28

Fraley Farm

Jenkins Road, Fayetteville, 5:00 p.m.

Bent braked to a stop and turned to Vera. You sure you want to do this?

Vera got it that he really didn t want to. He d thrown out that question already when she first mentioned the idea. They walked away from the cave, and she asked-no, demanded-to see former Sheriff Fraley. Maybe the request came at that moment only to get under Bent s skin after the way he d grilled her, or maybe all his queries had been a reminder of things she didn t want to examine too closely. Either way, this was something she needed to do.

And if he was intent on clearing her family as he said, he needed this as much as she did.

Why wouldn t I? She angled her head and pointed a questioning glare at him. Is there some reason I shouldn t?

She had spoken to Beatrice earlier today. She d seemed eager to help. The former sheriff had been resting. Hopefully, he was up by now and Beatrice had discussed Vera s request with him.

Bent shoved the gear shift into Park. I guess not.

He was frustrated, maybe even a little angry. Join the club.

She opened her door and got out. Without waiting for him, she strode toward the house. Walter Walt and Beatrice Fraley owned a sizable property with a couple of barns, a big old farmhouse, and a half dozen or so cows grazing in a distant pasture. Massive trees shaded the house. Flowers bloomed all around the porch. Beatrice s doing, probably. The woman had always kept a vase of flowers on her desk every day at school. She and Vera s mother had that in common. The truck that had been in the drive earlier was gone now. Vera hoped that was no indication the Fraleys weren t home. She needed that list. Hopefully, there had been time for Beatrice to speak with her husband about Vera s request.

Today s visit with Beatrice had been relaxed and friendly, the way Vera remembered her former teacher. When she and Florence had delivered that casserole, however, Vera had sensed something troubling Beatrice. She d obviously been uncomfortable with the way her friend had conducted herself. Vera s gut clenched when she thought of Florence Higdon. Like her husband and son, the judge, the woman was utterly full of herself. But she was Luna s boss-one who would be retiring soon. Luna loved her work at the library. She would be stepping into that position. Vera did not want to do anything to screw that up for her.

Vera waited at the front door until Bent caught up with her. When he did, she gestured to the door for him to knock. Since she had told him about the earlier visit, she didn t understand why he was so hesitant about this one.

His gaze sticking to hers, he opened the screen door and knocked on the wood one behind it. He kept that steady watch on her until a voice on the other side of the door shouted, It s unlocked. Come on in.

Maybe Bent worried his presence would make the visit feel like an interrogation.

Whatever his hesitation, he opened the door and waited for her to step inside first. She walked past him and into the long narrow hall.

In here, the feeble voice called.

Vera was startled at how weak the man s voice sounded. She entered the room on the left, where he waited in a wheelchair. Like her father, Walter Fraley had aged far beyond his years. But then, ill health did that. Multiple sclerosis was a hideous disease. The frail man before her was proof.

Sheriff Fraley. She smiled. You remember me? Vera Boyett.

How could I forget you? He chuckled, then coughed. You ll have to excuse me for not standing. He gestured to the chair.

I understand, sir.

Bent. Fraley gave him a nod of acknowledgment. Y all have a seat.

Thanks for seeing us without notice, Walt. Bent waited for Vera to sit first.

Fraley chuckled. It s not like my calendar is full.

Vera perched on the edge of the sofa nearer to Fraley. His wheelchair was parked next to a side table only a few feet away.

Bent settled at the other end, giving her much-appreciated space.

I was sorry to hear, Fraley began, about Sheree. Course this is the outcome I expected when she first went missing.

You never considered the possibility that she ran off with another man? Vera was interested in the former sheriff s reasons for the conclusion.

Fraley contemplated her for a moment. I did, of course, but deep down it didn t feel right. Mostly because she had it made with your daddy. He gave her anything she wanted and seemed oblivious to her running around.

This was accurate, for the most part. Toward the end there had been some arguing between the two, generally instigated by Sheree.

Did Beatrice mention that she and I talked this morning while you were resting?

He frowned. She didn t, but then at our age things slip our minds more easily than they once did.

Regret and frustration nudged Vera, but she let it slide. No need to press the issue.

Can you walk me through your investigation? Vera asked. Bent shifted his position, and she glanced at him. Bent has gone over some of it with me, but not the finer details.

He didn t look at her, kept his attention on Fraley. Just as well, he wouldn t have liked the look she fired back.

When Sheree didn t come home that first night, Fraley said, Vernon came to see me. I told him we needed to give her another day to see if she showed up before we panicked.

Her father had panicked anyway. He d searched all night. She and Eve were scared to death. They both had to miss school the next day to take care of Luna. Then they had the weekend to figure something out for the baby. Their father was in no condition to do anything for his daughters, not even baby Luna. Beatrice arranged a rotating lineup of sitters among her ladies group from church. Vera appreciated the help, but the sympathetic and sometimes judgmental looks from the volunteers were not what they needed. The unpleasant attitudes hadn t bothered Vera as much as they had Eve. She d been devastated by all of it.

Understandable, given what had happened in that bathroom.

Vernon and I, Fraley went on, discussed anyone who might be considered close to Sheree or a friend, but to tell the truth, she didn t really have any friends. Most of the women in town didn t like her for reasons I m sure you re aware of.

As Fraley spoke, Bent checked the screen on his cell phone, then stood and walked out of the room.

Vera s gut knotted. Probably something else about the case.

Strong-arming her attention back to the former sheriff, she asked, What about this Garth Rimmey? Vera vaguely recalled him coming to the house once and arguing with Sheree. Her father wasn t home, but Vera called him. Afterward, she wished she hadn t. The two, her father and Rimmey, argued fiercely. They didn t come to blows, but Vera and Eve were terrified. Evidently their father had called Sheriff Fraley en route, and he showed up just in time.

I grilled that man, Fraley said with a shaky nod. I even kept him in holding for nearly seventy-two hours. Nowadays you couldn t get away with that without an arrest, but things were a little different back then. He got himself a lawyer and complained that we d tried to beat a confession out of him, but the truth is, he was all beat up when we picked him up.

The memory of a hushed conversation between her father and the sheriff whispered through her mind. The sheriff demanding to know if her father was sure and him insisting that if Rimmey had known anything, he would have talked.

Don t you just hate the ones who do that sort of thing. Vera smiled, no matter that the remark was a bit on the sarcastic side. Fraley or one of his deputies had likely beat the hell out of Rimmey. Then again, she supposed it could have been her father. He had been out searching for Sheree that whole night after she disappeared.

Not that Vera had any sympathy for the scumbag either way, but there were laws protecting those suspected of crimes. No matter how undeserving.

You mean like you, a little voice said. Vera dismissed it. She hadn t committed a serious crime . . . she d only cleaned up after what might have been one. No. It was an accident.

You re satisfied, Vera asked, moving on, with the people you interviewed and the extent to which you went to determine what happened to Sheree?

I am. We interviewed all your neighbors. All the shopkeepers and folks around town who might have had reason to run into Sheree. A few husbands and boyfriends who preferred to stay anonymous to prevent their wives and girlfriends from learning about their bad behavior-Bent won t have found statements in the file from those. As long as they had an alibi I could confirm, I respected their requests for privacy. He gave a solemn nod. Your daddy even offered a reward to anyone who could provide information leading to an arrest. A few came forward with stories, but none that survived close scrutiny.

Vera had forgotten about the reward. Ten thousand dollars. A lot of money in those days. Not exactly a pittance now.

What about my father? Vera ventured. Did you have any reason whatsoever to believe he might be involved in her disappearance?

Fraley shook his head. None at all. I ve never seen a man more devastated over the loss of his wife. Still, I didn t let him off so easy. I ve seen a few who can fake devastation. Not on that level, still I did my due diligence. I checked with his coworkers. He was at work the day Sheree disappeared. Went in at eight that morning and didn t leave until just past five.

He d come home at 5:30 p.m. Eve had been terrified that he would recognize they were lying about not having seen Sheree that afternoon. Turned out, they were convincing enough. He d never appeared to doubt their story.

A month later we d all concluded that-as long as she was still breathing-she d left and didn t want to be found.

But now, Vera said, you know that wasn t the case.

I m sorry to say that s right.

Looking back, Vera said, would you have done anything differently?

Fraley s wrinkled brow furrowed deeper in concentration as his gaze turned distant. After at least thirty endless seconds pounded out in her veins, he blinked, set his gaze back on hers. Not one thing.

In Vera s opinion, that was saying something. Apparently she and Eve had been better at covering up what really happened than she d realized.

What about the other remains found in the cave? she ventured. Was there anyone who went missing in the two or three years before Sheree? Or in the past five years? Another case that was never solved?

Fraley gave a wobbly shake of his head. I can confidently say that Sheree was the only unsolved missing persons case we had in this county during my tenure as sheriff.

A fine record, Vera said. He d been a good sheriff. Her parents had always spoken highly of him.

Just doing my job.

When I spoke to Beatrice, Vera went on, I asked her to put together a list of my parents friends. I m hoping to talk to anyone close enough to have known about the cave. She was going to speak with you to get your input.

I m sure she will. She had to run out this afternoon. As you can imagine, she has to work around my needs for most everything.

Vera understood. It was a difficult situation. Do you recall anyone who might have been that close to my parents?

He pondered her question for a good long while. Maybe a whole minute. Felt like ten. Well, he began, to the best of my knowledge, your mama and daddy had two sets of close friends. Me and Beatrice and Charles and Florence. No one else that I know of were so close. But the two had many friends, to be sure. I m just not sure any of those folks were close enough to have had your daddy or your mama covering for murder, if that s what you re looking for.

Not exactly the answer Vera had hoped for. What about helpers? Maybe someone who did work around the house or the farm? Cut the hay? Someone like that may have known about the cave.

Walt bent forward, rubbed at his forehead. He d obviously lost the ability to reach upward. When he raised up again, he said, No one who comes to mind right off. Your daddy had horses at one time, which prevented the need to cut the pastures for hay. He never allowed any hunting, so I m guessing the answer is no. He and your mother took care of the maintenance around the house. Does that mean there wasn t somebody who snooped around and found the cave? Course not. Folks do things they aren t supposed to do all the time.

Vera exhaled a breath of disappointed exhaustion. Thank you, Sheriff Fraley. I suppose I m grasping at straws.

You should call me Walt, Vee. I ve known you since before you were born.

Walt, she repeated, somehow managing a smile. I appreciate your time.

Talk to Bea again and to Florence, he suggested. They knew all the gossip on everyone-still do. He laughed, then coughed long and hard for the effort. If someone was close enough to one of your parents to know about the cave, those two could tell you. They know everything that happens around here. They were my go-to informants for local gossip. He frowned then. When Sheree went missing was the one and only time those two seemed to fall down on the job. He smiled sadly. I suppose everyone gets it wrong sometimes. In fact, they were so wrong I warned them that I d better never hear any such rumor floating around town.

Vera hesitated. Part of her didn t want to ask . . . but she had to know. The ladies had a scenario about who was responsible for Sheree s disappearance that they shared with you?

Oh yeah. He nodded. But I don t think you re going to like it.

I need to know, she assured him.

He gave a wobbly nod. They were both convinced it was you girls.