See Her Die (Bree Taggert #2)(7)

“There’s no one.” Mrs. Whitney’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. “Eli is an only child. My son and his wife were killed in an auto accident when Eli was sixteen. For the last six years, it’s just been the two of us.”

“I’m sorry.” Matt swallowed a lump of empathy the size of a basketball.

She nodded. “His friends said he went to a party Saturday night. They asked around, and someone who was at the party saw Eli leave around one in the morning, but no one has seen him since. I called the police. An officer came and took a report, but he said what you did. Eli probably hooked up.” She said the last two words as if they were unfamiliar.

“Did he drive to the party?” Matt asked.

“No. He always uses one of the apps to get a ride.” Mrs. Whitney shook her head. “A drunk driver killed his parents. Eli would never drink and drive.”

“Mrs. Whitney is worried the police aren’t doing enough.” Cady wrapped her arm around the older woman’s shoulders.

Mrs. Whitney bowed her head and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Her pink scalp shone through her white hair.

Raising her chin, she opened her eyes and sniffed. “The officer kept saying, ‘He’s an adult. He doesn’t need to check in with his grandmother.’” She paused for a long, shaky inhalation. “But I know my grandson. Something has happened to him. Please tell me you’ll help find him.”

“Where does he live?” Matt slid a sticky-note pad and a pen from the center of the table.

“Scarlet Falls.” Mrs. Whitney gave an address in the neighboring town.

Matt wrote it down. “Which police department is handling the case? Scarlet Falls is under town, county, and state jurisdictions.”

“I don’t know.” Mrs. Whitney’s eyes creased. She stopped, stifling a sob with her tissue.

“Do you know the original officer’s name?” Matt asked.

“No,” Mrs. Whitney said. “I’m sorry. I can’t always hear. He gave me a card, but I lost it.” Mrs. Whitney patted the pockets of her jacket. “I’m so worried. I can’t concentrate.”

“No worries. I can call around and find out who’s in charge of the case.” Matt could not turn down this little old lady who, despite her own frailties, never said no to an animal in need.

“I was up all night. This morning I turned on the news, and I saw—” She inhaled, her breath shaky. “The reporters said the police were organizing a search of the riverbank this morning. They’re looking for a missing university student.” She stifled a sob. “It must be Eli.”

“You don’t know that.” Cady touched Mrs. Whitney’s forearm, then turned to Matt. “I went to Mrs. Whitney’s house early to pick up a dog for a vet surgery appointment. She was in tears.”

“Did the officer give you any more information when he took your report?” Matt asked.

Mrs. Whitney sniffed. “He said he would talk to Eli’s friends and ask around the neighborhood where the party was held. He was going to find out if Eli used a rideshare app after the party too. But I haven’t heard anything from him since. At the time, he didn’t act very worried.”

“Matt will find out what’s happening with the investigation.” Cady’s eyes silently pleaded with her brother.

Mrs. Whitney blew her nose. “Please help me find him.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Matt said.

Most missing persons turned up on their own. Cops didn’t usually launch full-scale investigations for adults without signs of foul play or unusual circumstances.

A grateful tear slid down Mrs. Whitney’s cheek. “Bless you.”

“Can you give me a list of Eli’s friends?” Matt asked. “And a picture of him.”

“I’ll text you a photo,” Mrs. Whitney said. “His best friend is Christian Crone. They live with two other boys in an off-campus apartment.” She opened her purse and took out a small notebook. She slid it across the table to Matt. “Here is the address and all their cell phone numbers. Eli made sure I could reach any of them in case I needed something and he wasn’t available. They’re good boys. They’ve all been to my house for Sunday dinner.”

Unease nagged at Matt. Eli seemed like too good of a kid to let his grandma worry.

Cady stood and escorted Mrs. Whitney out the door. On the bright side, the case would give Matt a reason to call Bree again, one that didn’t smell of desperation. He lifted his phone and checked the time. Six thirty. Too early to call her personal number. He reached for the remote and turned on the TV to check the local news. A meteorologist was giving the weather report.

He called the sheriff’s department, but Bree wasn’t in her office. He left her a message. As he debated who to call at the Scarlet Falls PD, he thought about all the things that could have happened to a drunk student in the middle of the night.

Eli could have stumbled into the park, slipped, and hit his head. He could have fallen into the river and drowned. If Eli was too responsible to stand up his grandma, then none of the remaining scenarios in Matt’s head had good outcomes.





CHAPTER FOUR

Bree studied the trees but saw no one. She turned to Todd. “Get your rifle and cover us.”