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.“He’s kidnapped another woman, hasn’t he?”“Maybe.She fits the general description.Young, attractive, tall, and slender.Long, dark hair.”“Damn!” The word escaped from between Tam’s clenched teeth.“Who is she?”“Whitney Poole, twenty-four.She’s a waitress at Callie’s Café.Her boyfriend reported her missing after she didn’t come home last night or this morning.And her boss called her apartment looking for her because she didn’t show up for work this morning.No one has seen her since she left the café last night.The boyfriend has called every girlfriend she has, and none of them have seen her.”“She’s been missing less than twenty-four hours, so I assume the reason we’re jumping on this is because she fits the profile for the Rocking Chair Killer’s other two victims.”“We can’t afford to wait,” Garth said.“If our guy abducted Whitney Poole, then the sooner we investigate, the better our chances are of nabbing this guy.And if it turns out he didn’t take her or that maybe she’s not actually missing, I’d rather know we acted immediately than risk the possibility that she is his third victim.”The young woman who opened the door when J.D.arrived at the old farmhouse that had once belonged to Luther and Dora Chaney smiled warmly.“Hello.”“Hi.” J.D.returned her smile.“Mrs.Gilliland?”“Yes, I’m Allison Gilliland.”He showed her his badge and ID.“I’m Special Agent Cass with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.May I come in and talk to you?”Her smile vanished, replaced by a speculative stare.“Yes, of course, please come in.” She invited him inside and showed him to the living room.On arrival, he had noted the new tan vinyl siding on the house and freshly painted white shutters.The yard was neatly mowed, the landscaping was filled with greenery, and yellow mums lined the walkway.Once inside, he noted that the interior of the house had been renovated; also, the old wooden floors had been refinished, the walls had been recently painted, and the décor was a combination of traditional and contemporary.“Won’t you sit down, Special Agent Cass.” She indicated the sofa as she sat in a leather recliner in front of the big-screen TV.Once they were both seated, she asked, “What’s this about?”“It’s about a woman named Regina Bennett.”“Oh.I see, but I’m afraid I don’t understand.”“You know who Regina Bennett is or rather who she was?”“Yes, of course I know.And I know that she once lived here, in this house and later on in the rental house on this farm.You said who she was—is she dead?”“Yes, ma’am.She passed away while an inmate at Moccasin Bend earlier this year.”“I’m afraid I’m confused.I don’t understand what—?”“The TBI is trying to tie up some loose ends concerning Regina Bennett,” J.D.said.“Ms.Bennett was cremated, and when her nephew picked up her ashes, he mentioned to the funeral director that he planned to return his aunt to the farm.”Allison Gilliland’s gray eyes widened in surprise.“If you’re asking if anyone came here to the farm and asked permission to scatter Regina Bennett’s ashes, then the answer is no.But we own nearly a hundred acres, so it wouldn’t be difficult for someone to have entered the property without our permission or our knowledge.”J.D.believed Allison.There was no reason she should lie to him.As far as he knew, neither she nor her husband had any connection to Regina Bennett or her relatives.Nor to the previous owners, who had bought the farm from Dora Chaney.Had he actually thought the mysterious Corey Bennett would have asked permission to scatter his aunt’s ashes?“Would you mind if I took a look around the property?”“No, I don’t mind, but just what do you think you’ll find here?” she asked, standing when he did.“It’s my understanding that the local authorities and the FBI covered every square foot of this farm years ago.”“I don’t expect to find anything in particular.I thought that since I’m here and if you don’t have any objections, I’d take the opportunity to just look around, maybe check out the house where Regina lived.Would that be possible?”“You mean the rental house?”“Does someone live there?”“No, not now.The house is run down, and we haven’t bothered putting any money into fixing it and renting it since we bought this property a couple of years ago after Mrs.McGregor died and her daughter put the farm up for sale.”“How long has it been since you’ve been in the other house?”“Well, actually, not since shortly after we bought the property.Why?”“No reason.Just curious.”As he walked out of the living room, a framed wedding photo of a happy young couple caught his eye.The bride was obviously Allison Gilliland.The husky young groom in the picture had green eyes, red hair, and freckles.Mr.Gilliland didn’t fit the description he’d been given of Corey Bennett.Not until that moment did J.D.realize he had subconsciously been wondering if it was possible that the new owner of the old farm might be Regina’s nephew.“The house isn’t locked,” Allison told him as she walked with him onto the front porch.“It’s about a quarter of a mile east of this house.If you follow the dirt road over there, it’ll take you straight to it.”J.D.shook hands with the young woman, thanked her, and surveyed the landscape as he walked toward his Camaro.As she’d said, there were nearly a hundred acres, some of it still cultivated farmland, some of it wooded, and a couple of dozen acres that climbed into the hills.From the FBI report he’d read and reread, the hills were dotted with caves and a couple of springs ran through the property, one to the south and the other to the west of the farmhouse.Both houses had basements.Both basements had been thoroughly searched.And every cave in the hills that they had discovered had also been searched.Any evidence left behind twenty-three years ago would now be long gone.Besides, if the investigators hadn’t found anything, it was probably because there was nothing to find.And you’re not going to find anything today.On the short drive to the rental house, J.D.noted the time on his wristwatch.Nearly eleven.He had noticed a pizza place on Dayton Pike on his drive there earlier.When he left, he could stop by for a quick lunch.Since he and Zoe had their first appointment scheduled with Dr.Sherrod that afternoon at four-thirty, it would be after six before they’d get a chance to eat dinner.He sure wasn’t looking forward to this family-therapy thing.Hell, he’d rather walk through broken glass in his bare feet than talk about his feelings for a solid hour.His gut told him that somehow Audrey Sherrod would make whatever problems he and Zoe had all his fault.Two females against one male
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