Page 68 of Never Stay Gone

“No.”

“You didn’t see her at night?”

“No.”

“You didn’t go to the rally, or meet her anywhere after the rally?”

“No. She said she’d be home late, when it was done, around midnight. I didn’t usually go to her political things. I wasn’t really welcome there.”

“Is that because of the drugs?”

This time, Joey was the one hesitating. “I thought that was gonna be expunged from my record.”

Technically, it wasn’t ever on Joey’s record. “Tell me what happened.”

Joey sighed. It sounded watery and wounded. “I just wanted to make enough money for her. You know, so she’d be happy and have nice things, like all those powerful people do.”

“What powerful people?”

“You know. Celebrities. People who matter. People who have money.”

“So you started dealing drugs.”

“It was the fastest way to make the kind of money I wanted for her. I was scared I was gonna lose her, you know? To someone who could give her more than I could.”

“But then you got arrested.”

Another sigh, like a long train whistle. “Yeah. I thought that was taken care of, though. I was told it wasn’t ever gonna come up again.”

“Who told you that, Joey? And who took care of the arrest for you?”

“Jessica did.”

She could pick up the phone and make things happen. The definition of a person with friends in high places.“Do you know how she got rid of the charges against you?”

“No. But I assume it was the governor.”

Chapter Seventeen

“I understandyou’re sending me another dead body, Ranger Jennings.”

Dakota sucked his teeth and closed his eyes. He hadn’t known Shelly, but he loved the man who had loved her, and talking about her like she was just another body sat wrong inside him. “Yep.”

Dr. Trevino paused, as if waiting for him to say more. “Well, I have some information for you on the first set of victims.” Dr. Trevino stressed thesome. “Unfortunately, not everything you want.”

“I’ll take anything you can give me, Doc.” Dakota stared out his windshield into the desert, one wrist thrown over the steering wheel, his fingers rubbing together like he was trying to start a friction fire. He’d driven out of town, straight out the highway and into the desert. Away from Shane and Shelly’s broken life, away from Heath, away from all the goddamn questions that popped up every direction he looked. He’d pulled out his phone and called Dr. Trevino, hoping for at least some answers from someone.

“Firstly, I got the tox back on Jessica Klein: no drugs in her system. Which is good, considering her pregnancy.”

“That is good.”

“And I’ve got two IDs for you: Jane Doe four is a woman named Sophie Espinoza. She was a student at Texas A&M before she dropped out to pursue her real passion: rock climbing. She went missing about three months ago after she told her roommates she’d quit her fourth waitressing job in two months and was going to go climb in Big Bend National Park.”

“Not really a climbin’ destination.”

“No, but she was determined. She packed her car and headed out. Left rent for the next month paid in advance. When she didn’t come home for three weeks, no one thought anything of it. Her roommates were apparently all pretty into pot smoking and not working, and not keeping track of each other either.”

“Mmm.”