Adeline stopped abruptly and turned toward him.
Heat rushed up his neck. “Told you there was nothing to see.”
She braced her hands on her hips and surveyed the area for about the fifth time. When her attention landed on him, Wyatt felt himself holding his breath.
“I want to see the car.”
He shrugged. “Four different techs have been over the vehicle. The last search was conducted with the husband. There’s nothing there that shouldn’t be. Nothing missing.” That was another thing she’d always done. Questioned every damned step taken by anyone involved in an investigation. Never took anyone else’s word for anything.
“Indulge me.”
He supposed there was no harm in that. He’d gotten the search under way as scheduled this morning. The phones were ringing off their hooks with tips on sightings, most of which, so far, had proved to be cases of mistaken identity.
“No problem,” he said at last. “Multijurisdictional cooperation is my specialty.”
Their gazes held for another moment or two ... as if there was more she wanted to say. She broke eye contact and headed for his SUV.
He ordered himself to relax and followed.
There were things he wanted to say to her. Things he wanted her to say to him—or to yell at him. This thing had festered between them for far too long.
About nine years too long.
But now wasn’t the time.
A woman was missing.
Whether her abductor was a killer or merely some sick bastard trying to prove a point, he had an agenda and Adeline appeared to be on that agenda.
Wyatt had let her down all those years ago.
He wasn’t about to let her down this time.
Pascagoula Sheriff’s Department; 11:05 a.m.
Wyatt liked watching Adeline. Maybe a little too much. He had to hand it to her, she had a way about her when interviewing persons of interest.
Cassie Elliott squirmed in her chair. “Like I told you before, I can’t think of anything that was bothering Cherry. She was happy. Really happy. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
The woman looked Adeline straight in the eye as she spoke but all the signs of lying were there. She looked away as she completed her statements. Couldn’t appear to get comfortable in her chair. Kept her fingers tightly laced in her lap.
Adeline had walked around the room a couple of times, but the woman’s hands never moved from her lap. She was working hard to conceal her outward display of nervousness.
Elliott was thirty-five. Graduated from the same high school as Prescott. Brown hair that she wore short, brown eyes. A little on the chunky side, unlike Prescott who looked quite fit in all her photographs.
Adeline settled in the chair next to Wyatt on the opposite side of the table from Elliott. Adeline had insisted on using the interview room when he hadn’t wanted to since these ladies weren’t suspects and thewhole concept was demeaning on some level. Small-town sheriffing would do that to a guy. Made him forget it was about the investigation not the comfort of the persons of interest. Even if they weren’t actually suspects in the investigation.
He suspected Adeline felt relatively certain the ease with which he’d cooperated with her so far was more about trying to make up for the past than about what he believed to be the best decision for proceeding.
Whatever. He just wanted to get through this.
Adeline exhaled a heavy breath. Wyatt remained silent but kept his attention fixed firmly on Elliott. Another tactic Adeline had requested.
“Look, Ms. Elliott,” Adeline began, leading up to something he worried she hadn’t run by him first. “We already know what was going on with Ms. Prescott. Her other friend told us just a few minutes ago.” The woman’s eyes got wider and wider with each word Adeline spoke. “All we want from you at this point is confirmation of certain specific details.”
Wyatt held his surprise in check. If this maneuver got the job done ...
“I ... I don’t know what you mean.” Elliott looked from Adeline to Wyatt.