Chapter 44

A sheen of sweat formed on Josie's forehead and upper lip. She didn't ever remember May being this hot in Denton. It was still early in the day, and they'd be in the sun for at least an hour—more, if this tip that Turner had gotten panned out. She strapped on her bulletproof vest over her Denton PD polo shirt and watched him scroll on his phone like he didn't have a care in the world. He stood at the edge of the Tranquil Trails driveway where the gravel gave way to the asphalt of Prout Road. He had removed his suit jacket in favor of his own vest, but he was still in long sleeves. How was he not sweating?

Directly across from him on the other side of Prout Road stood Officer Brennan, guarding the riding trail that led to where Seth Lee had been spotted. By the time Josie and Turner arrived, he and three other officers had done a cursory search and found nothing but an item of clothing they believed belonged to Seth. The rest of those officers had remained in the area where the clothing was located to make sure the scene was not disturbed.

"Turner," Josie called as a line of cruisers approached. Without even looking up from his phone, he stepped out of the way so the cars could pull into the driveway.

"You sure this is necessary, honey? I hoofed it through a half dozen campsites and other wilderness spots yesterday chasing these tips, and didn't find a damn thing. Just me and a couple of other guys. How many cops does it take to find nothing? Our guys already checked this one out. You sure you don't just want to call SERT?"

SERT was the state police's Special Emergency Response Team. They were specially trained to respond to high-risk situations. Comprised of a tactical unit and a negotiations unit, SERT filled in for police departments across Pennsylvania that didn't have their own SWAT units.

Josie fanned herself, wishing there were some trees to stand under. She couldn't tell if he was mocking her or not when he asked about SERT, but she answered the question as if he'd seriously meant it. "None of those tips were here, on Seth's brother's property. I'm sure that Seth feels some degree of comfort and familiarity here. It's not a stretch that he's returned here, even temporarily, and no, I don't want to call SERT. It's already been what? Two hours since dispatch got the initial call that someone thought they saw him? Since the first officers arrived on-scene? He could be long gone by now and it might take SERT another hour to arrive and set up. I'd much rather set up perimeters with our own people and start searching immediately."

The uniformed officers poured out of their vehicles and walked over, forming a loose circle near the mouth of the driveway. From the direction of the house, Rebecca Lee appeared, striding toward them, her face set in angry lines.

Turner sidled up to Josie, phone still in hand, and nudged her shoulder. "This is gonna be fun, isn't it?"

Rebecca didn't stop or even greet them. Instead, she walked right through the group of them and started to cross Prout Road, heading straight for Brennan, who stood unmoving, his eyes hidden by sunglasses. When she realized no one was following her, she paused and called over her shoulder, "Let's go. I'll take you to the other officers."

Turner, Josie, and some of the uniformed officers jogged to catch up. Turner said, "You can't be out here with us. It's not safe. We can find them ourselves."

Rebecca glared up at him. "Bullshit. This is my land."

He looked back at Josie, as if for help. "Mrs. Lee," Josie said. "Can we talk for a minute? Privately?"

Rebecca hesitated, looking toward Brennan who was still unmoving, an impenetrable barrier between her and the trail. Finally, she relented. She scowled at Turner as she followed Josie back to the driveway. Josie led her away from the group of officers. As she did, Turner walked over to Brennan. They conferred for a moment and then she heard Turner shouting out instructions for a wide perimeter around the place that Seth Lee was last seen.

Josie turned her attention back to Rebecca. "My colleague is right, Mrs. Lee. It's not safe for you to accompany us on the search."

Rebecca gestured around them. "No one knows this place better than I do! None of you have any experience with my brother-in-law. I don't think he would be violent toward me. I could talk to him. If he's even still here!"

Josie didn't mention her own experience with Seth. "I'm sure you're right, Mrs. Lee," she said. "But I still can't let you join us."

Rebecca's hands fisted at her sides. Her voice shook with rage. "This is bullshit. He's putting my clients in danger by being here, not to mention what he's doing to my livelihood. I help people here. My therapeutic riding program is meant to help people who have experienced trauma—not to cause it. He's ruining everything, and my husband keeps defending him and?—"

She broke off, chest heaving.

Josie wiped more sweat from her brow. She and Rebecca had one thing in common. They dealt with stress best if they had something to do, if they could take some kind of action. "You want to help us?"

Rebecca slowed her breathing. "Of course I want to help."

"Then you'll let us do our jobs?—"

Rebecca opened her mouth to protest but Josie stopped her with a raised palm. "And while we do, I need you to look into something for me."

"Anything."

"You're not going to like it. I can get a warrant for the information, but it will take some time?—"

"I don't want to waste more time. What is it, Detective?"

"How does Seth survive during the winter months? When it snows or the temperatures drop well below freezing?" Josie asked.

Rebecca shook her head slowly. "I told you, I don't know."

Something Rebecca had said to her husband at the outset of their investigation had bothered Josie, taking up residence in the very back of her mind, content to wait in the shadows of the larger pieces of the investigation until Josie could tend to it. "You said that your husband once rented an apartment for Seth behind your back."

Rebecca sucked in a sharp breath, the agitation on her face softening. "Yes. He did it for years without me knowing but I put a stop to it. That was a long time ago. I see everything that goes in and out now that we've taken over this place. I would know if?—"

She broke off, mouth hanging open as a thought struck her. She didn't share it.

Josie didn't think she needed any more prodding, but she said it anyway. "Is it possible that Jon was using an account that you don't review often? Or that he wasn't paying any landlord or property management company directly, but instead taking out cash to pay for Seth to have a place to stay when the weather is bad? Maybe you can check all your accounts for cash withdrawals made by Jon at regular intervals?"

Rebecca licked her lips and nodded. "Yes. I can check."

"Great," said Josie. "Now, my team is going to head down the trail where Seth was last seen."