Chapter 29

TWENTY-NINE

Josie’s heart pounded as the big black truck rolled into her yard and Sheriff Jenna Alton climbed out followed by Deputy Kane. After the call from Lily about her encounter with Jess, her mind had been reeling. She’d expected phone calls from some of the others, either offering support or giving her guidance about what she should do next. The guys seem to have everything under control and none of them appears to be particularly worried about what was going on. The idea of ignoring everything and just keeping their heads down seems to be working for them, but now Marissa was missing and the sheriff was heading for her front door. Panic gripped her as she stood in the passageway waiting for the knock on the door. She tried hard to compose herself as she reached for the door handle. “Is there any news about Marissa?”

“Yes, can we come inside and speak to you?” Sheriff Alton looked at her. Her face was pale and drawn.

Standing to one side, Josie allowed them to pass. “The family room is on the left. It’s warmer in there.” She followed them inside, but nobody took a seat. They just stood there looking at her. “Have you found her? Where is she? Is she okay?”

“Maybe you’d better sit down.” Deputy Kane took her arm and led her to the sofa. “It’s not good news, I’m afraid.”

Josie swallowed hard. “What’s happened?”

“We found the body of who we believe is Marissa Kendrick out at the Old Mitcham Ranch. We traced her truck there.” Sheriff Alton perched on the edge of the sofa beside her. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Overwhelmed with grief, Josie wrapped her arms around her stomach and rocked back and forth. Tears streamed down her face and moments later, Deputy Kane was pressing a glass of water into her hands. She stared at the water as it trembled, unable to comprehend what had happened. “How did she die?”

“The cause of death is unknown at this time but we’re treating the matter as a homicide.” Deputy Kane looked at her. “You might have information that will help us catch her killer.”

“We checked her vehicle GPS, and after she left you at Aunt Betty’s Café, she went by the ranch.” Sheriff Alton leaned forward, looking at her. “Did she mention anything about meeting someone at the ranch over lunch?”

Unable to control her sobs, Josie shook her head and looked from one to the other. “No, she mentioned buying groceries and I watched her heading in that direction when I went to my vehicle. We talked about general things, friends, and her work and clients. There was absolutely no mention about meeting anyone. I couldn’t possibly imagine why she’d go anywhere like the Old Mitcham Ranch. She is reluctant even to leave town to visit old friends in a group of people. She would never go somewhere like that on her own.”

“I see you were close friends.” Deputy Kane pulled a large plastic bag from inside his coat pocket and held it up to display two phones. “Did she ever mention why she needed a burner phone? It seems very strange for someone who doesn’t socialize very much.”

Josie stared at the phones in disbelief. How could Marissa have been so stupid as to have carried them both at the same time? She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself and then indicated to the light blue smartphone. “I recognize that one. Marissa carried it around all the time. I can only imagine that she kept the other one for work. She is a very private person and perhaps she liked to keep her clients separate.” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes.

“Hmm, that’s very interesting.” Sheriff Alton tapped her bottom lip as if considering what she’d said. “Would you mind calling her phone, please? I would be interested to know if she’s using the burner phone for her friends. It would be very unusual for a business to use a burner phone unless it was corrupt, and as she is a tax agent it might be something we need to look into.”

Desperately torn between keeping quiet and telling the sheriff everything she knew, Josie stood and went to the kitchen to collect her phone. If she called the burner, then would she be admitting she knew it existed, and if she didn’t, would it make Marissa look as if she were a corrupt tax agent? She sucked in a steadying breath, not knowing what to do for the best. Fingers trembling, she made the decision. Marissa was dead and she had herself and the others to protect now. She called Marissa’s smartphone. When it rang, she hurried back to the family room.

“You can disconnect now.” Deputy Kane was looking at the smartphone. “You came up on the caller ID.”

“Okay, that’s all we need for now.” Sheriff Alton stood and handed her a card. “I’d like you to run through the conversation you had with Marissa at Aunt Betty’s. If you can recall anything at all that might lead us to who did this to your friend, it doesn’t matter how small or seemingly insignificant.” She sighed. “Also, if you can recall any living relatives she might have, we’ll need to contact them. Do you know if she had a lawyer?”

Feeling numb from shock, Josie nodded. “Sam Cross does just about everything in town. We talked about making wills some time ago and his name came up. I don’t recall any names of her relatives, but he might know. I remember when her folks died, no one came to the funeral.”

“That information is very useful.” Sheriff Alton headed for the door. “Thank you for your assistance.”

Josie sat down hard on the sofa, staring at the phone in her hand. She needed to call Lily but hesitated, not sure if it was the right thing to do. Confusion gripped her. Everyone should be told about Marissa but she needed to follow the rules. Taking a deep breath, she made the call. “Lily, you need to get away from everyone for a second. I have some terrible news to give you.”

“Okay, I’ll go into the break room.” The music from the beauty parlor was muted as she shut the door. “I’m all alone. What’s happened?”

Trying hard not to break down and cry, Josie pressed the phone against her ear. “Marissa’s dead. Someone murdered her out at the Old Mitcham Ranch sometime after we had lunch at Aunt Betty’s Café yesterday. The sheriff was just here asking me questions. As far as they’re concerned, I’m the last person to see her alive.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus, no. Marissa’s dead? Why did they head straight to you? They can’t possibly believe that you murdered her, can they?” Lily let out a sob, fighting back tears. “Who would do such a thing? Marissa never hurt anyone and what was she doing out at that horrible old ranch? No one in their right mind would go there alone.”

Trying to stay calm, Josie sipped the water Deputy Kane had given her. “No, she wouldn’t go there alone but everything points to the fact she did. The sheriff has her truck’s GPS records and it showed that she left Aunt Betty’s Café and headed out to the Old Mitcham Ranch. They also have her burner phone.”

“They what?” A chair screeched as metal legs tore across tile and Lily let out a long breath as she sat down. “Now you know why Wyatt insisted that we keep only one number on each phone. If we’d had everyone’s numbers, it wouldn’t take them too long to discover our identities. You have his burner number, don’t you? If so, I suggest you contact him immediately and let him know what’s going on. I’ll call Dustin Crawley—he’ll pass it on and get back to me. It’s not suspicious, us talking, because we always do and now with what’s happened to Marissa it would be normal.” She blew her nose and cleared her throat. “ This is terrible. I can’t think straight. Do you figure she was killed because she wanted to go to the cops? Heck, I agreed with her. What if one of the guys killed her to shut her up? Do you figure any of them are capable of murder? If so, maybe we should risk it and tell the sheriff. I’m not planning on being murdered anytime soon.”

One slip of the tongue and they’d all go to prison. Pulling on her inner strength, Josie shook her head. “She was my best friend, but we can’t fall to pieces and start blaming each other.” She stared at the wood burning in the fire and the dancing orange flames. “We live in a town known for serial killers. Her murder could be a random act of violence, and no, after all these years, if one of us was a killer, we’d know long before now. Get the word out and I’ll do the same. For heaven’s sake, act normal. Our friend has been murdered, so it’s okay to be upset.” She disconnected and stood to retrieve her burner. The phones would be running hot tonight.