Monday, November 18, 7:00 p.m.
Nevada called Jeb Turner and asked if he could visit again and also bring Macy. The man agreed, an iron determination humming under his weary sadness.
As he drove east of town, he noted Macy was alert and taking in the scenery as if committing it to memory. He pulled into another small enclave of homes tucked off a back road east of the interstate.
The yard was neatly trimmed and there was a large oak tree in the front yard, its near-naked branches barely clinging to a few orange and gold leaves. Tied to almost every branch was a yellow ribbon. Some were fresh and bright, some slightly worn, while others were so weathered and frayed they were little more than wispy, colorless strands.
The house was a one-story, white-brick rancher that backed up to a new housing development. The land for the development had been cleared six months ago, and at the time of Tobi’s disappearance, the property had been thickly wooded.
Out of the car, the two walked to the front door, and Nevada rang the bell. Inside, steady footsteps followed, and curtains covering the large picture window to their right flickered. The door opened to a lean, fit man in his late sixties. His face was deeply lined, but his hair was trimmed and his plaid shirt freshly pressed. Jeans and new athletic shoes completed a crisp appearance.
Recognition flickered in the man’s eyes when he saw Nevada. “Mr. Turner, you’ve had a lot to deal with, sir,” Nevada said. “May I introduce Special Agent Macy Crow?”
“I’m Jeb Turner,” he said, extending his hand.
“I am truly sorry for the reason behind our visit,” Macy said.
His nod was subtle; he was clearly trying to keep the pain in check. “Good thing you called before you came. The reporters have been hounding me for an interview, so I’ve stopped answering my door.”
“I can send a deputy by your house more often, if you think that might help,” Nevada said.
“It’s not necessary,” Turner said. “Reporters don’t scare me.” He stepped aside and invited them in.
As before when he’d visited, Nevada noticed the home’s interior was as neat and well kept as the exterior. The wall facing them displayed a collage of pictures, including a woman wearing a white wedding dress, the same woman holding a baby, and then pictures of Turner, the woman, and the growing girl over the years. A lifetime of moments captured and condensed on one wall.
This part of the investigation was never easy for him. He’d much rather be trading bullets with a suspect than dealing with the emotions of the victims’ families.
“That was my wife, Cathy. She died four years ago of Alzheimer’s.”
“My condolences,” Macy said.
“The disease was a blessing. She forgot that Tobi was missing and kept waiting for her to visit. At the assisted living facility, there was a girl on the kitchen staff who looked like Tobi, and Cathy often got them confused. Sara, the girl, was kind enough to play along. Toward the end she was the only one who could give Cathy peace.”
Turner indicated for them to sit. Macy perched on the edge of the green couch, and Nevada took the other end.
Turner settled into a well-worn recliner. “How can I be of help?”
Macy wrestled her yellow notepad from her backpack. “When was the last time you saw Tobi?”
“It was a Thursday night, and she was headed back to school for a study session for her history midterm.”
“What school was that?” Macy asked.
“Valley High School.”
“There’s another school nearby, correct?” Macy asked.
“Mountain State High School. That’s west of here and a different district, but the kids at the two schools crossed paths enough.”
“Tell me about that last day with Tobi,” Macy asked.
His demeanor relaxed for just a moment, as if it were fifteen years ago and everything was as it should be. “Tobi almost forgot her backpack, but her mother saw it by the front door and ran it out to her. She was so focused on getting to the study session she almost forgot her books.”
“She was a good student?” Macy asked.
“Straight As,” he said with pride. “She worked and studied hard. She was on the verge of submitting her college applications. Her grades needed to be top notch so she could get a scholarship.”
The man grew silent for a moment as his shoulders stiffened. Reality had chased away the pleasant last moments. Neither Macy nor Nevada spoke. Each knew the man needed to tell his story in his own time.
Turner cleared his throat. “Tobi had only been driving on her own for six months, and we got worried when she drove off by herself.” He shook his head. “But there comes a time when you have to let them grow up, right?”
“Tobi never made it to the high school, did she?” Macy asked.
“The cops found our van at a parking lot a mile from the school. Sheriff Greene interviewed all the kids at the study session, but they said Tobi never came into the school.”
“Was she dating anyone at the time?” Macy asked.
“She’d gone out a few times with a kid from the debate team, but he’d been in Ohio at a math competition when she went missing. The cops cleared him right away.”
“Are you sure there wasn’t anyone else?” Macy pressed.
“I’ve been asked that question a lot. And the answer is always no. Tobi was focused on school, not boys.”
Macy knew young girls could and did hide many things from their parents. “When did you know something was wrong?”
“We had given her an eleven p.m. curfew. At half past eleven, I called her friend Jenna Newsome,” he said. “They were close that last year.”
“And what did Jenna say?”
“She said she didn’t know anything,” Turner said. “Jenna still lives in town, but I don’t know the exact address.”
“Was there anyone else close with Tobi?” Macy asked.
“She was friendly with the kids in the band. But she didn’t have much time for socializing. Are you going to talk to Jenna?” he asked.
“I am.”
“Okay, you speak to Jenna, then what?” Turner demanded. “It’s been fifteen years, and the cops came up with nothing. My girl was only found by accident.”
Macy sidestepped the comment. “When did you call Mr. Greene?”
“It was past midnight.” He shook his head. “I should have called the sheriff five minutes after eleven. It wasn’t at all like Tobi to be late, but my wife said to give her a little more time.”
“And did the sheriff launch a search?”
“The sheriff didn’t sound worried, and I remember I lost my temper. He said he’d look into it.”
“And did he?”
“He called me about three a.m. He said he’d heard word there was going to be a bonfire that night and he thought maybe she’d gone there. The football team and cheerleaders held the bonfires to get everyone excited about the game, but basically it was an excuse to get drunk. Tobi was forbidden to go.”
“Didn’t they hold the bonfires near the Wyatt barn?” Macy asked.
“They were banned from that property. I learned later it was in a field by Talbot’s Creek.”
Macy scribbled down the location. “What did Mr. Greene learn?”
“He said the few kids who were left hadn’t seen Tobi.” He shoved out a breath. “I should have driven her to the school that night. But her mother insisted we let her grow up.”
Macy absently doodled the name Cindy Shaw and found herself drawing small circles around the name. “Did you know Cindy Shaw?”
“I heard the name. She ran away about two weeks after Tobi went missing. I did ask Sheriff Greene about her. The sheriff said not to worry about Cindy.”
“Why would she run away?” Nevada asked.
“I have no idea. You’d have to ask her brother, Bruce Shaw. He’s a doctor at the assisted living facility. He took care of Cathy before she died. Do you think something happened to Cindy like my Tobi?”
“I have no idea. I’m still just asking lots of questions. Could we see Tobi’s room?”
Turner ran his palms over his thighs and stood. “Sure, I’ll show it to you.”
The three of them walked down the narrow hallway lined with more pictures of Tobi, and he opened the back bedroom door.
Macy was taken aback that the room looked as it must have the day Tobi vanished. It was unsettling to see the lavender bedspread that smelled faintly of laundry soap, the stuffed animals leaning gently against fluffed pillows, and the polished dresser still displaying drugstore makeup and inexpensive silver bracelets. A collection of headbands dangled from the dresser mirror along with a gold medal for debate. She was reminded of just how young Tobi had been when she’d been murdered.
Turner smiled. “She loved that group even though her friends thought it was too baby for a high school girl. But my Tobi liked what she liked and stuck to her guns.”
Macy walked to the only window. She carefully pulled back the pink curtains and studied the view of the newly stripped land. “This would have been all woods when Tobi vanished, correct?”
“That’s right. It was only cleared this past spring. It’s supposed to be a big fancy development. I always wonder who’s going to move in to them, but I hear it’s selling well.”
Nevada studied Macy as she looked out over the land. “Was there a road there at one time?”
“A small dirt road. Almost no one used it,” Turner said.
She gently fingered the lock, testing it to see how easy it flipped open. It was tight now, but no telling what it would have been like then. “Was there anything that was missing from her room?”
“Missing? Like what? She had her backpack with her.”
“What about jewelry, shoes, a shirt, or a favorite trinket?”
He scratched his head. “One of her slippers was missing,” he said finally. “It was weeks after she was gone, and Cathy came in here to clean. She wanted the room just right when Tobi came home. She found the one pink slipper under the bed but not the other one. She looked everywhere, but it didn’t turn up.”
“Did you keep the one?” Macy asked.
“Sure.” He knelt by the bed, fished under the red duster, and pulled out a pink knitted slipper. “Cathy was sure it would turn up like Tobi and kept it. I’m not so different than my wife. I kept it all the same for Tobi, but I suppose I don’t need to do that anymore.”
“Did you find anything in her room that didn’t belong?” Macy asked.
“Nothing that caught my eye, but in the early days I couldn’t come in here. Cathy took care of it.”
“Was the study session planned?” Macy asked.
“No. It was last minute,” he said. “Why would that matter?”
“Again, I’m just asking a lot of questions right now.”
He swallowed. “Sheriff Nevada, when can I have my daughter? It’s time she joined her mother.”
“In a few days,” Nevada said. “Agent Crow and I are visiting her in Roanoke tomorrow. Then we’ll know better about a release day.”
Turner drew in a breath. “Tell my Tobi that her daddy loves her, would you? Tell her.”
“I’ll tell her,” Macy said softly.
In his car, Nevada was nearly to the main road when he asked, “Are you fishing when you ask about Cindy Shaw, or do you really think something happened to her?”
“I suppose I’m fishing. One of those loose ends that keeps nagging me.” She glanced at her notes. “I want to talk to Jenna Newsome.”
“I’m on it.”
Nevada located Jenna Newsome easily. She had married a decade ago and her last name now was Montgomery, and she worked in a law office as a paralegal. She told Nevada she was working late and they were welcome to come by. The law office was nestled in a century-old Victorian home that had been gutted and remodeled.
Macy and Nevada climbed the front steps and entered a room decorated in sleek grays that accentuated thick crown molding and a white marble fireplace. A receptionist’s desk, made of polished mahogany, offered the only slash of warmth in an otherwise cold room.
The two waited only a moment before a plump redhead clad in a navy-blue dress appeared. She wore pearls, black kitten heels, and a jeweled watch on her left wrist. “May I help you?”
Nevada and Macy each showed their badges, and her smile faded just a bit. “We’d like to speak to Jenna Newsome Montgomery.”
“That’s me. This is about Tobi, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Nevada tucked his badge back in the breast pocket of his coat. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“Sure. There’s a conference room to the left. Let me get someone to watch the phones for me.” She ducked into an office before returning and sitting, smoothing her skirt with manicured fingers. “When I read the news she’d been found, I knew it was a matter of time before someone came looking for me.”
“You were close friends with Tobi Turner?” Macy asked.
Frown lines deepened. “We were good friends. We were both nerds, liked debate and playing in the band.”
“When was the last time you saw her?” Macy asked.
“The day she vanished. I saw her at school.”
“And not after?” Macy asked.
“She said something about a study session, but I couldn’t go because I was babysitting my little brother.”
“The kids at the school said she didn’t show for the study session. Do you know where she went?”
“Sheriff Greene asked me the same question. Like I told him, I don’t know where she went. It wasn’t like her to skip study sessions.”
“Was she dating anyone?” Macy asked.
“No. She liked a few guys, but it was always from afar.”
“Who did she like?”
“Like all the other girls at school, she was crushing on the guys playing on the Dream Team. They were hot as hell that year. Even slightly cynical geeks like us weren’t immune to their aura.”
“Dream Team?” Macy asked.
“The local football team made the state finals that year,” Nevada explained. “There were four guys that year who were extremely talented. Rafe Younger, Paul Decker, Bruce Shaw, and Kevin Wyatt.”
“Wyatt as in the Wyatt barn?” Macy asked.
“Yes, the same family,” Nevada said.
“Small town.” Macy jotted down all the names. “Did you ever see Tobi hanging out with anyone on the Dream Team?”
Jenna smiled indulgently. “Geeks didn’t hang with the guys on the Dream Team.”
“Did you see her talking to anyone in particular at the games or during school that fall?” Macy asked.
“I saw her once with Paul Decker. He was hanging around her locker a few days before she vanished.”
“Did Tobi ever say what they were talking about?”
“He thought she was cute, or at least that’s what she told me later. I was suspicious. Decker was known for chasing the cheerleaders.”
“Did you tell Sheriff Greene about Decker talking to Tobi?” Nevada asked.
“The sheriff came by once, and I told him everything I just told you. He took notes, but kept shaking his head as if he doubted what I’d seen. No one ever talked to me about it again.”
“Was there anyone else out of the ordinary who hung out with Tobi those last few weeks?” Nevada asked.
“Like Decker? No. Do you think Decker killed Tobi? He was arrested for something, I heard,” Jenna asked.
Macy didn’t answer the question, instead asking, “Did you know Cindy Shaw?”
“Kind of,” Jenna said. “She was an odd duck. She was a hard partier, and she was really into the goth look. Very into the football team that last year and was thrilled that her brother was on the verge of doing really well for himself.”
“Did Cindy know Tobi?” Macy asked. “Did she talk to Tobi at all?”
“Not that I know of. Cindy wasn’t popular, and she didn’t fit with the geeks or the popular kids.”
“What happened to Cindy?” Macy asked.
“Everyone knows Cindy ran off. You’re FBI. Can’t you just track Cindy down and ask her?”
“It’s not that simple. But I would like to find her,” Macy said. “Any idea where she moved to?”
“I heard Colorado.”
“Anybody ever hear from her again?” Nevada asked.
“Not that I know of, but I don’t keep up that much. You should talk to Bruce. I’m sure she’s talked to her brother at some point.”
“I’ll be sure to talk to him,” Macy said.
“We always thought whoever took Tobi wasn’t from around here,” Jenna said.
“Why do you say that?” Macy asked.
Jenna shuddered. “Because this isn’t the kind of place where killers live. It’s a nice, peaceful place.”
“Where do you think killers live, Ms. Montgomery?” Macy asked.
“In the big cities.”
“Sometimes they do. And sometimes they live in places like this and they look very ordinary.”
Jenna shuddered. “That’s unsettling.”
Macy flipped the pages of her notepad back in place. “Yes, it is.”