Dead Giveaway by Brenda Novak Read Free Book Online Page B

herself. “Are you making any progress on the Barker case?” she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Because she was so thin, she had more wrinkles on her face than Dale, Allie’s father, who was ruddy and barrel-chested and looked about ten years younger than his real age. But her mother was still attractive, in a faded-rose sort of way.
    â€œA little.” Just reading all the reports and statements in the boxes that were stacked in the small locked storage room at the station had been a chore. Allie had one more box to go; she hadn’t had time to wade through its contents yet. Her father kept giving her other assignments. And she was the only one really working the night shift. It wasn’t as if Hendricks was any help.
    â€œFrom what I’ve seen so far, there’re a lot of contradictions,” she said. “Deirdre Hunt claims she saw Reverend Barker heading out of town at eight-thirty. Bonnie Ray Simpson says she saw him pull into the farm at about the same time. And you know Jed Fowler was there that night, fixing the tractor in the barn. He says he never heard or saw anything.”
    â€œHe also confessed to murder when he thought your father had found the reverend’s remains.”
    â€œThose remains turned out to be a dog.”
    â€œSo? The point is, Jed tried to protect the Montgomerys, which means he might know more than he’s saying.”
    â€œTrue. Rachelle Cook and Nora Young’s statements certainly suggest he’s lying. They claim Reverend Barker was going home when they said goodbye to him in the church parking lot just before he disappeared.”
    Allie knew her mother had heard all of this before. Everyone in Stillwater had. She would’ve been more familiar with it herself, had she not moved away as soon as she graduated from high school. After that, she had college, marriage and her own work to keep her busy. She’d thought about the missing reverend only when her father mentioned some facet of the case.
    â€œYou have to decide who’s got a reason to lie,” her mother said.
    The way her mother loved mysteries and true-crime books, it was too bad she hadn’t gone into law enforcement. Especially since she was surrounded by a family of cops. Besides her husband being chief of police, and her daughter serving on the same force, her oldest child, Daniel, was a sheriff in Arizona. When Allie’s brother called to discuss his various cases, it was often Evelyn who offered the best advice.
    â€œIs Dad over at the station?” Allie asked.
    â€œIf he’s not out on a call. Or at the doughnut shop,” she added wryly. A year ago, the doctor had warned Dale that his cholesterol was too high. So Evelyn had put him on a diet. But they both knew he thwarted her attempts to curtail his calorie consumption. He’d sneak off to Two Sisters, a local café, for homemade pie, the Piggly Wiggly for chips and soda, or Lula Jane’s Coffee and Cake, for a gigantic apple fritter.
    â€œHe’s not very cooperative,” Allie mused.
    Evelyn shook her head. “He never has been. Not when it comes to food.”
    Only five-ten and nearly two hundred and fifty pounds, Dale could stand to lose some weight. But he’d always been stocky. Allie hated to see him denied what he loved most. “Maybe you should ease up on the diet restrictions.”
    Her mother shook her head adamantly. “I can’t. The doctor said he could have a heart attack. Or a stroke.”
    â€œIt’s a good thing he’s got you,” Allie said.
    â€œWe could lose him if we’re not careful.” Evelyn reached out to tuck Allie’s hair behind one ear, the way she used to when Allie was little. “Your dad and I have been together forty years. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Where has all the time gone?”
    Allie pressed her cheek into her mother’s palm. “Thanks for letting me come home.”
    Evelyn