The Unremembered Girl: A Novel by Eliza Maxwell

Author:Eliza Maxwell [Maxwell, Eliza]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781542045858
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2017-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Henry pushed through the door into the Sheriff’s Department riding a wave of anger he’d rarely known. His mood hadn’t been helped by the layer of panic that had overtaken him when he’d gone back into the house and found Eve missing.

His pulse had picked up speed, but time had slowed as he’d searched every room and come up empty-handed. It wasn’t until he’d forced himself to stand still and listen to the heartbeat of the old house that he’d zeroed in on the closed door leading to the closet in the bedroom.

There he’d found her, curled in on herself, rocking back and forth. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t making any sound at all. It was a mystery how he’d known to look there. But when he knelt in front of her and took her into his arms, she was shaking like a million tiny earthquakes were happening inside of her.

“Del!” Henry now called across the expanse of the room, not caring that he was causing a scene. There was only Gladys to witness it, and she must have recognized the signs of a family argument looming, because she looked intently down at the computer screen in front of her and pretended not to notice.

The door to Sheriff McKinney’s office was closed, as usual. He was most likely sleeping off a hangover from the night before. No sign of Brady.

But it didn’t matter, because his brother was the one Henry was looking for.

As Del looked up from the paperwork on his desk, Henry saw that he had bags under his eyes. If the situation had been different, he might have sympathized. He couldn’t imagine the stress of what Del and Alice were dealing with.

But the situation wasn’t different.

“You need to tell me what the hell’s going on with you, Del,” Henry said once he’d reached his brother’s desk.

“What’s your problem, Henry?” Del sighed, leaning back in his chair like the last thing he wanted to deal with was another issue.

“I think the real question is what’s your problem, brother.”

“I don’t have time for games today.”

“Yeah? I suggest you make time. Or do I need to slip you a little cash to get you to pay attention?”

Del’s face froze, then settled into hard lines.

“Excuse me?” he said slowly.

“You heard me. Do I need to pay off Brady too? You in on this together, like you two do everything?”

Del stood so quickly that the chair slid across the floor with a screech. He pushed his way into Henry’s face, but if he was expecting his younger brother to back down, he was mistaken. Chest to chest, the two stared at one another, each daring the other to back down first.

“How much are they paying you to look the other way while they buy and sell human beings like cattle?” Henry spit out in a disgusted whisper.

Del’s eyes widened. In that moment, Henry knew he wasn’t wrong. The surprise and guilt were written there on Del’s face. He recovered quickly, forcing his expression into a mask, but it was too late.

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