Damn, Bennett knew him too well.
“Your buddy was in a bad place,” Bennett said. “When someone reaches the point where they’re suicidal, when they’ve made up their minds, you can’t save them. It’s a tragedy, but you have to accept it and move on.”
“Which is what I’m trying to do with work.” Derrick opened his laptop. “The history of Brambletown has always been on my radar because of that fire and the government’s resistance to take responsibility and clean up the toxins. A lot of people died because of it. And now someone built a memorial for them.” He sighed. “Some people are protesting it. It’s triggering all kinds of emotions. Which could create a hostile environment, especially with skeletal remains being discovered on the premises. A new investigation in the area might stir up the fact that they never pinpointed who was responsible for that coal fire.” He hesitated, then continued down that line of thought. “And if the person who abducted or killed the Higgins girl is still around, it could be dangerous.”
“Is that why you want to get involved? To protect that pretty detective?”
Derrick went stone cold still. He hadn’t thought about it like that. “Ellie doesn’t need or want my protection,” Derrick said grimly. “But the case is intriguing.” He swallowed hard as he looked down at his computer where he’d been searching for cases of missing teens. There were too many of them across the states, some runaways, some abductions. “Besides, if the victimis from out of state, it becomes a federal case. And the mayor did assign me to head up the task force to investigate crimes on or related to the AT.”
Ellie’s face flashed in his mind, but he banished it and forced himself to turn back to the missing persons reports. At least five across the U.S. running from South Georgia to North Carolina to Tennessee.
Once he finished digging into them, he’d head to the mountains.
His interest had nothing to do with Ellie. Absolutely nothing at all.
TWENTY
Brambletown
Ellie tapped the steering wheel as she passed the Welcome to Brambletown sign. The country road leading here had been winding with switchbacks, the muddy roads slick, causing her to drive at a snail’s pace.
“No ID on the girl yet,” Ellie told Shondra. “But I sent Dr. Whitefeather the names of two missing teens so she can request DNA and dental records. That’s a start. Hopefully we’ll have an answer soon.” She tilted her head toward Shondra. “Now tell me about this town. I’ve already met the local sheriff, Clint Wallace. A heads-up, he didn’t exactly roll out the welcome banner.”
Shondra arched a black brow. “Not a surprise. His father was sheriff at the time Ruth Higgins went missing. And according to the police reports, Clint was dating Ruth and questioned in her disappearance.”
Ellie worked her mouth from side to side. “Interesting. He didn’t mention that when we talked. Was he a person of interest?”
“He was questioned. Claimed he had no idea where Ruth was that night. His father quickly cleared him from the list of suspects.”
“I bet he did.” Most fathers would do anything to protect their sons. “Go on.”
“Ruth’s father, Edward, was mayor and also questioned. According to the case notes, he and his wife, Gina, were extremely distraught. Others stated that he was possessive of Ruth and didn’t approve of her dating.”
Ellie tucked that tidbit away in her mind as Shondra continued. “His other daughter, Tilly, was a year younger than Ruth and was described as shy, bookish and frightened. Said in her statement that her sister snuck out that night. Tilly thought Ruth might have been meeting Clint Wallace, but Ruth claimed she wasn’t and wouldn’t tell her who she was meeting. Apparently, Ruth and Clint had broken up the day before.”
“Goes to motive.”
“Right. Although Clint’s buddies gave him an alibi.” Shondra tapped the file. “Ruth and Tilly’s brother, Hayden, was known as a hothead and picked fights. A week before Ruth disappeared, he got into a brawl with Clint Wallace and sent Wallace to the hospital with a broken finger. Their mother, Gina, gave Hayden an alibi, said he got along great with everyone, and that he was home that night. But his alibi was shaky. The family fell apart after graduation and he joined the Army.”
Sounded like the family might not have been so perfect behind closed doors.
“There’s more,” Shondra said. “The Bramble girls, Hetty and Ida, butted heads with Ruth over Clint and they got into a catfight with Ruth at the Dairy Queen. Witnesses stated it was quite the scandal, that hot fudge, cherries and sugar cones were flying everywhere.”
Ellie pictured the scene and bit back a smile. Teenagers did run on high emotions.
“Were they angry enough to kill her though?”
Shondra shrugged. “Apparently the Brambles had a bad reputation in town. Their father, Earl, was known as a drunk who had a violent streak. Rumors spread that he killed Ruth and got rid of the body.”
“Was he arrested?”
“Sheriff Wallace brought him in but had to release him due to lack of evidence and no body. Shortly after that, Earl Bramble disappeared himself.”
“Which made him look guilty as hell,” Ellie said.
“And the reason Sheriff Wallace finally shut down the investigation. With no body or witnesses and Bramble in the wind, the whole mess just died down.”
“And remains unsolved,” Ellie surmised. “Although our current case may have nothing to do with the past, it’s nice to have some background on the players in town.”
