Page 13 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)

TWELVE

Crooked Creek

By the time Ellie and Cord left, exhaustion tugged at Ellie’s body. She’d grown complacent the last few months and reveled into sinking into bed with Cord, making love and falling asleep in his arms.

Tonight, he seemed closed off though. Distant.

Although questions about the case still plagued her. Who was the girl in the grave? How long had she been there?

Hopefully the ME would answer that tomorrow.

“You said you knew that area,” she said, fishing for information. “Care to elaborate?”

Cord’s jaw tightened and he glanced out the window at the falling rain which was casting more shadows on an already glum night.

“No,” he said bluntly. “Everyone who grew up in this area knows about Brambletown, its close proximity to the coal fire and the story about Ruth Higgins’ disappearance.”

“True,” Ellie said. Having been close to Ruth’s age at the time of her disappearance, Ellie had heard about the case, too, and had been interested in what happened to the girl.

Her parents had also been freaked out and at the time kept her on a tight leash, warning her about going out alone and not speaking to strangers.

But she’d been so busy with her own teenage problems, fighting for her independence and annoyed at her adopted mother Vera’s overprotectiveness, that she’d stopped asking about Ruth.

Now she understood their reasons for being nervous, but not back then.

Little had she known that Vera had given her biological son up for adoption and that he’d turned into a psychopath who wanted revenge against Vera. Revenge by killing Ellie.

Pain at the memory gnawed at her, but she pushed her emotions aside. That time in her life was over. Now she had to focus on finding answers for another family and a young girl who’d been killed by an unknown predator.

The winter wind beat at the car, the rain turning to sleet and slowing her down as she maneuvered the curvy mountain road.

“I know you have things you don’t want to talk about,” she said softly as she drove through town. “But you can tell me anything, Cord.” She slid her hand over his and felt him tense.

“Cord?”

His jaw tightened. “I’m beat tonight, El. Just drop me at the station and I’ll clean up at my cabin when I get home and we can regroup tomorrow.”

Disappointment caught in her throat. “Cord?”

His breath heaved out and he squeezed her hand as she pulled up beside his truck.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to my house?” Dammit, she hated the plea in her voice.

His gaze met hers for a moment, longing, worry and indecision in his eyes. Then he cupped her face between his hands, kissed her thoroughly and seemed to change his mind about coming over. “I’ll meet you there.”

Ellie’s heart hammered. She wouldn’t push him to talk tonight though. She just wanted his arms around her.

But one day she hoped he’d open up to her. That he’d trust her enough to confide his secrets.