Allison Brennan - See No Evil

“Just a minute.” Mrs. O’Dell didn’t invite Julia in this time. Three minutes later she opened the door and handed her a photograph. “This was taken four months ago, at Christmas, when Michelle came home for break.”

Michelle had grown from a beautiful teenager into a stunning woman. Blond, blue-eyed, with the body of a Playboy model concealed in jeans and midriff top.

“When Michelle visits, does she stay here?”

“Of course,” Mrs. O’Dell snapped. “We’re very close. She tells me everything.”

The kind, sweet mother from the other day was now replaced by the mother bear. Like Stephanie Ridge, Gina O’Dell would never believe ill of her child.

Julia couldn’t blame them. She herself didn’t believe Emily had any part in Victor’s murder. And when she did have a tickle of doubt, she’d made excuse after excuse. The rape. The abuse. Anything to show that Emily wasn’t responsible for her actions.

She hoped Stephanie Ridge was wrong about Michelle being in San Diego. It would break Mrs. O’Dell’s heart if her daughter was in town, and had neither called nor visited.

“Thank you so much for your help,” Julia said, and left.

Part of being a private eye was grunt work. Hell, most of it was, but it occasionally paid well.

Connor knew how to do the job, and missing persons-if there wasn’t foul play involved-was often the easiest. He had friends, contacts, ins to track real estate transactions, bank transfers, credit cards, phone bills.

It appeared that Laura Chase had disappeared off the face of the earth.

While waiting for Emily to be discharged from the hospital, Connor managed to piece together the Chase family history.

Tom and Laura had been married for five years before giving birth to a daughter, Camilla Chase, who died six months later of sudden infant death syndrome. Less than a year later, Shannon was born. Months after Shannon committed suicide, Laura Chase filed for divorce. They sold the house and Tom moved to Maine but was living off his savings and the proceeds of the house sale and his construction business. He had no known job. Will Hooper had the local authorities drive by his Bangor address and everything checked out. As far as they knew, Tom Ridge hadn’t left Maine-at least by airplane-since moving there eighteen months ago.

Laura Chase, on the other hand, seemed to have disappeared after the divorce. She owned no property in California and didn’t appear to have a job in the state. Connor wondered if, like her husband, she had moved out of the area in grief over her second dead daughter. How devastating for the Chases to lose two children.

Connor understood grief. His nephew’s murder eleven years ago had changed every member of the Kincaid family, himself included, but none of their pain came close to what his sister Nell suffered. When the killer wasn’t caught, when the case grew cold and Nell knew it would be given less and less priority by the police, she left. She moved to Idaho to be alone.

Their mother insisted Nell would return home when her grief ran its course. But in the eleven years since, she had not set foot in San Diego. Connor hadn’t even seen Nell since, though his parents visited her on occasion. If Nell didn’t want to be found, Connor had no doubt she, too, could disappear as Laura Chase had done.

The one thing Connor couldn’t access were bank accounts. When Will arrived at the hospital to transport Emily to the courthouse, Connor told him what he’d learned and Will called in for Laura Chase’s financials. Connor hated the waiting game, but he had no choice.

He kept glancing at his watch as Dillon and Will went over the transportation plan for Emily.

“What’s wrong?” Dillon finally asked.

“We’re running late. Julia is supposed to be at the courthouse at noon. After yesterday’s hit-and-run, I’m worried.”

“I’m just waiting for the media to get antsy enough that they start speculating,” Will said. “Causey will give a brief statement-something to the effect that Emily Montgomery has been released from the hospital, that she isn’t a suspect in the judge’s murder, but is being deposed because of information she has. While everyone thinks she’s in the courthouse, we’ll smuggle her out through the secure garage and get her up to Montana before the end of the business day. No one will know.”

Dillon said, “Paperwork’s done. Let’s go.”

Maneuvering on the highway past a car packed with young surfers, Julia left another message for Michelle O’Dell. She then called the Palo Alto District Attorney’s Office and explained that she was trying to reach a witness and asked if they could check on her status. She gave them a physical description, her last-known address, and phone number.

Why was Michelle in San Diego? Julia had only wanted to talk to her about what happened two years ago between Jason and Shannon, and her cryptic comments to the press about Jason’s “issues.” Now she wondered if maybe Michelle was on a vendetta, if maybe she felt the system had failed her best friend.

But where would Michelle get other people to go along with her plan of revenge? And why would she go after Montgomery and Bowen? It didn’t make sense. Jason Ridge, yes. Julia could logically make the connection-Jason raped Shannon, wasn’t punished, and Shannon’s best friend Michelle would want to do something about it.

But to carry on a vendetta for two years? She wondered what Dillon would say.

Whoa, Julia. Going from revenge to psychopath was a huge leap. And maybe Michelle had nothing to do with it, and her presence in San Diego the night Garrett Bowen was killed was a coincidence. Still, why would a college student of modest means be at a ritzy art fund-raiser?

The only way Julia would find out was if she talked to Michelle.

As if on cue, her cell phone rang. The number was “unknown.” Julia answered. “Julia Chandler speaking.”

“Um, this is Michelle O’Dell. I think you left me a message.”

Julia found a safe place to pull over so she could focus on the conversation. “Hi Michelle. Thanks for returning my call.”

“What do you want?” the young woman asked.

“I’m looking into a cold case for the District Attorney’s Office. Do you remember Jason Ridge?”

A long pause. “Yes.”

“He died from steroid use. Had a heart attack on the football field. The District Attorney’s Office has been investigating the illegal use of steroids by minors and since you knew Jason, I wanted to talk to you about what you knew of his actions before he died.”

“Nothing. We didn’t talk anymore.”

“You were his ex-girlfriend, correct?”

“So?”

“He also dated a friend of yours. Shannon Chase.”

“What does that have to do with Jason taking steroids?”

“Shannon’s dead. I can’t ask her about what she knew. She committed suicide, right?”

“Why are you asking me questions you already know the answers to? Why are you bringing all this up?” There were either tears or anger in her voice-maybe a little of both.

“I’m sorry to upset you, Michelle. You were close to Shannon.”

“Whatever.”

“It must have been awful to have your best friend commit suicide. It must have hurt.”

“I never thought she’d do it.” Michelle’s voice was distant.

“Her parents divorced over it. When violence hits a family, it takes a toll on everyone.”

Julia pushed. “Have you been in contact with Shannon’s parents since they moved from San Diego?”

“No.” Michelle’s answer seemed to come too fast.

“Are you sure? Shannon’s father moved out of state, but her mother is still in town.”

Julia held her breath, hoping her fishing expedition caught something.