Yellow shoelaces?
“Do you think that was the killer putting the rope in my hand?” he asked. “Because I do.”
I shut my eyes. “Do you remember anything else about them?”
“Not really. I think they were on white shoes. I was pretty excited about the shoelaces, but I can tell in your voice that you aren’t.”
“No, I am!” I sat up and rubbed my forehead while attempting to drum up as much enthusiasm as him. “I’m glad bits and pieces are coming back to you. I’m just trying to figure out how this all fits together and how I can prove that you aren’t the killer.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.”
“Me neither.”
“Find someone with yellow shoelaces.”
We sat in silence for a moment as Daisy continued to whine for Jacob.
“Daisy misses you,” I said.
“I miss her, too. You know, Mom, spring break is almost over and school starts soon. Am I going back?”
Of course I wanted him to return to college, but Mallory would meet him at his dorm room and arrest him. “Let’s get you in the clear before we think about anything else. The second you come out of hiding, Mallory is going to pounce. We need to be careful.”
“I hate this,” he grumbled.
“So do I, honey, so do I.” Then I recalled Brandy had been visiting. “How was Grandma?”
He snorted. “She was good, but don’t ever call her that. She hates it. We played Uno.”
“Did you win?”
“No, she did. I have a feeling she cheated, though. I can’t prove it, but I was winning and then all of a sudden, I wasn’t. It was fun though.”
With her history, I had no doubt she’d deceived him.
“She said she’d come back tomorrow. Do you think you could come visit me?” he asked.
I’d have liked nothing more than to see him, but it was best for everyone if I remained clueless on where he was. “I can’t, Jacob. Mallory may have me followed. If I don’t know where you are, I can’t lead her to you.”
He sighed. “Okay. So, what are you going to do with the yellow shoelaces?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to think about it.”
We sat in silence for a long moment.
“Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later.” My son sounded defeated, and tears welled in my eyes. How was I going to find this killer?
“Sounds good, honey. Love you.”
I hung up and stared into space while Daisy and Mustard wrestled in front of me.
As I considered the people I’d talked to in the investigation, I couldn’t recall any of them having yellow shoelaces. However, I hadn’t exactly been looking for them, either. Was it a unique thing to have, or was it a trend all the kids were following?
A knock sounded at the front door, which sent the dogs into a frenzy. When I opened it, I was surprised to find Trevor, who looked even angrier than before with his mouth set in a hard, fine line and his brow furrowed.
“Trevor doesn’t look very happy,” Daisy said. “In fact, he looks a bit scary. I don’t think I like this Trevor.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Mallory fired me.”
My mouth hung open. “Really?”
“Yes. Can I come in?”
“Sorry. Of course.” I stepped to the side as the dogs sniffed his feet. He walked into the living room and sat down on the floor, then was immediately attacked by Mustard and Daisy. When he laid down, they pounced.
“Trevor’s face tastes good!” Daisy yelled. “We got him to smile, Gina! Trevor doesn’t look scary anymore!”
“Alright, alright,” he said, chuckling as he sat up. “You two need to back off.”
“Dog kisses seemed to have improved your mood,” I said.
“Maybe a little bit.” He stood and sat next to me on the couch with a long sigh as he attempted to brush the dog hair from the front of his shirt. I knew from experience it was a futile effort.
“Why did you get canned?”
“She wanted me to arrest you for aiding and abetting a fugitive, and I told her I wouldn’t. I didn’t have any grounds to do that.”
Uh oh. That didn’t sound good. My freedom was the only thing that was going to save Jacob from her clutches. “I don’t know where he is, Trevor.”
“I know. I believe you.”
“Should I be expecting another officer to come knocking at some point?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. She demanded that a couple other guys head over here, and they all told her to go pound sand as well. Instead of de-escalating the situation, she fired me.”
“To use you as an example of what could happen if they didn’t do what she ordered?”
“Maybe. I guess so.” He shrugged. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“What if she shows up here herself?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Honestly, Gina, I think she’s a little afraid of you. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
A little thrill traveled through me. Mallory was afraid of me? Great. I really enjoyed the thought. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to throw me in jail, even if there was a hint of mutiny in the department. “I’m still a little worried.”
He pulled out his phone and began typing. After hitting send, the device buzzed in his hand twice. A moment later, he shoved it back in his pocket. “There. I’ve asked the guys to let me know if she’s going to accelerate her witch hunt.”
“They’ll call or something if she decides to come get me?”
“Yes. They said they would.”
“Okay, that makes me feel a little bit better.”
“Then let’s get to work.” He pulled out his phone again. “I had a bad feeling when I went back to the office, so I took pictures of the case file. I’ve got almost everything here on Ava’s murder.”
“Oh!” I sat up and took the phone. “Any autopsy reports yet? What about DNA on the rope? Anything?”
“The autopsy report came in.” He reached over and swiped past a few documents. “That’s it.”
I quickly read over the report, which didn’t yield anything I didn’t already know, except the drug that was used. Ava had high amounts of Rohypnol in her blood, so I assumed Jacob had the same. I hadn’t been officially notified by the emergency clinic yet. I retrieved my own phone and did a quick search on the drug. Loss of consciousness was one side effect, as well as amnesia. It came in a pill form that was both tasteless and odorless. Those kids had no chance of knowing they were drinking tainted water.
“The rope used was a waterski rope,” Trevor said. “It was from the boat in the closed garage at the Willard house. We found lots of waterski equipment in the boat, as well as a rope that had been cut.”
“Someone had been very intentional about how they were going to kill her,” I mused. “Why not just hit her over the head with a rock? She wasn’t going to fight back.”
Trevor shrugged. “Maybe they didn’t want things messy.”
“Everyone had access to the boat. It was in a closed garage, so the killer had to know it was there, someone who was familiar with the Willards’ property.”
“That really doesn’t narrow it down too much,” Trevor said. “If we go by that reasoning, then Bianca, Oliver, and maybe Gabriel are all suspects. Zoe said it was her first time at the house, and it was the same for Jacob.”
“You aren’t seriously considering my son as a suspect, are you?” I asked, completely offended. Who was this man I thought I knew so well?
“No. Just pointing out who was there and who hadn’t been to the Willard’s place before.”
I nodded, feeling a bit better. “What about Terry? And Mrs. Willard had no idea Ava was also dating Gabriel. She wasn’t surprised by it, but she didn’t know he existed.”
“That doesn’t mean he’d never been to their house,” Trevor said. “Mrs. Willard also didn’t know about the party, and she may never have known if her daughter hadn’t died there. Kids can be sneaky.”
“But why would she bring Gabriel to her house here in Heywood when they both lived at the college in Flagstaff?”
“Off the top of my head, I was thinking she wanted time with Gabriel somewhere Oliver wouldn’t find them. Or, perhaps she wanted to show off her house, like she did with Zoe. Or maybe, he was just wandering around and found the garage. We can’t rule him out.”
As I took all this in and let it churn, I watched Daisy and Mustard roll around on the carpet. Who had killed Ava? And how did I tell Trevor about the yellow shoelaces Jacob had seen? I’d just got done promising him I didn’t know where my son was, which was true. But, I had lied by omission. The little burner phone in my pocket suddenly felt quite heavy.
Trevor wasn’t with the Sheriff’s Department any longer. Well, for now. I had a plan to get him reinstated, but this time, running the darn place.
I glanced over at him and admired his scruffy blond growth on his strong jaw. Did I see a few grays in there? Considering our age, it was a possibility.
Revealing my secret was a huge leap of faith. Did I trust Trevor? Very much so. However, this was my son we were discussing. I’d walk through cut glass barefoot while on fire for him. If I shared that I could contact Jacob and I had some evidence the police didn’t and Trevor went to Mallory with it… not only would it break my heart, but I’d be beyond furious. Hell hath no fury like a mother protecting her child. Forget the women scorned. Their anger would be considered a walk in the park compared to the former.
Me sharing the news would be a huge jump in our relationship. It would show that I trusted him entirely, and frankly, that scared me. Having never been in a decent relationship, putting my faith—not to mention my son’s future—fully in Trevor was frightening.
But we were now at the place in the investigation where I felt I had no choice.
“I have something to tell you.” I set down both of our phones on the coffee table and turned to him.
“Oh, no,” he groaned. “What now?”
“First, I don’t know where Jacob is,” I said. “I swear to you that’s true.”
“Okay,” he replied. “I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“I’ve been in contact with him,” I said. “I actually spoke to him today.”
“How?” Trevor asked. “Mallory has your phone tapped. His number hasn’t come up at all.”
I smiled and said, “Burner phones. Please don’t ask anything else about it.”
“Right.” He rolled his eyes. “Should have figured that one out.”
“Anyway, I spoke to him earlier, Trevor. He’s remembered something about that night.”
“What’s that?”
“He recalled seeing someone wearing yellow shoelaces with white shoes when he was passed out, then he felt something in his hand. He thinks it was the killer putting the rope in his palm.”
Trevor shot to his feet and began pacing. “This is big news. Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“Gina?” Daisy said. “There’s something you should know.” She trotted over and sat down.
“I didn’t say anything because you’re a cop and I didn’t know if I could trust you,” I replied.
Trevor arched a brow at me as his cheeks reddened. “Really, Gina? After all this time you didn’t know if you could trust me?
“I just—”
“Gina!” Daisy shouted.
“I really can’t believe this,” Trevor muttered.
“Trevor, you have to put yourself in my position,” I said. “I don’t know who to trust. You’re the police. Your department is looking for my son. Please try to understand.”
“Gina!” Daisy yelled. “Gina, listen to me! It’s important!”
“What?!” I shouted, losing my patience.
“The face suckers at the park!” Daisy replied. “One of them had yellow shoelaces!”