laney announced. “He’s on his way.”
If Kerrick had looked stricken before, he appeared downright ready to run this time.
“Why’d you do that?” He flung one hand toward Billie.
“We’re just talking. Everyone knows Francesca was staying here.
Hell, that’s ancient history.” His bravado back, he pointed a finger and a narrowed gaze on Billie.
“Besides, this guy’s just fishing. He’s worried about his sister. Ain’t that right, friend?”
Billie nodded. “That’s right, friend. I suppose I got my hopes up a little about you when I saw that in five of the nine cases involving blonde women who’ve gone missing over the past sixteen years, you were seen at the Last Chance convenience store at the same time they were—only hours or days before they disappeared. ”
Laney gasped. “If I hadn’t already called the sheriff I would throw you out of here right now.”
She glanced beyond them to the wide windows that overlooked the glamorous entrance to her retreat in hopes of the sheriff’s arrival, or maybe worried someone else might be watching. Charly was certain she would be mortified if any of her guests noticed a confrontation in the office.
“No need to be upset,” Charly assured her. “It’s a reasonable assessment. I saw the videos myself.”
Laney’s glower shot toward Charly. “This is a small town. With all the tourists in the summer, folks are bound to be at the same place at the same time. What about it?”