Afraid to Die by Lisa Jackson Read Free Book Online Page B

house.”
    That, too, wasn’t good. It sounded as if she had been heading home.
    â€œShe was at work yesterday?”
    â€œYes. And she mentioned she had a church meeting last night. First Christian. You know, they’re the ones who are building a new church outside of town on some acreage Brady Long left them.”
    Pescoli was nodding, though, of course, Sandi couldn’t know that.
    â€œI did call Mildred Peeples. She’s on every committee that the church has and a busybody to boot. Knows everybody’s business and she said Brenda was at the meeting, kind of antsy, like she had to be somewhere. At least that was Mildred’s take. She said the meeting broke up half an hour late, around eight thirty. As far as I know, no one’s seen her since.”
    Not a good sign.
    â€œDid you call the ex?”
    â€œRay? No way. He’s a sick son of a bitch though. He’s probably behind this; I wouldn’t put it past him.”
    â€œDoes he live in Grizzly Falls?”
    â€œIn an apartment. I don’t know exactly where.”
    â€œOkay, got it. I’ll check it all out.”
    â€œThanks, Detective.”
    â€œNo problem.” Pescoli hung up and started for her bedroom to change out of her robe and pajamas.
    The bad feeling that had been with her just got a whole lot worse.

Chapter 4
    â€œO kay, so go over it again. What’s going on?” Alvarez asked as she climbed into Pescoli’s Jeep. She’d taken the call from her partner fifteen minutes earlier. Pescoli, obviously driving, had said, “We need to check something out up near September Creek. Brenda Sutherland, the waitress at Wild Will’s, didn’t show up today and the boss, Sandi, can’t find her. Her car’s abandoned not far from her house, so I’m going up there. You in?”
    Of course she was and now they were headed out of town, Pescoli behind the wheel, the scent of cigarette smoke tingeing the air. Though Pescoli had quit years ago, she was known to sneak a smoke whenever she got stressed.
    The holidays tended to do that to people.
    Pescoli explained about the phone call from Sandi Aldridge as her Jeep climbed the hills outside of town. The snow, thankfully, had stopped falling and the countryside seemed deceptively serene. “But there’s no body,” Pescoli said. “No report of violence. No missing persons report.”
    She turned her vehicle down Elkridge Drive, and not two hundred yards in, she noticed the abandoned vehicle.
    â€œWhy wasn’t this called in?” Alvarez asked as Pescoli passed the snow-covered car and parked on the side of the road, fifteen yards ahead of it.
    â€œDeputies stretched thin. Wrecks, electrical outages, fires from space heaters, you name it and this isn’t a major road, so it’s not patrolled often.”
    â€œWhat about the neighbors?”
    â€œThat’s the problem,” Pescoli said. “Not many up here. Not year-round at least.”
    That much was true, Alvarez thought. This area in the mountains was spattered with a few summer homes, all closer to the lake. They climbed out of the Jeep, breaths fogging in the subfreezing temperatures, careful as they approached the car. Over four inches of snow covered the roof. “Been here a while,” Pescoli thought aloud and brushed the snow from the icy driver’s side window to shine the beam of her flashlight inside. “Nothing.”
    Alvarez looked through the frosty pane as well. The car appeared empty except for a plastic sack from which peeked a glassy-eyed stuffed animal. Looked like a reindeer.
    â€œChristmas gifts?” Pescoli muttered.
    â€œMaybe.”
    â€œWhy leave them?”
    â€œWhy leave at all?”
    â€œGood question.”
    Pescoli called the abandoned vehicle in, then, to cover their bases, Pescoli secured a search warrant not only for the car but also Brenda Sutherland’s house as well. After waiting