Brambletown
Tilly had managed to hide out from the Brambles and keep a low profile with the locals the day before, but if she wanted answers about Ruth’s disappearance, she had to face her fears and dive in.
She spent the morning photographing the memorial, making notes on the names of those buried and interviewing spectators who’d visited to pay their respects. Some had no connection to the people who’d died at the hands of the coal mountain fire and toxins but were intrigued by the history; several others had lost family members and wanted to honor them. Many brought flowers and took photographs in front of the stonework. There were also a handful of locals protesting the memorial with picket signs saying the shrine to the dead was only driving another stake in their hearts and would incite people to move away again. Already the neighborhoods closest to the cemetery hummed with sadness.
One man with burn scars on his face and arms stood in front of a marker etched with the name Thomas Franklin. Tilly paused and watched as pain contorted his face.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said softly. “What’s your name, sir?”
“Emanuel Black,” he said bluntly.
She gestured to the marker. “Was he related to you?”
He jerked around, his eyes pinning her with anger. “No, my father is over there with my mother.” He gestured toward the opposite side of the graveyard. “I think this man is one of the people responsible for the fire that killed them.”
“I wasn’t aware they’d determined that,” she said. “Was he punished?”
Rage darkened the man’s expression. “No, it was never proven. But that’s going to change.”
Tilly’s heart went out to him although his tone alarmed her. She did understand what it was like for the truth to go unexposed. What was he planning to do?
He simply turned back to the stone, dropped a black rose on it and walked away.
Grief and devastation lingered after he was gone.
Shaken, she roamed the graveyard searching for Earl Bramble in case he’d died in the last decade and a half and his daughters had buried him at Green Gardens, which was filled with other Bramble family members.
No Earl Bramble though.
Which meant the bastard was probably still on the loose, hiding from the law. If he’d kidnapped Ruth and killed her, he knew where she was. And she wanted that information. But most of all she wanted him to suffer the way she and her family had.
FORTY-FIVE
Crooked Creek Police Station
Ellie’s mind raced. “If these cases are related and Ruth was the first victim, let’s start with the original investigation.”
“I have notes on who was questioned and persons of interest,” Derrick said as he moved to a second whiteboard.
“Please fill us in.” Ellie said, not surprised he’d already done some of the grunt work.
“First case, Ruth Higgins. The primary suspect was Earl Bramble, the caretaker of the graveyard at the time. According to locals, he was a mean son of a bitch who may have abused his daughter, Ida, and niece Hetty, who moved in with them after her own father was killed in a tractor accident. Her mother died of cancer two years before that.”
“He couldn’t have been too bad if he took in his niece,” Deputy Landrum interjected.
Cord grunted, his tone bitter. “You’d be surprised.”
“That’s true,” Derrick agreed. “Although the girls never actually accused him of abuse, people claimed he was harsh and forced the girls, especially Hetty, to work long hours at thegraveyard.” He paused. “Later, when the sheriff was on the verge of making an arrest, Earl disappeared, making him look guilty.”
“Of course, Ida and Hetty were suspects as well,” Derrick continued. “Apparently, they got into a fight at the Dairy Queen with Ruth and had other altercations at school with her which earned the Bramble girls a bad reputation and school suspension.”
“A couple of other kids stated that Ruth started the fight, that she was a bully to Ida and Hetty,” Ellie added. “But Ruth’s father was powerful in the town and may have misused that power to twist the story in his daughter’s favor.”
Shondra and Deputy Landrum were both taking notes, while Cord crossed his arms and remained stoic.
“Police also questioned Ruth’s father, Edward, and her brother, Hayden. Mr. Higgins was mayor at the time and supposedly overprotective of Ruth. He especially didn’t like her dating. According to Ruth’s sister, Tilly, Ruth snuck out the night of her disappearance to meet a guy, but she refused to tell Tilly who she was meeting. Their brother, Hayden, had a drug problem and anger issues. According to other students, he didn’t get along with Ruth either. He claimed he was at a friend’s house the night Ruth disappeared.”
“Clint Wallace, the sheriff’s son was also on the list because he and Ruth were dating. Other students stated that Ruth had just broken up with Clint. Which could have given him motive to hurt Ruth. His father, Sheriff Chester Wallace, gave him an alibi by claiming his son was home all night.”
