Page 107 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)

ONE HUNDRED SIX

Briar Ridge Mobile Homes

Ellie and Derrick were heading back to Crooked Creek for some R & R when Deputy Landrum phoned. She put him on speaker.

“Detective Reeves, a tip just came in about a body in the woods near that graveyard.”

Ellie groaned. “At this time of night?”

“Afraid so.”

Ellie’s pulse jumped. “Do you think it’s legit?”

“I don’t know. It was a young girl so it could be a teen prank. But she sounded shaken up. When I asked her name, she hung up.”

Ellie rolled her shoulders to loosen the kink in her neck. It had been a long day already. But if this lead was legitimate, they had to check it out.

“Can you trace the number the girl called from?” Ellie asked.

“Already done it,” the deputy answered. “The phone belongs to Kat Jones.”

Dammit.

Ellie and Derrick traded a look. “Thanks, Deputy. We’ll talk to her and check it out.” Ellie ended the call and swung the Jeep toward Ida Bramble’s mobile home park.

Derrick scrubbed his hand over his face. “It’s late, Ellie. You think we should wait until tomorrow?”

“No,” Ellie said. “If this is legit, the killer might move the body by morning.”

“You’re right,” Derrick said. “We can’t waste time.”

Ellie sped up and they rode the next few miles in silence. When she reached Ida’s trailer she veered into the driveway. A lamp burned in the living room indicating someone was home. They made their way to the front door and Derrick rang the bell.

Tension thickened and a stiff wind blew through bringing the scent of garbage.

A cat screeched from the neighbor’s yard, and she realized it was tearing into someone’s trash.

Derrick punched the bell a second time and finally Ellie saw Ida walking through the living room toward the door wearing a pair of flannel pajamas.

Her hair was rumpled, and she yawned as she opened the door. Jesus, they’d woken her up.

“What are y’all doing here this time of night?” Ida grumbled.

“Sorry to bother you so late, but it’s important,” Ellie said. “We need to speak to your daughter.”

Ida’s brows shot up. “Kat? Why?”

“Is she here?” Derrick asked.

“Of course she is. She’s not allowed to go out at night with that killer on the loose.”

Ellie offered her an understanding smile. Obviously, Ida was unaware Kat had called the tip line. “I don’t blame you. But someone using her phone called us and we really have to talk to her. With you present, of course.”

Ida toyed with the top button of her pajamas. “Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

“I’m afraid not,” Ellie said.

“We can either do it here or at the police station,” Derrick said.

Ida sputtered a nervous sound, then threw her shoulders back and walked down the hall. She called Kat’s name as she banged on the door then opened it.

“Get up, Kat, the police are here and need to talk to you.”

Ellie and Derrick waited in the living room until Kat appeared. She was wearing pajama pants and a sweatshirt and looked terrified.

“Kat,” Ellie said gently. “We received a tip call from your phone tonight about a body in the woods by the graveyard. It was you that called, wasn’t it?”

The girl’s pallor turned a ghostly white.

“That’s impossible,” Ida snapped. “Kat was here all night. I told you we don’t let her go out, especially in the woods.”

Kat’s lower lip trembled, and she tugged the ends of her sleeves to cover her fingers.

Ida fisted her hands on her hips. “Tell them, Kat. You were here all night.”

“We can check your phone,” Derrick cut in.

Tears filled Kat’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Mama.”

Ida gasped and sank into the club chair by the fireplace. “Lord have mercy, Kat. What did you do?”

Kat covered her face with her hands and dropped onto the sofa.

Ellie slid down beside her and rubbed her back. “Listen, Kat, you aren’t in trouble. But we need to know what happened tonight. Why you made that call.”

Ida looked stricken with shock. “Did you go to that graveyard?”

Kat gave a quick nod and wiped at her damp cheeks. “Some of the kids wanted to go so I met them there.”

“Then what happened?” Ellie asked gently.

Kat picked up the throw pillow on the couch and hugged it like a teddy bear. “We went into the woods and… one of the guys saw a hat and then some brush was piled up by the ravine and… it looked like a dog had been digging there.”

“Go on,” Ellie said.

“Then we saw a bone,” Kat said.

“Did you touch it or dig around?” Ellie asked.

“No… everyone got freaked out and ran back to the camp.”

“Did you see anyone else in the woods?”

Kat shook her head no.

“You told the deputy on the phone the general area where you saw the bones. Can you be more specific about the location?”

Kat gave a small shrug. “No. But I could show you.”

“She’s not going out there in the night,” Ida cut in. “She’s just a child.”

“If she saw a body, then we need her to take us to the location,” Derrick said.

“We’ll be with her every minute,” Ellie promised. “And we’ll protect her.”

“No,” Ida said. “Absolutely not.”

“I can draw you a map,” Kat offered.

Ellie glanced at Derrick and he nodded. “That will work. Can you do that for us now?”

“I’ll get a notepad.” Kat rose, walked to the kitchen desk, removed a legal pad, sat down and began to draw.

Ellie called Cord and explained about Kat’s discovery and asked him to meet her and Derrick at the graveyard.

Five minutes later, Kat handed the map to Ellie. “Thank you for being brave enough to call about this,” Ellie said. “We want to catch this killer before he hurts anyone else.”

Kat swallowed hard. “There’s something else.”

“What is it?” Ellie asked.

Kat stooped in front of Ida. “Mama, the hat I saw there. It… was Granddaddy’s.”

Ida made a strangled sound then stared into space but said nothing.