mind...”
“Of course not.” The walker thunked and dragged, thunked and dragged as she left him sitting in the living room and made her way to the kitchen.
After she was gone, if he listened carefully, he could hear Adelaide’s voice, drifting out of a room down the hall. She told Ed she had no idea who her assailant was, that he’d been wearing a mask and gloves and, again, she insisted she hadn’t been raped. She even downplayed the threats she’d received and the beating. But she couldn’t come up with any good reason a man would break into her bedroom just to hit her a few times and drag her off to the Jepson mine. She admitted nothing had been stolen. That led Noah to believe the culprit had to be someone who hated her and was hoping to punish her for something.
His mind returned, once again, to her ex. She’d said it wasn’t him, but on those true-crime shows, it was always the husband.
Noah decided to see if he could get the name of the restaurant where she’d worked. Davis was an hour and a half away, but it would be worth the drive if he could meet her ex. Maybe the guy had scraped knuckles or showed some other evidence of having been in a scuffle. That wouldn’t be conclusive, but it would give Noah some indication whether Chief Stacy and his officers were wasting their time looking for the culprit in Whiskey Creek. And it would solve the mystery of her behavior, which had him baffled.
“Okay, Gran. I talked to Ed,” Addy called out after she hung up.
“Good.” Milly answered from the kitchen. “Did you mention the knife?”
“Didn’t have to. He’d already heard about it.”
“From who?”
“Who knows? I guess I’m the talk of the town.”
“Probably from Chief Stacy. He’s excited to have found it, says it shouldn’t be hard to figure out who such a special knife belongs to.”
Addy didn’t respond, but the floor creaked in the hall, suggesting she was on her way to the living room. Noah wished Milly would hurry and announce his presence.
She did—but it was about two seconds after Addy had seen him.
“Oh! Um, hello!” Eyes wide—even the one that was still swollen—she came to an abrupt stop. “I didn’t realize we had company.”
Noah couldn’t help noticing how much more obvious her bruises had become, especially those on her face. “How are you today?”
“Better. Fine.” She smoothed the T-shirt she wore with a pair of cutoff sweats. “Really, there’s no need for all the fuss. You shouldn’t have troubled yourself to come by. Everyone’s making too big a deal out of what happened.”
Too big a deal? She could’ve been killed! “From what I’ve heard, the guy who assaulted you had a knife.”
“A knife was found in the bushes, but...that doesn’t mean he would’ve used it. I’m not even sure it belonged to him.”
“Putting you in the mine was bad enough, Addy. You know my brother died in there.”
The color drained from her face, creating a starker contrast between those bruises and her regular coloring. “I—I know. I’m sorry. Truly. I wish...”
He waited for her to finish.
“I wish that had never happened,” she said softly.
She seemed so sincere it was difficult to be annoyed with her, although he didn’t understand her obstinate refusal to deal with the man who’d attacked her. He bent his head to catch her eye, since she was no longer looking at him, and held out what he’d bought for her. “I thought some of this might come in handy while you recuperate.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “What is it?”
He shrugged. “Just a few things to pass the time.”
She seemed reluctant to accept his offering but eventually took the bag and peeked inside. “This is...nice of you, really, but...completely unnecessary.”
He fended her off when she tried to give it back. “Consider it my apology.”
“For...”
“Being too self-absorbed in high school, I guess.” He grinned. “That’s what you hold against me, isn’t it?
“Of course not.” The walker thunked and dragged, thunked and dragged as she left him sitting in the living room and made her way to the kitchen.
After she was gone, if he listened carefully, he could hear Adelaide’s voice, drifting out of a room down the hall. She told Ed she had no idea who her assailant was, that he’d been wearing a mask and gloves and, again, she insisted she hadn’t been raped. She even downplayed the threats she’d received and the beating. But she couldn’t come up with any good reason a man would break into her bedroom just to hit her a few times and drag her off to the Jepson mine. She admitted nothing had been stolen. That led Noah to believe the culprit had to be someone who hated her and was hoping to punish her for something.
His mind returned, once again, to her ex. She’d said it wasn’t him, but on those true-crime shows, it was always the husband.
Noah decided to see if he could get the name of the restaurant where she’d worked. Davis was an hour and a half away, but it would be worth the drive if he could meet her ex. Maybe the guy had scraped knuckles or showed some other evidence of having been in a scuffle. That wouldn’t be conclusive, but it would give Noah some indication whether Chief Stacy and his officers were wasting their time looking for the culprit in Whiskey Creek. And it would solve the mystery of her behavior, which had him baffled.
“Okay, Gran. I talked to Ed,” Addy called out after she hung up.
“Good.” Milly answered from the kitchen. “Did you mention the knife?”
“Didn’t have to. He’d already heard about it.”
“From who?”
“Who knows? I guess I’m the talk of the town.”
“Probably from Chief Stacy. He’s excited to have found it, says it shouldn’t be hard to figure out who such a special knife belongs to.”
Addy didn’t respond, but the floor creaked in the hall, suggesting she was on her way to the living room. Noah wished Milly would hurry and announce his presence.
She did—but it was about two seconds after Addy had seen him.
“Oh! Um, hello!” Eyes wide—even the one that was still swollen—she came to an abrupt stop. “I didn’t realize we had company.”
Noah couldn’t help noticing how much more obvious her bruises had become, especially those on her face. “How are you today?”
“Better. Fine.” She smoothed the T-shirt she wore with a pair of cutoff sweats. “Really, there’s no need for all the fuss. You shouldn’t have troubled yourself to come by. Everyone’s making too big a deal out of what happened.”
Too big a deal? She could’ve been killed! “From what I’ve heard, the guy who assaulted you had a knife.”
“A knife was found in the bushes, but...that doesn’t mean he would’ve used it. I’m not even sure it belonged to him.”
“Putting you in the mine was bad enough, Addy. You know my brother died in there.”
The color drained from her face, creating a starker contrast between those bruises and her regular coloring. “I—I know. I’m sorry. Truly. I wish...”
He waited for her to finish.
“I wish that had never happened,” she said softly.
She seemed so sincere it was difficult to be annoyed with her, although he didn’t understand her obstinate refusal to deal with the man who’d attacked her. He bent his head to catch her eye, since she was no longer looking at him, and held out what he’d bought for her. “I thought some of this might come in handy while you recuperate.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “What is it?”
He shrugged. “Just a few things to pass the time.”
She seemed reluctant to accept his offering but eventually took the bag and peeked inside. “This is...nice of you, really, but...completely unnecessary.”
He fended her off when she tried to give it back. “Consider it my apology.”
“For...”
“Being too self-absorbed in high school, I guess.” He grinned. “That’s what you hold against me, isn’t it?
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