“Thanks,” Ellie said. “We’d like for you to have officers canvass local restaurants, bars, shops and gas stations. Agent Fox has reached out to real estate agents about a possible rental property where the kids could have lived.”
The detective nodded although he looked skeptical that they’d turn up anything. If the kids hadn’t rented something, they might be living with roommates and the place wasn’t in their name.
Ellie’s phone dinged and she checked the number. Her boss. “Excuse me, I have to take this.” The room quieted as she answered the call.
“Detective Reeves, a call on the tip line from a woman outside Athens just came in. She says she may have seen Jacey Ward at the gas station where she works.”
Ellie’s pulse hammered. “Text me her name and address and we’ll check it out.”
She ended the call and stood. “A woman at a nearby gas station thinks she might have seen Jacey. We’ll keep you posted. But please keep looking for Cameron. He may know what happened to Jacey.” Or be responsible.
“I thought you were looking for a serial killer,” Detective Willet said. “If Cameron’s a teenager, he would have only been a toddler at the time that girl Ruth Higgins disappeared.”
“True,” Ellie agreed. “Although we can’t rule out any lead.” She pulled her keys from her pocket. “It’s possible Cameron may have seen the man who abducted Jacey.”
She headed to the door. They couldn’t waste time. This gas attendant might be the lead they needed.
SEVENTY-FOUR
Athens
The convenience store/gas station was located less than two miles away on the main highwayleading out of Athens. Ellie and Derrick met the store clerk inside, a chubby middle-aged woman with curly graying hair named Bertie. Two people stood in line so they waited until the customers left then identified themselves.
Bertie called another clerk to replace her then stepped aside to talk to them. “Thank you for calling in,” Ellie said. “Can you tell us exactly what you saw.”
“Well, it was gettin’ kind of late so there weren’t too many customers inside, a few folks filling up with gas at the pumps. Then I saw this young girl run into the parking lot.”
Ellie showed her Jacey’s photograph. “This girl?”
Bertie nodded. “Yeah, her hair was kind of scraggly and she looked too thin, but most of all what struck me was that she seemed nervous. She kept looking all around the parking lot like she was looking for someone.”
“Like she was meeting someone?” Derrick asked.
Bertie shook her head. “No… it seemed more like she was scared and trying not to be seen. She kept her head down and darted into the store. She was out of breath and sweating and for a minute, she kind of hid behind the snack aisle. I thought she might be going to steal something, and I decided if she did, I would just let her cause she looked hungry and sad.”
“That was very compassionate of you,” Ellie said softly.
Bertie shrugged, her eyes softening. “She looked so lost I wanted to ask her if she was okay, but when my customer paid and left, the girl asked me if she could use the phone.” Bertie fiddled with the collar of her blouse. “I asked if it was a local call and she said yes, so I let her use it.”
“Do you know who she called?” Ellie asked.
“Said she needed to call her mama so I thought maybe her mama would come and get her. But I reckon she didn’t answer, so the girl left a message saying she was coming home.” Bertie sighed, her teeth worrying her lower lip. “I thought about offering her a ride myself, but then a family came in and I had to wait on them and while I was busy, the girl ducked outside.” Her fingers toyed with her collar again. “After the family left, I looked for the girl and saw her again. She went into the alley. I lost sight of her then, but I got someone to watch the register and when I ran outside I saw her get into a truck parked on the side.” Bertie’s voice cracked with tears. “If she’s the girl you found, I was right to be worried. I… should have stopped her from going with that man, b… but I was hoping it was her daddy.”
Ellie’s heart twinged at the guilt in the kind woman’s voice. She squeezed her hand gently. “It’s not your fault, Bertie. You couldn’t have known something like this was going to happen.”
“But I could tell she was scared.” Tears glistened in Bertie’s eyes. “I should have tried harder to talk to her.”
“You let her use the phone,” Ellie said. “And that message… and the fact that she called her mother meant she loved her. Atleast her mother can carry that with her, that and the sound of her voice on the recording.”
Bertie nodded, then sniffed and dabbed at her damp cheeks.
“Can you describe the man?” Derrick asked.
Bertie’s face fell. “Not really. I saw his back as he got in the truck. But I didn’t see his face.”
“Do you have camera footage inside and outside in the parking lot?” Derrick asked.
Bertie nodded. “I’ll get the manager to show it to you.”
