Kitabı oku: «A Silent Fury», sayfa 2

TWO

Joseph strode to his brother and the distraught young man. He gripped Dylan’s shoulders and squeezed, hoping to transmit understanding and comfort. Dropping his hands, he signed, “We’re going to find out who did.”

Alonso shifted, anxiety oozing from him. Joseph had sent a text message to his brother to let him know that he had arrived in town and would see him soon, but after his visit to the morgue, Joseph had come straight to the crime scene.

Alonso and Dylan had come to find him. He studied the lanky young suspect in front of him. Frantic blue eyes, blond hair, a smattering of freckles across a sharp nose and pale cheeks. Then Alonso, who was Dylan’s physical opposite. A little shorter with brown eyes and dark skin, he was a younger version of Joseph, their Italian heritage prominently displayed.

A small cut on Dylan’s chin looked angry, red. Alonso had a bit of stubble that had already grown out since this morning. His little brother and his friends were already shaving, growing up. Were grown up, he realized. Dylan was considered a man and old enough to be tried as an adult if convicted of murder. What would that do to Alonso who fervently believed in his friend’s innocence?

Joseph signed, “I believe you. Unless I find solid evidence to the contrary, I believe you. Okay?”

Chest still heaving, Dylan glared back at Joseph, and Joseph flinched at the agony in the boy’s eyes. Either the kid was an excellent actor or he was telling the truth.

Catelyn came up to sign, “You two shouldn’t be here.”

Joseph wanted to tell her to stay away, but she was right, neither of the teens should be here. Wrapping one arm around his brother’s shoulder, and the other around Dylan, he steered them back to the idling vehicle Alonso had left in the middle of the road. With his free hand, Joseph signed, “Let’s go home. Catelyn will take care of this.”

Dylan shot Catelyn one last glare that gradually turned pleading. “Please believe me.”

Compassion flickered briefly before her expression solidified into granite. “I’ll believe the evidence.”

This time Joseph shot her a hard look as he turned the boys toward the car once more. Joseph signed and spoke to his brother, “You two go to the house. I’ll follow you there and we’ll talk, all right?”

“Wait a minute,” Catelyn protested, “this is my case, too. If you’re going to question him, I need to be there.”

Joseph turned back to look at her, his breath hissing from his lungs. Even driving him crazy, even in the midst of a murder investigation and, yes, even exhibiting her bulldog tenacity, she still had the power to stop him in his tracks with her beauty. He really had to get over that. She’d made it clear she didn’t want anything to do—romantically—with him.

Hands on her hips, feet planted wide, she thrust her jaw forward and narrowed her eyes. Arguing with her would be fruitless.

Besides, she was right. They were there to work together. They both had a common goal. Find the bad guy. He had to put aside his personal feelings and keep his heart under control. “I’m not questioning them in any official capacity right now. I’m just talking to my brother and his friend.” He paused. “But, all right, come on. I’m staying with my parents right now, so why don’t you meet us there?”

Shock at easy acquiescence flashed across her features before she could cover it up. But she didn’t hesitate. “Right, see you there.”

During the ten-minute drive, Alonso practically superglued himself to Joseph’s bumper. Catelyn kept a safer distance back probably trying to figure out his motive for agreeing to her presence.

The truth was, Joseph’s gut was telling him that Dylan had nothing to do with the disappearance of Kelly or the death of Tracy. What he wasn’t completely sure of was whether Dylan had been entirely truthful about his reason for being on the campus. It made sense, and yet…

Hopefully, they would get to the bottom of this and find Kelly before she turned up dead, too.

Catelyn called in her destination and let her captain know Joseph was in town and they’d met up at the crime scene. Dylan was still a suspect, but the evidence thus far was flimsy. He still had his freedom until something else turned up. Whereas Catelyn thought he was guilty, she could tell Joseph believed the boy.

Great.

They were immediately working the case from opposite sides. God, I know when I became a Christian all those years ago, You never promised me an easy life, but things are getting too complicated too fast. First my mother, now Joseph?

Catelyn didn’t have any doubts about Joseph’s investigative skills. That didn’t concern her. Working in close proximity with a man she had once had feelings for, did. Of course those feelings were gone now.

Yeah. Right.

No, if she were honest, she’d admit seeing Joseph had unsettled her. In a big way.

She pulled into the driveway of the home that had become her refuge. Thank goodness for Joseph’s sister Gina, who’d befriended Catelyn in high school, or she may never have seen a family as God intended one to be. She’d grown up with the perfect example of what a family wasn’t. Because of the Santino family, Catelyn grew to love the Lord and came to understand what a personal relationship with Him meant.

Thank you, Lord. Now, about Joseph…She sighed. I don’t even know what to pray, God. Just…be there, please?

Caught by a long red light, she was the last to arrive. Joseph had parked on the curb, Alonso in the drive off to the side. Joseph, Dylan and Alonso were deep into a signed conversation when Catelyn pulled in behind Joseph. Just as she set the car in Park, a black Jeep swerved around her screeching to a halt, blocking the drive.

She jumped at the sudden intrusion.

What?

A teenager about Alonso’s age threw himself from the Jeep and raced toward the boys. The furious expression on his face had Catelyn calling out, “Hey!”

Joseph turned at her yell, concern and shock twisting his features as the boy didn’t stop, but tackled Dylan to the ground and began pummeling him with both fists, his shrieks of outrage piercing her ears. Alonso threw himself into the fight, trying to protect his friend.

“Whoa!” Joseph tried to grab a punching fist and caught one on the chin for his effort. His head jerked back and he winced, then waded back in to the fray. This time, he grabbed the boy by his belt and yanked, tossing him to the side. The young guy landed with a grunt, scrambled to his feet and started to lunge back at Dylan. Alonso lurched to take a swing at the teen and Joseph stiff-armed him back.

Catelyn stepped in front of the attacker. The surprise of seeing her had him stumbling to a sudden halt, arms pinwheeling, feet dancing backward.

Adrenaline rushing at the surprise attack, she placed a hand against his chest and shoved, mimicking Joseph’s method to keep his brother out of the action. Knocked off balance, the boy went down on his rear. Noticing his hearing aids, she signed to him, “Stop, now.”

Joseph had Dylan’s arms pinned down, but the boy wasn’t struggling, although it looked like he wanted to. Joseph let him go, and Dylan shook his arms then reached up to dab at a cut above his right eye. Alonso hauled himself to his feet. “Chad? What do you think you’re doing?” he signed furiously.

“He killed Tracy!”

“He did not!” Alonso protested. “How could you even think that?” Four hands flew through the conversation. Joseph eyed Catelyn with a warning to stay out of it for now. She backed off and watched the boys yell at each other.

Dylan defended himself, saying, “I was there with Kelly, but I left. Tracy was fine when I left. I don’t know what happened later.”

“You knew Tracy wanted Kelly to break up with you and you told her to stay out of it ‘or else.’ I saw you.”

Dylan looked shocked, then nodded. “Yeah, I did, but I didn’t mean I’d kill her. Get real, man. I just meant I wouldn’t have anything else to do with her. I’d get her blackballed from the group.” He threw his hands up in the air as though in disbelief.

Catelyn almost believed Dylan. He looked so convincing. She fingered the scar on her left arm. Yeah, so had the kid who knifed her in thanks for giving him the benefit of the doubt. She wasn’t falling for that one again.

“We need to either go down to the department where we can hash this all out or find a spot around here to get to the bottom of this.” She pulled out her notebook and pen.

Joseph motioned to the porch. Chad’s hands shook, his fury still palpable, but Catelyn detected grief beneath the anger. Tracy must have meant a lot to him. And what was that about Tracy wanting Kelly to break up with Dylan?

“Joseph, can you give Dylan’s and Chad’s parents a call and let them know what’s going on? I want to do this by the book. I’m not making an arrest—yet—so we can do this here, but I definitely want these parents aware of what’s going on. Plus, Chad’s in no shape to drive home. Someone needs to get his car.”

He pulled his BlackBerry out. “Sure.” He got the numbers from a reluctant Chad and a still-fuming Dylan. Soon he had Chad’s parents on the way and had left a message for Dylan’s mother and one for the kid’s father. They were divorced, but shared custody.

“If this turns into an official investigation interrogation, we’ll have to move it downtown,” Joseph warned.

“Of course. Right now, I just want to talk to Dylan. Informally. He’s over fourteen, I don’t need his parents’ permission for that.”

Nodding, Joseph took a seat on the swing. The still-glowering, yet subdued boys sat in opposite corners of the porch. Catelyn planted herself in a rocker between them. She kept silent hoping one of them would be ready to burst forth with information by the time she got around to asking some questions.

The door to the house swung open and Alonso’s father, Geovani Santino, stepped out.

“I heard a bunch of commotion out here.” Spying Dylan, he signed, “What happened to your eye?”

“My friend went nutso on me.” Dylan’s fingers flew, hands shaped the words and his glare notched up a bit in intensity. Chad Markham, a student at the deaf school and a member of the high school baseball team, fumed, fists clenched at his side.

Joseph raised a calming hand, then watched as a compact car pulled in behind Chad’s Jeep. Chad noticed it, too, and snapped his lips together in a mutinous expression of defiance.

Chad’s parents bolted from the car and raced up the porch. “Chad? What’s going on?” His mother stopped on the top step taking everything in.

Joseph intervened, introduced everyone and explained the situation. Catelyn let him take over. He looked at her face. Take over for now, anyway.

He made sure the parents knew that this wasn’t a formal interrogation. Rather just a “getting together” to see what they could come up with and see if any new information came to light.

Once everyone was settled, Catelyn asked, “Chad, tell us why you think Dylan had something to do with Tracy’s death and Kelly’s disappearance.”

“Because he was there. He said he left, but he didn’t, at least I don’t believe him. He and Kelly and Tracy all had a huge argument earlier that day. He was really mad at Tracy and told her she’d better watch her mouth, or else. I’m Kelly’s friend, her best friend. She was tired of Dylan always telling her who she could hang out with and who she couldn’t. She told me so.”

Catelyn cocked a brow Dylan. The boy leaned over and grasped his head with his hands. She tapped him on the shoulder and signed, “That true?”

A huge sigh rippled through him. “Yes.”

“Anything else you want to add? Because while you keep insisting on your innocence, you’re sure leaving out some chunks of need-to-know information.”

Dylan shook his head. “We argued. So what? We argued all the time. Tracy didn’t like me and didn’t try to hide it. I didn’t like her, either. She was bossy and pushy and…”

“And what?” Joseph practically growled.

“And Kelly’s best friend.” He shot a glance at Chad. “Not him. Tracy wanted Kelly to break up with me and date her brother, Zachary. I was afraid…” He trailed off again, rubbing his eyes as though trying to erase a headache. Everyone sat silent. “I was afraid she was going to convince Kelly I wasn’t good enough for her so I told her to mind her own business and keep her mouth shut.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this when we had you in for questioning?” Catelyn demanded.

Tears filled the boy’s eyes. “Because it makes it look like I had a reason to…do…something to Tracy.” He stood and paced from one end of the porch to the other. Then turned to say, “But I didn’t! I swear! I mean, I sure didn’t like her, but I would never hurt her.”

Joseph frowned at the constant protestations of innocence. He watched Catelyn’s expressions, her eyes. The more the boy talked, the more she became convinced he did do something. And Joseph had a moment of wondering himself. Could it be that Dylan had killed Tracy? Possibly in a fit of anger? An accident?

Blunt-force trauma was the cause of death. Had he picked up a rock and hit her? Pushed her down so she cracked her head against something? But there’d been no sign of that kind of thing at the crime scene. No, the murder weapon was portable.

And the killer either ditched it far enough from the crime scene that the crime-scene unit didn’t come across it—or he still had it.

More questioning led nowhere. Dylan said he wouldn’t press charges as long as Chad left him alone. The boys were told to stay away from each other, and Chad’s parents took him home. Alonso went to his room and shut the door. Dylan’s mother, who finally arrived, was filled in on the incident. She expressed her concern, asking to be kept in the loop if anything new happened in the investigation. His father never showed up.

After the mass departure, Catelyn studied the floor of the porch, thinking. She felt in her gut the kid knew way more than he was telling, she just couldn’t prove it.

But she would.

Alonso would be upset, and Joseph would hurt for his brother, but…

She stood, straightened her spine as she walked toward her car. He was a cop. A good one. He wouldn’t argue the arrest if she had enough evidence, knew he would be right there with her reading the kid his rights if it came down to it. Granted, Dylan’s jacket turning up at the scene didn’t look good, but his explanation was reasonable. Girls wore their boyfriends’ jackets all the time.

So far, nothing had come back from the lab, but she didn’t really expect anything this early even with the rush she knew would be on the evidence. With a missing teen, time was of the essence. She’d call Sandy Newman, a tech in the crime lab and a woman Catelyn called friend, to see if Sandy could rush it even faster.

“Hey.”

She stopped, turned to find Joseph leaning against a porch pillar, watching her. This time her shiver had nothing to do with anger. She remembered how it felt to slip into his arms and rest her head against his broad shoulder, remembered what it felt like to feel secure, safe. As if the rest of the world didn’t matter and everything would be all right.

His sudden change of expectations about certain things in their relationship had crushed her. She’d grown up promising herself she’d be different than her parents, have a different life, a solid marriage.

At first, she’d never thought about dating Joseph simply because he was already rising through the ranks of the local police department.

Then one night, they’d been sitting outside talking after a huge family meal and he’d asked her if she’d like to go on a date with him. She’d hesitated because of his profession, then assured herself that this was Joseph. He knew her dreams, her hopes—her career. During the time she’d been at the academy, all through school, he’d supported her, encouraged her. And so it had begun. She’d fallen head over heels in love with him and he with her.

Until he’d suddenly started talking about “after we’re married.” About how he was excited because he would make enough money to allow her to stay home. And how God had blessed him in allowing him to find a woman who held the same values as his mother.

And her world had come crashing down. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He wanted her to shelve her career and become the kind of wife she’d vowed never to be.

At least it had seemed sudden, she thought. Had the signs been there the entire time and she’d just chosen to ignore them?

She’d been devastated that he would ask her to give up her career to make him happy. No way. She knew where that argument would lead.

And yet she couldn’t deny the attraction between them had sizzled, both physically and emotionally. She’d been drawn to his softer side, the one he refused to allow anyone to really see. That, and the fact that, deep down, he had a heart for comforting hurting people.

And it was definitely still there—the attraction, all of it. She held her tongue and just looked at him, hoping her face didn’t reveal her inner turmoil.

Finally, he started toward her, hands jammed into his pockets. “Can we talk?”

“About what?”

“Us.”

“That’s not even a topic, Joseph. There is no ‘us,’ hasn’t been for a while now.”

“There could be. What we had, Catie…”

She ignored the shortened version of her name. He only called her that when they were alone.

“Had. As in the past. You never once said anything about me quitting my job until I was halfway in love with you and thinking marriage. And then you come out with these expectations and blindsided me.”

“I didn’t realize…and you shut me out.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Without even giving us a chance to work through it.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered. You simply reinforced what I already knew. Why it wouldn’t be a good idea to marry a cop.” She threw her hands up. “And why are we even having this conversation anyway? Look. Your brother’s friend is in trouble. Let’s just see where all this ends up before we do anything stupid like talk about…us.”

His jaw clenched; his fingers curled into a fist. “If you—we—have to arrest Dylan, I’ll have to figure out how to help Alonso deal with it. But for now, we have to work together. Without letting our past interfere. Can we do that?”

“We can try.”

“Deal.”

He reached out to grasp her hand in a handshake and the tingles that danced up her arm told her she might talk a good game about ignoring their feelings for each other, but actually putting her words into actions was going to take a lot more work than she’d bargained for.

THREE

Joseph stared over Catelyn’s shoulder at the autopsy report. Nothing new there. And nothing new about his inability to keep himself from noticing how good she smelled. Just like he remembered. A combination of vanilla shampoo and strong coffee.

“Hey, look at this,” she said, just as he inched back a tad to put a little distance between his nose and her hair. She pointed to the list of items found with Tracy. “An iPod. An expensive one.”

“Did they run the serial number on it?”

“Yes, and would you look at that?”

“Stolen.”

“That kind of makes you sit up and go, ‘hmm,’ doesn’t it?”

“So what does a deaf kid do with an iPod. She must not have been totally deaf. Who reported it stolen?”

She shuffled to the next page. “Here. The Whites. Abe and Eva White on the west side of town.”

“A breaking and entering. There’s been a rash of those lately, hasn’t there?”

“Yep. The guys working it think it’s gang related, but haven’t been able to connect any specific members to the break-ins yet.”

“This might be your connection right here. Go back to the autopsy report.”

She did and he pointed out the tattoo. “She had a tattoo of a skull around her belly button.”

“The symbol of the new and up-and-coming local gang, The Skulls. We just had a whole session on gang training a month ago.”

Joseph sighed. “So now they’ve infiltrated the deaf school.”

“But Tracy spent the majority of her school day at the regular high school. It could be that the gang’s not originating on the deaf campus, but the local high school campus.”

“Or neither.”

“Right. So Tracy was a gang member, we know that much. She’s also in possession of stolen merchandise. Which brings me to the questions: Does Dylan know about this? Does he know anything about the breaking and entering and thefts going on? Is he a member of the gang?”

“A lot of good questions.” He closed his eyes, picturing Alonso’s thin, but well-muscled frame. He shook his head. “I can’t remember my brother having a tattoo, but I haven’t seen him without his shirt, either. I can’t imagine him getting involved in that, but I’ll ask Alonso later.”

Catelyn shot him a look that said she thought he had his rose-tinted glasses back on. Thankfully, she kept her opinion to herself. He’d have to prove Dylan’s innocence one way or another. And if the kid was guilty…

“Did Dylan ever say why Tracy was so adamant about Kelly breaking up with him?”

Joseph shook his head. “Nothing specific. Just that her brother wanted to go out with Kelly and she kept turning him down because she was Dylan’s girlfriend.”

“What’s Tracy’s brother’s name again?”

“Zachary.”

“So, we need to talk to Zachary about this gang that his sister was a part of.”

“Looks like. And my bet is that if she was a part of it, so is he.”

“He’s not deaf. He’s hearing and goes to Esterman High.” She pushed back from her desk and wisps of blond hair tickled his chin sending shards of longing to clench his gut. Somehow, some way, they were going to have to work things out because she had already burrowed her way under in skin in less than twenty-four hours. Just the thought of telling her goodbye again was painful enough to know that having to go through the real thing again would probably rip his heart to shreds.

Pushing aside his personal agenda, he said, “I suppose we should give the family a call and let them know we want to talk to Zachary. I’m guessing he’s probably not back at school yet so soon after Tracy’s death.”

Catelyn got on the phone and made the call. Joseph got up to stretch a minute and say something to one of the other detectives he’d worked with a few years back.

When she hung up, Catelyn turned to him and frowned. “He’s not there.”

“So, where is he?”

“His mother didn’t know. She said he got a text after lunch and said he was going to meet up with a friend. She hasn’t heard from him since.”

“When’s Tracy’s funeral?”

“Tomorrow. Visitation is this afternoon.”

“I’ve got a feeling we need to see if he shows up to the visitation.”

“And who he shows up with.”

Catelyn scanned the sea of faces heading in to pay respects to the family. Mostly teenagers, teachers, probably some church members. The line to greet the family and offer sympathy extended well down the hall to snake around to the entrance to the funeral home. The front door stood open and Joseph waited off to the side, dressed in a suit and tie.

She nearly stumbled in her uncomfortable medium-height heels. She’d never had a problem walking in them before so she couldn’t blame her sudden clumsiness on the shoes.

No, it was Joseph. What was she going to do about him? He exuded strength, authority, and was completely at ease in his six-foot-two-inch frame. At five feet eight she didn’t consider herself a short woman, but next to him, she always felt petite, feminine. Something that didn’t happen very often around other men. And Joseph was definitely the only man who’d ever made her palms sweat. She rubbed them on her black skirt and tried to paste a serene expression on her face.

His smile greeted her with a warmth that nearly caused the upward tilt of her lips to take a downward turn. So much for serenity.

Have a little backbone, Catelyn. And, Lord, if You’d help me control my wayward emotions here, I’d really appreciate it.

He held the door open and she slipped in, nearly jumping out of her skin when his hand dropped to the small of her back. He’s only being a gentleman, she told herself. Relax.

Easier said than done. From the back of the line, they waited, watching.

A few more people trickled in, and the line in front of them moved slowly, but consistently. Catelyn kept her eyes peeled. “See him?”

“No, but he’s probably with the family in the receiving room. I can’t get a good view yet. A few more inches and I’ll be able to see if he’s in there.”

Catelyn lost her balance and stumbled into the person in front of her. Joseph caught her arm before she could do much damage. The woman turned to see who’d knocked against her and Catelyn felt her face flush. “I’m so sorry. I don’t wear heels often and…” She trailed off when the woman laughed and waved a hand as though brushing the incident aside.

“Don’t worry about it. Happens to the best of us.” A frown pinched her brows. “It’s a shame, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry?”

The young woman who looked to be in her early forties stood there holding the hand of a child about six years old. She had a brace on her other hand. “Just a shame. Tracy used to babysit for us on a regular basis.”

“Oh, so you knew her well?”

“Absolutely. A great kid. Well, a great kid with a lot of faults, but I liked her. Oh, I’m sorry.” She held out a hand that Joseph and Catelyn took turns shaking. “I’m Stacy Dillard. My husband, Alan Dillard, is the baseball coach at Esterman High School.” She placed a loving hand on the child’s head.

“This is Alan Jr.”

“I’m six,” the little guy piped in. “My mom hurt her hand.”

Catelyn smiled at him and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you Alan Jr.”

Stacy gave a self-conscious laugh and held up her hand. “Carpal tunnel. Anyway, I wasn’t sure if I should bring him or not, but my mother couldn’t babysit today and I didn’t want to miss…” Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them back. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out. “Tracy’s brother, Zachary, is our catcher.”

Joseph spoke up. “Then you know Dylan Carlisle.”

The woman’s green eyes brightened, the tears fading. “Oh, sure, he used to hang around Zachary quite a lot. We have the team over for cookouts and such about once a month.” Her brows drew together in a slight frown. “I haven’t seen much of Dylan lately, though. How’s he doing? Is he here?”

“He’s upset about Tracy, of course, but other than that, he seems to be doing all right. And no, he’s not here.”

“I know you consider him a suspect, don’t you?” When neither Catelyn nor Joseph responded, she frowned. “Alan said you did. Dylan told him about being questioned by the police.” She let out a sigh. “I can’t see Dylan as having anything to do with Tracy’s death. If the police need a suspect, they need to be looking at Zachary, if you ask me.” She herded the child in front of her toward the door. “Well, I was waiting for Alan. He told me he’d meet me in the line, but he’s probably talking to someone and got held up. I guess I’d better see if I can find him. It’s good to meet you.”

She started to hurry off, but stopped when Catelyn laid a restraining hand on her arm. “Wait a minute. Why do you say that? About Zachary, I mean.”

The woman shrugged. “He and Tracy fought constantly. I even saw him shove her into the fence one day after a game. I don’t know what she said to him, but he didn’t like it. Tracy and Dylan argued some, too, but Dylan never put his hands on her like Zachary did. I don’t have anything other than just my feelings when I say Zachary should be a suspect.” She sighed. “And I probably shouldn’t have even said anything. Excuse me.” This time Catelyn didn’t stop her as she hurried off.

Catelyn looked at Joseph. “So Zachary plays on the baseball team and has a temper. And Dylan is known to hang out with him. Teammates and friends?”

“No crime in that. She also said she hadn’t seen Dylan in a while.” He thought for a moment. “Maybe the boys are former friends. I’ll have to ask Alonso and see what he says. Maybe it’s as simple as Dylan and Zachary had a falling out and he was avoiding being around him. That would explain why she hadn’t seen Dylan around—because he was doing his best to stay out of trouble.”

“Maybe.”

“I still want to know if Zachary’s a part of this gang. And who he was with earlier while his family was at home grieving.”

“As soon as we can get to him, we’ll find out.”

She spotted Stacy Dillard coming back her way. The poor thing looked harried. “I guess I’ll just wait here. I can’t find Alan anywhere.” Still clutching Alan Jr.’s hand, she slipped back into the line in front of Catelyn and Joseph. “Do you mind if I take my spot back?”

“Of course not. Go ahead.”

Stacy did and started talking to the person in front of her.

Catelyn stepped to the side to peer around the shifting line of bodies and into the visitation room. “I think I see him,” she told Joseph. “Standing next to his mother and younger brother.”

“Yep, that’s him.”

“Just a little closer. Oh, look, everyone’s standing.”

Zachary shook the next person’s hand, looking uncomfortable in his black suit and red tie. Tall, with the build of a natural athlete, he shifted, his eyes moving to and fro. He didn’t even bother to try and smile to the people offering condolences; in fact, he looked ready to bolt.

Catelyn leaned in a little closer to Joseph. “You got your running shoes on?”

“I was just thinking the same thing. Why would he run, though? We just want to talk to him?”

“Maybe he thinks that we think he knows something.”

“Yeah, and he’s scared he’ll tell us if we catch him.”

“Then let’s catch him.”

Two more steps forward. Zachary’s eyes raised, caught on Catelyn’s, flitted to the man beside her and widened. The fear in his face couldn’t be missed, not even with the distance still between them.