Zach’s day started off with the identity of his dead girl and went downhill from there. Elouise Perkins. He’d thought he knew everyone in town, but the Perkins family kept to themselves. They lived in a little trailer just outside town on ten acres that nobody wanted despite their trying to parcel it off for years. He’d had a few run-ins with Michael Perkins over the years since he’d been back in town. The man liked his booze, and when he got rolling, he liked to pick fights.241Please respect copyright.PENANAaJnUWMtmcG
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Zach climbed out of his cruiser and walked to the trailer door. Informing the family of their only daughter’s death was a new one for him, too, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. Hell, he wasn’t liking his job all that much right now. He liked the slow small-town life. The calls he usually went on were for petty little things like noise complaints and property-line disputes. Michael Perkins getting into a bar fight was the worst he had to deal with, and that was just fine by him.241Please respect copyright.PENANAq231RuKy1o
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It took nearly ten years, but death followed me home.241Please respect copyright.PENANAR40nGliz7Q
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Zach knew it wasn’t that simple, knew that this murder had nothing to do with his time away, but a small, superstitious part of him couldn’t help wondering. As much time and distance as he’d put between himself and what had happened in the desert, if he closed his eyes, he could be back there in an instant, a coating of dust on the back of his tongue, his hearing half-gone from the deafening sound of gunfire, his vision narrowed down to bright splashes of red against the background of browns.241Please respect copyright.PENANAreEmWZeSoE
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I’m not there. One thing has nothing to do with the other.241Please respect copyright.PENANAFRKKTwtb3g
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The door opened before he got there, Ruby Perkins staring at him with lifeless eyes. They’d been in the same year at school before she’d dropped out because she was pregnant. Pregnant with Elouise. The thought made him sick to his stomach. “Ruby.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAc70Bia2xp2
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“You’re here about my girl.” Her voice was just as empty as her dark eyes. “She’s dead, ain’t she?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAVbW8wTYHtF
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That stopped him cold. “What makes you think that?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAieRj1evOPc
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“Heard that you found a dead girl yesterday, and here you are with that look on your face, so that means the dead girl is my girl.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAwk8Z2PDRHj
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“You heard about the body being found?” Damn it, even without the coroner office’s leak, keeping information under wraps in Clear Springs was downright impossible.241Please respect copyright.PENANAzOHFBYolWD
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“Everyone has.” She stepped back, opening the door farther for him. “You might as well come in. You want something to drink?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAv8FyAAM2Zy
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“No.” The word came out sharper than he intended, but nothing about this encounter was going like he’d thought. “Why didn’t you come to the station if she was missing?”241Please respect copyright.PENANA8PjUqcbHgO
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A rustling in the back of the trailer made him turn as Michael Perkins walked into the main living space. It had been a few weeks since he’d been in the back of Zach’s police car, and he looked even worse than he had then. His belly hung over his jeans, escaping the white tank top that was a few sizes too small, and his hair stuck out oddly, not hiding the fact that it was thinning rapidly. His face had the vaguely red and bloated look of a regular drinker, and Zach had to fight against coughing at the strong stench of whiskey coming off him. It’s always whiskey.241Please respect copyright.PENANATvMXTx0uTk
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He took a careful breath. “Michael. I’ve come about Elouise.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAIsXKfvrPoJ
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Michael flopped onto the couch and held out his hand. Ruby scuttled over and handed him a freshly opened beer, her head ducked and her shoulders hunched. It made Zach sick to his stomach. He knew those signs. He’d seen them often enough during his time in the force. They didn’t have much in the way of domestic abuse in Clear Springs—not since a few families moved out—but it was known to happen from time to time.241Please respect copyright.PENANAJ0aMpwiJ59
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Apparently it happened here.241Please respect copyright.PENANA75ecRLbdt0
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He thought of the rainbow of bruises on Elouise’s body and went cold. “When’s the last time you saw your daughter?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAgklPHP7Uan
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“A few days. Maybe a week.” Michael waved that off. “What I want to know is how you’re going to make this right?”241Please respect copyright.PENANATuQHeglmFj
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If anything, he got colder. “We’re pursuing all avenues—”241Please respect copyright.PENANAJk3akjxeIy
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“Not that.” Another casual wave, though there was nothing casual about the way his bloodshot blue eyes watched Zach. “People are talking, talking about how she was found, how everyone saw all there is to see of our girl. It’s not okay.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAIXkCJYKW22
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“I’m not arguing that.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAJ7KirbcYfN
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“Then you need to make it right. Can you really put a price on the kind of pain Ruby and I have experienced because your people didn’t stop those dipshit kids?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAmopOO5v2R6
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Zach stared. Surely he was hearing the other man wrong? “You want me to pay you?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAS9bZQjLZg0
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“Emotional trauma. It’s worth a pretty penny.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAnEqrtD7FjO
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It was everything he could do to hold himself perfectly still and keep his voice calm. “I’m sorry for your loss—both of yours. We’ll find out who gossiped about the state Elouise was found in, and they’ll answer for what they did. Once the medical examiner up in Augusta is finished, we’ll release Elouise’s body to you for burial.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAuROiz2aQLt
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Michael sneered. “Guess we’re going to be expected to pay for that, too. What a crock of shit.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAzF18C3y0xa
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“Get the fuck over it.” The words were out before he could think better of it, but he wasn’t in the mood to play nice, not when this idiot was shitting all over the memory of his daughter. He clenched his jaw. “What can you tell me about the last time you saw her?”“Dunno.”241Please respect copyright.PENANA5SJpW840xv
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He wanted to hit Michael so bad he could practically taste it. Zach had never liked the man, but now he was finding that he actually loathed him. Needing to distract himself, he turned to Ruby. “What about you?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAKqmpEvAFSC
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Her shoulders hunched a little more, like she was trying to close up on herself. “She was leaving.” She disappeared down the hall, reappearing a few seconds later with a small stack of papers in her hands. “She got into college without telling us.” She passed them over, and sure enough, there were half a dozen acceptance letters from state schools. One had even offered her a full ride. He kept reading, the ice in his chest spreading at the mention of a wonderful letter of recommendation from none other than Martha Collins.241Please respect copyright.PENANASyR5e1RiR1
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Fuck.241Please respect copyright.PENANAGH1OCfRpBI
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He motioned to the letters. “Can I take these?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAe9iHeU802a
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“Go for it.” Michael spoke from his spot on the couch. “Now get the fuck out if you’re not going to be helpful.”241Please respect copyright.PENANA5xszRVsOuU
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Zach ignored him, taking a moment to meet Ruby’s gaze. “I’m going to find out who hurt your daughter. Justice will be done.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAih1PSrAGTW
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For a second, something like life sparked in her dark eyes, but it was gone almost as fast as it came. Instead of answering, she went to the fridge, opened another beer, and delivered it to Michael as he was swigging the last of his first one. They both ignored Zach, so he saw himself out.241Please respect copyright.PENANAe1kAgjSpgq
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He started up his cruiser and just stared out the windshield. The visit had opened up too many possibilities. If Michael knocked his daughter around, chances were that her trying to leave Clear Springs behind for good had pushed him over the edge and he’d killed her. Most homicides were perpetrated by the people closest to the murder victim—he knew enough to know that, and there was the whole thought process that said the simplest answer was most likely the true answer. The simplest answer was that Michael Perkins was an abusive son of a bitch, and he’d finally snapped.241Please respect copyright.PENANAz8HodYsNwU
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But there were the new tattoos to consider.241Please respect copyright.PENANAcgX3ZfSo0n
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And the fact that Martha Collins had known the girl well enough to write her a recommendation letter.241Please respect copyright.PENANAgVcYaQaBTP
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There was no help for it. He was going to have to go back out to Elysia and give talking to Martha another shot. He cursed and threw the car into gear. The trip took twenty minutes, and he was greeted by the same closed gates as last time. At least it wasn’t Joseph leaning against the fence with the shotgun held casually in his hands—it was Lee.241Please respect copyright.PENANAafAYUirMNX
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She has to know something’s up. Even if she closes the gates on a regular basis, she wouldn’t leave one of her favorite three out here at all times if she wasn’t serious about keeping everyone away.241Please respect copyright.PENANAKePyQRI0YR
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He had to wonder if it was the murder that caused this change of behavior—or if it was the return of her daughter.241Please respect copyright.PENANA7gZnyT8SZ1
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Zach shook his head. “This is going to be a goddamn nightmare.” He climbed out of the cruiser and waved. “Lee.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAp5MKYTgQtQ
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“Howdy, Sheriff.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAjOfHzQ3miX
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Of Martha’s three core men, Lee was the least aggravating to Zach. He seemed to be exactly what he was—an attractive black guy in his late twenties who always had a ready smile and rolled with the punches. Zach wasn’t dumb enough to think he was exactly what he appeared to be, but it made it easier to talk with him. He nodded at the gates. “More meditation?”241Please respect copyright.PENANATYZsDWZVY4
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“You know how it goes.” Lee’s smile was white against his dark skin, as if inviting Zach in on the joke. “Martha gets her mind set on something, and that’s how it is. Three days of nonexposure to the outside world is exactly what our people need.” His smile disappeared. “She’s not wrong this time, either. World’s a terrible place.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAoG0t9jY2vJ
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“You know something about that?”241Please respect copyright.PENANA6GZHwzBQ4a
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Lee shrugged. “I know enough. We might not have television here, but it’s impossible not to hear what’s going on out there. War, murder, rape, corruption on every level. It’s better in Elysia. Simpler. Martha takes care of us, and we take care of her right back.” The edge to the words stung.241Please respect copyright.PENANAXIEOfekEGN
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Zach raised his eyebrows. “I have no problem with Martha and her flock—never have. But I do have some questions for her regarding an ongoing investigation, and I’d really appreciate it if she’d oblige to talk to me—sooner rather than later.” He didn’t much like groveling to get an interview with the woman, but he’d do that and worse to get some answers where Elouise Perkins was concerned.241Please respect copyright.PENANAUohclFRzaU
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“Investigation? That sounds awful official for some kids just trespassing again.”241Please respect copyright.PENANA2Q2oGwxw0k
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If Lee knew about the murder, he was a better actor than people gave him credit for. But then, he was also one of the more public faces of Elysia, the pinnacle of what a person could accomplish by joining up and signing over everything they had in search of a simpler life. That meant Zach couldn’t trust him as far as he could throw him. Even if Lee didn’t know a damn thing, he’d cover for Martha, no questions asked.241Please respect copyright.PENANAEbhPSxDVcv
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He wanted to drop the information to see if he got a response, but if Martha didn’t know about the murder yet, he wasn’t going to give her a chance to practice her reactions. So Zach just nodded at the closed gates. “Tell her that I want to see her when you’re open again.”241Please respect copyright.PENANA6SvrkvIhQh
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“She already knows.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAaGUI8VFzWt
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Because I was here yesterday. Not because she’s some kind of prophet.241Please respect copyright.PENANAfdwOKRpLGV
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He tipped his hat. “See you around, Lee.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAOqqragHNOu
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“You, too, Sheriff Owens.” At least coming from him, it didn’t sound like the threat it had from Joseph. That just meant Lee was the more dangerous of the two, because no one would expect a blow coming from his direction.241Please respect copyright.PENANAVbTq9f7rN5
Did you extend that same charm and easy smile to Elouise Perkins? Coming from the life she had, she was ripe pickings for the likes of Lee and the Elysians. They prided themselves on scooping up lost sheep and offering them a safe home, something Elouise desperately needed.241Please respect copyright.PENANAZRrtVEX0fA
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But then, for all intents and purposes, it looked like Elouise had planned on attending college. He’d have to have that verified. He called Chase as he headed back to town.241Please respect copyright.PENANAJhziHk576T
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“Sheriff?”241Please respect copyright.PENANActeTfohOMv
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“I need you to call Montana State and see if they have any record of Elouise Perkins signing up for classes, going through registration, anything that would set up a timeline for when she was last seen.” If they could confirm she’d been down there, he might have to send someone to talk to anyone who might have seen her. The last week of August was registration week, and it was a nightmare with so many people coming and going, though, so it was going to be something like searching for a needle in a haystack.241Please respect copyright.PENANAWgnPN2y0WG
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“What about her parents?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAElZhbAQ0wA
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Thinking about them was enough to have him tightening his grip on the steering wheel. “They haven’t seen her in at least a couple days, if not a week, which means we can’t rely on them to pinpoint the day she was taken. We need to know exactly who saw her last.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAypwtXYoFKo
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“Roger that. It’s pretty early, so I should be able to get ahold of someone in their registrar’s office.”241Please respect copyright.PENANA1goWKBX3vj
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“I’m headed back to the station now. See you in a few.” He hung up; the sheer number of unanswered questions he had staggered him. As much as he wanted to pin all the blame on Michael Perkins—and he would pursue that avenue without fail—it was starting to look more and more like someone up at Elysia was involved.241Please respect copyright.PENANA8CJEkTTRGP
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And it was equally likely they’d keep stonewalling him until kingdom come. He might not have started any problems with Martha, but that didn’t mean she was going to bend over backward to be helpful. If she or one of her people was involved, she’d do everything in her considerable power to keep it from him.241Please respect copyright.PENANA7JQitFzE4t
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Zach cursed. Really, there was only one avenue open to him, as much as he didn’t like it. He pulled the cruiser over to the side of the road and dug out Eden Collins’s card. It took twenty minutes to get ahold of someone over at Quantico to confirm she actually was an FBI agent, and then another ten to get in contact with the director of her branch of the BAU, Britton Washburne.241Please respect copyright.PENANAobizFmVddN
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“Washburne.” The deep tones of the voice that came on the phone soothed him almost instantly—and Zach had no doubt the man on the other end used that as a tool at his disposal when it suited him.241Please respect copyright.PENANAwlLyBQkKgB
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“Zach Owens here. I’m sheriff of Clear Springs, Montana, and I have one of your agents here in town.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAAkkfbzoRId
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“Eden Collins.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAG47n1I6RVW
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He didn’t have to ask how the man knew whom he was talking about. Not much got past the FBI when it came to their own people, he imagined. “She says she’s here unofficially.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAXRhoXHOYgn
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“She’s on her own time, yes.”241Please respect copyright.PENANArzT8fpgQkA
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Which wasn’t the same thing at all. Zach narrowed his eyes. “Just how much do you know about where Eden comes from?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAvVHkdRjFiR
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“I know enough. I’m sure you’re not calling and wasting my time to gossip about family connections she left in the past nearly a decade ago.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAY1MBhIMmS0
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He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, hating that he felt like a kid tattling to the principal. “You trust her?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAOs20vwyWxE
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“You are wasting my time, Sheriff.” Washburne sighed. “I trust her with my life—several times over. She’s been above reproach from the time she went through the academy. Is there a reason for your call? Or are you on a fishing expedition?”241Please respect copyright.PENANA6Mhl6kvaTh
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He was beginning to feel like the latter. “Thank you for your time.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAq2kV8g6rHu
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“Have a good rest of your day.” Washburne hung up.241Please respect copyright.PENANAuER9pRQFSs
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He didn’t think that was likely. In fact, his day was going to hell in a handbasket faster than he could say, Fuck this. Zach dialed the number on the card Eden had given him.241Please respect copyright.PENANAG498iRTxmh
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“Hello?”241Please respect copyright.PENANABPfz5CDfnN
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There was no point in beating around the bush. “Are you still in town?”241Please respect copyright.PENANAFqbxEOjyqY
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She hesitated. “For the time being.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAuKbjf7EMpZ
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“I’ve reconsidered your offer. Can you meet me in Augusta in an hour? There’s a little coffee shop just outside town on 435.”241Please respect copyright.PENANAtp60HJlPoa
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“I know it.” Another hesitation. “I’ll see you there.”241Please respect copyright.PENANA7qAOFAw4hG
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She didn’t sound happy about it, but he couldn’t really blame her. There wasn’t a single thing about their current situation that inspired happiness . . . and he was about to go and shit all over her day.241Please respect copyright.PENANArqgoEx4oal
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