Page 21 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)

TWENTY

Brambletown

Ellie tapped the steering wheel as she passed the Welcome to Brambletown sign. The country road leading here had been winding with switchbacks, the muddy roads slick, causing her to drive at a snail’s pace.

“No ID on the girl yet,” Ellie told Shondra.

“But I sent Dr. Whitefeather the names of two missing teens so she can request DNA and dental records. That’s a start.

Hopefully we’ll have an answer soon.” She tilted her head toward Shondra.

“Now tell me about this town. I’ve already met the local sheriff, Clint Wallace.

A heads-up, he didn’t exactly roll out the welcome banner. ”

Shondra arched a black brow. “Not a surprise. His father was sheriff at the time Ruth Higgins went missing. And according to the police reports, Clint was dating Ruth and questioned in her disappearance.”

Ellie worked her mouth from side to side. “Interesting. He didn’t mention that when we talked. Was he a person of interest?”

“He was questioned. Claimed he had no idea where Ruth was that night. His father quickly cleared him from the list of suspects.”

“I bet he did.” Most fathers would do anything to protect their sons. “Go on.”

“Ruth’s father, Edward, was mayor and also questioned. According to the case notes, he and his wife, Gina, were extremely distraught. Others stated that he was possessive of Ruth and didn’t approve of her dating.”

Ellie tucked that tidbit away in her mind as Shondra continued.

“His other daughter, Tilly, was a year younger than Ruth and was described as shy, bookish and frightened. Said in her statement that her sister snuck out that night. Tilly thought Ruth might have been meeting Clint Wallace, but Ruth claimed she wasn’t and wouldn’t tell her who she was meeting.

Apparently, Ruth and Clint had broken up the day before. ”

“Goes to motive.”

“Right. Although Clint’s buddies gave him an alibi.

” Shondra tapped the file. “Ruth and Tilly’s brother, Hayden, was known as a hothead and picked fights.

A week before Ruth disappeared, he got into a brawl with Clint Wallace and sent Wallace to the hospital with a broken finger.

Their mother, Gina, gave Hayden an alibi, said he got along great with everyone, and that he was home that night.

But his alibi was shaky. The family fell apart after graduation and he joined the Army. ”

Sounded like the family might not have been so perfect behind closed doors.

“There’s more,” Shondra said. “The Bramble girls, Hetty and Ida, butted heads with Ruth over Clint and they got into a catfight with Ruth at the Dairy Queen. Witnesses stated it was quite the scandal, that hot fudge, cherries and sugar cones were flying everywhere.”

Ellie pictured the scene and bit back a smile. Teenagers did run on high emotions.

“Were they angry enough to kill her though?”

Shondra shrugged. “Apparently the Brambles had a bad reputation in town. Their father, Earl, was known as a drunk who had a violent streak. Rumors spread that he killed Ruth and got rid of the body.”

“Was he arrested?”

“Sheriff Wallace brought him in but had to release him due to lack of evidence and no body. Shortly after that, Earl Bramble disappeared himself.”

“Which made him look guilty as hell,” Ellie said.

“And the reason Sheriff Wallace finally shut down the investigation. With no body or witnesses and Bramble in the wind, the whole mess just died down.”

“And remains unsolved,” Ellie surmised. “Although our current case may have nothing to do with the past, it’s nice to have some background on the players in town.”

Still, Ellie didn’t like unsolved cases, especially if a minor was involved.

Or crimes that occurred in the same town, especially a town already mired in the deaths of multiple victims from the fire, and the disappearance of a teenager that had drawn national attention fifteen years ago and put Brambletown on the murder tourism map.