Echo Road by Kendra Elliot & Melinda Leigh

Author:Kendra Elliot & Melinda Leigh [Elliot, Kendra & Leigh, Melinda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Montlake
Published: 2024-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

MERCY

Day 6

Mercy poured her third cup of coffee from the sheriff’s department pot. After the disaster of a town hall last night and the fact that her back looked like a gigantic purple flower, she’d barely slept. This morning she’d asked Bree for help taping her ribs. Mercy had thought she could get away with ignoring them, but breathing and any torso movement still hurt.

The tape helped a little. A very little.

In shock, Bree had stared at her back. “Christ, Mercy. It looks like you got kicked by a horse with giant hooves.”

“Or shot,” Mercy had added, sarcasm in her tone.

Now she and Bree were digging into more tips and checking Ken Wells’s background. The reporter had no record. He’d been working in the area for six years but was originally from Ohio. She was still annoyed that he had fired up the audience with his mention of four tattoos. And she wanted to know where he’d gotten his information.

Is there a leak in Bree’s department?

Mercy’s phone chimed with a text from Detective Bolton.

Can we FaceTime?

Mercy sat down at her laptop and called him with the app. “Evan wants to talk,” she told Bree. The sheriff immediately rolled her chair next to Mercy’s.

Evan appeared, and she recognized his office in the background. His eyes were grim.

“What happened?” Mercy asked.

Instead of answering, he narrowed his gaze on her. “You look like hell.”

“Thanks.”

He looked at Bree. “She taking care of herself?”

“No.”

“What happened?” Mercy repeated, in no mood for either of their opinions. “Was Paige’s identity leaked?”

“No,” said Evan. “But it’s been hard keeping a lid on it. I’ve been reminding her friends daily that they can’t talk to anyone about it. Her mom has received some inquiries about where she is, but told people that Paige is visiting cousins out of state. I’ve also posted several memos in the sheriff’s department, referring vaguely to an extremely sensitive case where someone’s life relies on silence from the people who worked on it. So far, it’s been successful. But every morning, I’m surprised that it hasn’t made the press.”

“You and me both,” said Mercy.

“I’m going to tell you what I found before I talk to the Holcrofts,” Evan said. “I’ll take it to them next. CuffMe.com finally allowed us access to Paige’s account.” He winced. “It’s what we expected. She was talking with a few men and the conversations aren’t pleasant reading. Basically the way the connections feature works is you post a profile and list topics you’re interested in.”

“Are there pictures in the profiles?” asked Bree.

“Yes. As you can imagine, a lot of people hide their face or are heavily disguised. Some people don’t care and post a clear face shot. Paige wears a mask in her profile. She only posted one photo.” He moved his phone so the women could see his computer screen.

The gold mask covered the upper half of Paige’s face, but her heavily lined eyes were visible through the eyeholes. Her long hair was elaborately curled and in two high ponytails.

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