“Now, Shelly, you need to let me and my people do our jobs.” The chief took the seat opposite Megan who scooted back but was still in eavesdropping range. “When was the last you heard from Robert?”
Mrs. Fleming was older than she’d appeared at first glance, older than Megan’s mom, even, mid to late forties. But still pretty—the kind of pretty that was more nurture and less nature. She sniffed and glanced up. “This morning we had breakfast. I’ve been at a prayer retreat in Columbia since Friday. Robert as well, but a parishioner called, needed his counsel, so he came home early.” Her gaze focused on the empty driveway. “He should’ve been home hours ago.” She frowned then her eyes widened. “Maybe that’s not his blood? Maybe he drove whoever it was to the hospital? That would be just like Robert. You know that, Norah.”
“Of course it would, Shelly. Do you know who he was coming to meet?”
“No.” Her distraught turned the word into two syllables. “Find him, Norah. You have to promise me you’ll find him. He’s my world. My whole world.” Another round of sobbing shook the wife. The chief patted her on the back, then disengaged herself, leaving Shelly at the table.
Megan glanced at Lucy, panicked at being left with the crying wife, and bolted from the table. The chief joined them, beckoning them to walk with her farther into the garden. “You said you had Mateo’s photo and contact info?”
“Yes ma’am. From this morning. I can send it to you.” Megan scrolled to the info on her phone and forwarded it to the chief’s phone.
Chief Hayden held her hat in place with one hand as the breeze kicked up and her phone in the other. “When I was starting out in this job, we thought being able to get a fax was cutting edge. Who knew I’d be running investigations from a phone smaller than my wallet?”
“We were with Mateo until 11:30 this morning,” Lucy volunteered. “He left to go home for Sunday dinner.”
Hayden glanced at Mateo’s photo and nodded in recognition. “One of the Romero Landscaping boys. They do good work. Never had any run-ins with the family before.” She turned to Megan. “He told you to meet him here?”
“He said he had to take care of Pastor Fleming’s orchids, that they were out of town and only trusted him. I guess they’re kind of fussy or something.” She glanced back at the wife who was still bent over the table, shoulders shaking. “When I got here, I waited outside the gate but he never showed, so I texted a few times and tried to call, but no answer.”
“So you didn’t see him arrive? Or anyone leave the property?”
“No, ma’am. Just his bike parked in front of the garage.” She nodded to the empty garage.
“Did you hear anything from inside the property? See anyone? Sense movement in the house?”
Megan shook her head. “Nothing. When I went to the door, it was open. I stepped inside—just a few feet, stopped once I saw…”
Hayden nodded. “Thanks, Megan. That’s been very helpful.” She glanced up as Officer Gant emerged from the back door of the house, approaching them on the patio.
The afternoon light cast this part of the house in shadow, making the blood streaking the windows appear black. Megan shivered, curled her arms around her chest and turned her back to the house. There was a path leading over the dunes to the ocean, its bright blue sparked gold by the sun. Hard to believe anything bad could happen on such a beautiful day.
“Someone lost a helluva lot of blood,” Gant said. “And the safe’s door is open, contents missing. Chief, you think this Romero kid could’ve tortured Pastor Fleming for the combination?”
The chief frowned, mirroring Lucy’s look of consternation at the wild theorizing without facts.
“Mateo would never—” Megan protested before Lucy nudged her into silence.
“Get a BOLO out on Mateo Romero as well as Pastor Fleming,” the chief ordered. “Alert the county sheriff. We’ll need to get the state crime techs out as well.”
“Will do. But,” Gant rocked back on his heels as if he was the one in charge, “sure seems pretty clear cut what happened here.”
Lucy’s lips tightened. Megan knew her mother was itching to jump in and take charge but not only did she have no jurisdiction, she was a potential witness. It was only as a courtesy that the locals allowed her to remain at the scene—that and the fact they needed Lucy present in order to speak to Megan since Megan was a minor.
Hah. Let Mom see how it felt, standing on the sidelines, she thought. But then her glance fell on Mateo’s bike and she stifled her knee jerk reaction. This wasn’t about Lucy and Megan; it was about finding Mateo safe and sound.
“We need to treat them both as a high-risk missing persons,” Chief Hayden informed her patrol officer. “Get the info out ASAP.”
Lucy relaxed a bit at that—Megan hated the way she could almost read her mom’s thoughts. But the evidence didn’t add up the way Officer Gant had seen it, with Mateo as a perpetrator. She hoped with all her might Mateo wasn’t a victim. All that blood…She shuddered. One thing Gant had gotten right: it was too much blood.
Chapter 7