Chapter Thirty-Nine Raine
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Raine
I didn’t wait for the school bell to ring.
I parked in the student pickup line behind mothers scrolling on their phones as they waited for their children. The school door was open in anticipation of the students, and I walked past a teacher operating the entrance.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
I had no desire to explain myself, but I paused. “I’m here to pick up Molly Durant. I spoke to the principal this morning.” I had the judge’s orders and my identification at the ready.
“The kids haven’t been released yet. The last bell is in five minutes.”
“I know. I’m ahead of the crowds in case there were questions.” Attorneys understood there were always questions.
“The principal isn’t in her office this time of day.”
“Who do I speak to about picking up Molly?”
She raised a walkie-talkie to her lips. “I’ll radio the vice principal.” The garbled response back to me was inaudible. The teacher frowned. “Repeat.”
Another message. This time I heard “an hour ago.”
“Did I understand that correctly?” I asked. “Was Molly Durant picked up by someone else?”
The teacher paled. Into the walkie she advised the vice principal to come to the bus ramp. My thoughts jumbled with panic.
“The vice principal is coming?” I asked.
“Yes. Just held up with a student.”
“Where is Molly?” She was delaying. She knew she had a problem. Panic shifted to anger.
The vice principal came out the double doors. Mid-thirties, heavyset, khakis, a button-down shirt spilling over his belt. Gripping his walkie, he strode toward me. “You’re here for Molly Durant?”
“That’s correct. Where is she?”
“Her father picked her up.” Worry hummed under the words. “He picks her up a lot.”
The custody agreement crumpled in my fist. “Do you talk to your principal? Did he not tell you circumstances have changed drastically?”
He accepted the paper, and as he read it, his brow knotted. “The principal didn’t tell me. I didn’t think twice when Mr. Durant showed up.”
“Do you realize Maria Durant was murdered? Mr. Durant is a primary suspect.”
He handed back the sheet. “I’d heard Mrs. Durant had died. That’s why it made sense Mr. Durant was here.”
Administrative snafus happened. And Gabe, who’d been in the system, had counted on one when he’d shown up early. “Did he say where he was going with Molly?”
“I assumed he took her home.”
I shoved the agreement into my purse. My mind raced back to the small house Gabe and Maria had shared and then across the field to Edith’s cottage. Either way, Gabe was determined to blow up what remained of his life. His inability to think beyond his choices was stunning.
“Tell the principal to call me.”
“I didn’t realize . . .”
I held up my hand. “Don’t.”
In my car, I dialed Gabe’s number. To my surprise, he answered: “Raine!”
“Where are you, Gabe?”
“Molly and I are going camping.” His happy tone had an ugly vibe. “We’ll be gone a few days. Maybe weeks.”
“Gabe, I have custody of Molly now. And you’re charged with murdering your child’s mother. This isn’t good for either of you.”
“I didn’t do it. And she’s excited about the trip.”
My voice was tight, sharp. “That doesn’t change the charges you’re facing.”
“I’m not sticking around, Raine. I don’t trust the system to give me a fair deal.”
“You have an ankle monitor.”
“Not anymore.”
“The police will find you, Gabe.” Strain rippled through my body. I’d dealt with other people like Gabe. When they couldn’t see the story’s ending, I couldn’t, either. “Where are you?”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re fine.” Molly said something, and Gabe laughed. “We sure can get ice cream.”
“Gabe, come home before anyone knows you’re gone.” The ankle monitor would be pinging warnings by now.
“Thanks for all you tried to do,” Gabe said.
The call ended as I shouted his name into the phone. My voice carried, and a few mothers glared at me. My heart pounded.
In the silence, I sat still. The school bell rang, and the children rushed out the double doors toward yellow buses or parents waiting by vans and cars.
I didn’t believe Gabe would intentionally hurt Molly. He loved his only child. But I’d seen a bad choice like this end in tragedy.
I dialed Judson’s number. I’d rather he heard it from me. The call went to voicemail. I’d wanted to tell him this directly, but a recorded message would document my warning.
I started my car, then dropped my phone on my lap and drove toward Edith’s house. If anyone had a clue about where Gabe might be going, it was her.
I pulled into her driveway a half hour later. Her car wasn’t there, but lights burned inside the house. I rushed to the front door and rang the bell. When she didn’t respond immediately, I banged my fist against the wood.
When I heard footsteps, I breathed a sigh. The door opened, and Edith appeared, curious. “What are you doing here?”
“Where’s Gabe?”
“He went to school to get Molly.”
“Did you tell him I have custody of her now?”
The lines in her face deepened. “It’s natural he’d want to be with their child.” She folded her arms. “You can’t blame Gabe. He’s heartbroken.”
“And now he has Molly, and they’re going ‘camping’—whatever the hell that means.”
“He’ll be back. He always comes back.”
“I don’t trust his judgment. He’s made a lot of bad decisions. If the cops find him, he could panic and do something stupid. Molly could get hurt.”
A muscle twitched in her jaw. “He’d never let that happen. He’ll be back.”
“He never intends for bad things to happen, Edith. But trouble always finds him.”
My fingers clenched with frustration. I added, “I’ve called Judson and told him Gabe is running. The cops will be looking for him soon. If he calls, beg him to come home.”
Turning, I stalked toward my car. Inside, my heart pumped anger through my veins. Edith stood on her porch and then turned and closed her front door.
As I backed out of the driveway, I saw the flash of police lights through the thinning tree leaves. What were the cops doing on the fire road? Gabe. Was he back here already?
I drove toward the lights, bumping along the rutted road until I saw a sheriff’s car that blocked access. A deputy approached my driver’s-side door.
I rolled down the window. “I’m Raine Hale. This is my land. What’s happening?”
The officer studied my face. “There’s a crime scene up ahead.”
Chest muscles squeezed the air from my lungs. “What happened?”
“I can’t say for now.”
“This is my land.”
“Understood. But I can’t let you pass until Agent Blackwood releases the crime scene.”
“I have a call in to Judson Blackwood.”
“Then I’m sure he’ll call you back.”
“Can you tell him I’m here?”
“I can text him. But he’s busy now.”
Short of ramming his car with mine, I wasn’t getting down this road. There were other ways to access the fire road. I could wait for Judson, or I could park at Hale House and hike into the woods and find him.