Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

D etective Paris leaned forward. "I didn't see anything about that in any of the police reports. Did you ever express your concern about foul play?"

Tinsley flinched. "I told the officers at the time, but they figured I was reaching for answers. They weren't wrong. Sophia ran away from home multiple times. The longest she stayed away was five days before she came back. I always reported her missing, and there was a part of me that worried she wouldn't return." He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I couldn't blame them for assuming she'd run away that time, too. I kept hoping that was the case because maybe it'd mean she'd eventually come to her senses and would return home."

There was silence as what the older man said settled over them all.

Nate cleared his throat, the sound loud compared to the quiet room. "Why do you think her boyfriend might be responsible for her disappearance?"

Tinsley took a deep breath as though he were trying to gather his thoughts. "They were together off and on for about a year. Sophia never told me how old he was, but I suspected he was several years older than her. Now, don't get me wrong, my daughter made plenty of poor decisions. But it was often Jeremy who either suggested them in the first place or organized them. She liked the bad boys." He shook his head sadly. "About two weeks before she disappeared, she found out that he'd been cheating on her. I don't know with who. Though drugs and alcohol and petty thefts didn't seem to bother her, cheating was where she drew the line. She left him."

Good for her.

"He wouldn't accept it. Kept coming around. Calling. Begging. Sending flowers. I found him on my property twice, trying to get her attention by throwing things at her bedroom window. He swore they were meant to be together." His eyes grew moist, and he swiped a tear away with one knuckle of his weathered hand. "One night, she snuck out and went to a party that I later learned was on my property. Her friends said she was there, and then at one point they couldn't find her. That was the last time anyone saw my daughter."

Paris leaned back and wrote several things on his phone. "Did you ever see Jeremy again? Did he ever ask about Sophia?"

"I never saw him again. Mutual friends said he moved to be closer to where his father lived, but I never even knew his father's name. I tried to locate Jeremy and never could, and no one had a clue. It's like he vanished right along with Sophia."

The detective nodded as he made some more notes. "Do you remember Jeremy's last name?"

"Price." There was no hesitation in the answer. "He lived over on Cherry Street, or at least that's what Sophia told me at the time. I never knew what to believe, though."

"I appreciate your patience. I'm sure it's not easy going through all this again." Paris slid his phone into his pocket. "I did want to ask one more question. Why did you decide to sell the property in Destiny?"

"I had to try and move on with my life. I stayed for five years after she disappeared, and every day, I waited and hoped she would return. I didn't want to leave because I worried that she'd come home, and I'd miss her. It was debilitating. I just knew that I had to put some distance between myself and that house. Too many memories. You know?"

Nate had to give the guy a lot of credit. It'd be hard not to continue to hold out hope that your loved one would return.

Paris pulled out a business card. "If you think of anything else, or if someone were to contact you about the property in Destiny, I'd appreciate it if you gave me a call. I'm going to be honest. The case we're investigating currently likely has nothing to do with you or your daughter, but I like to be thorough. If I find anything related to Sophia or Jeremy Price, I'll be in touch."

"Thank you. That's all I can ask for." Tinsley reached out to shake both of their hands. "If you have any other questions for me, feel free to call. I know it's a bit of a drive, but you're welcome to drop by if you'd prefer. I'd just appreciate some heads-up. Sometimes, it can take a bit of time and effort to get to the door." He slapped the armrests of his wheelchair good-naturedly.

"Absolutely. Thank you again, sir."

Nate and Paris got into the car and continued down the curved driveway and onto the road out front.

Paris glanced over at Nate. "First impressions? "

"He seemed genuine. I didn't feel like he was hiding anything. It seems possible that his daughter and the boyfriend might have run off together and simply never looked back. Especially since Mr. Tinsley couldn't locate Jeremy after the fact." He couldn't imagine doing that to someone who cared about him, but then it was impossible to know the mental health of the young woman. There could've been a lot of factors at play that they had no knowledge of.

"I had similar thoughts." Paris tapped the steering wheel with both thumbs. "I'd like to know more about this Jeremy Price. I want to interview him if he's still in the area somewhere. Assuming Mr. Tinsley was truthful about Jeremy stalking his daughter and trespassing to get to her, the similarities shouldn't be ignored."

He dialed Logan's number over the speaker. When the tech answered, Paris told him what they knew about Jeremy Price as well as Sophia Tinsley. "See if you can figure out what happened to Jeremy and if he's still living in the area. Expand out from there if needed. If they did run off together, it's doubtful they had the funds to live on their own. Chances are, they're in the system somewhere."

"Will do. Want me to call with results?"

"We're headed to Destiny now. Should be back in an hour and a half. I'll find you at the station."

"Yes, sir."

The call ended at the same time Nate's cell phone pinged. He glanced at the incoming text. "Looks like the watch is cleaned and ready to be picked up." When they dropped it off, Paris had gone inside as well. They'd let the jeweler know that it could be connected to a case they were investigating, and the jeweler assured them he would move the watch to the top of his list .

"Perfect. We'll swing by and pick it up before I drop you back off at the farm. If Logan finds anything, I'll give you and Bailey a call."

"I appreciate that." Nate hoped that all of this would lead to some concrete answers soon. For now, he couldn't wait to get back to Bailey and the kids.