Page 50 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)
FORTY-NINE
The Grind
Ellie and Derrick headed into town to find Tilly and the Bramble girls. Operating on the theory that the killer might revisit Green Gardens Cemetery and literally be hiding in the midst of curious tourists, Cord offered to station himself near the graveyard and watch for suspicious activity.
Ellie’s phone buzzed. Sheriff Waters. “Did you find Bramble?” she asked when he answered.
“No,” Bryce said. “I did check the camera at the diner where the call came from and there was a man in a black pick-up but his face was obscure. He took off headed east but I couldn’t get a read on his plate.”
Dammit. “Alert the law enforcement along that route to be on the lookout for him and that truck.”
“Already done that,” Bryce said.
Ellie thanked him and hung up. If one call came in, maybe there would be another.
Her phone buzzed again. Tilly. Ellie quickly connected. “Tilly, it’s Detective Reeves. I’d like to meet and talk about your sister’s case. I can come to your house.”
“No,” Tilly said. “How about the coffee shop, The Grind?”
Ellie wondered if Tilly was hiding something at the house but agreed. She needed a read on the woman before making any judgments. “We’ll head there now.”
Ellie ended the call and plugged The Grind into her GPS, then headed toward it. “She sounded nervous when I mentioned her house,” Ellie said.
“Probably dredges up bad memories,” Derrick said. “She was only fourteen when Ruth disappeared and her family was put under the microscope.”
“That’s one reason I want to talk to her,” Ellie said. “Maybe she’s remembered something since then. Or perhaps she omitted details about that night or her family that could have been helpful.” If she had, Ellie would find out.
Ten minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot for The Grind, an eclectic-looking coffee shop with an etching of a giant coffee mug beside an old-fashioned coffee grinder etched on the front window. Together she and Derrick exited the Jeep and walked to the door.
Ellie scanned the room. Much like the coffee shops in Atlanta, seating areas were situated for working and small couches and comfy chairs occupied the back wall near a stone fireplace.
Like Daisy’s Diner, it was actually quaint and inviting as if the owner wanted to add life to the fledgling run-down town.
The strong scent of chicory, hazelnut, vanilla and mocha wafted through the cozy space, surprising Ellie. Daisy’s Diner and The Grind were both attempting to bring their businesses into the current century.
“What does she look like?” Derrick asked.
Ellie pulled the photograph from Tilly’s column and tilted her phone for him to see. His eyes brightened slightly and he scanned the room.
“She’s back there by the fireplace,” Derrick said, gesturing toward Tilly. “I’ll get us some coffees if you want to head on back.”
“Thanks. I’ll take?—”
“I remember what you like,” Derrick said with a twitch of a smile.
He strode to the order counter and Ellie made her way back to Tilly who was fidgeting and rubbing her hands together as if she couldn’t get warm. The woman was about her age and pretty with curves, glossy auburn hair, and wore a dark green sweater, jeans and boots.
Ellie introduced herself, then Derrick appeared with their coffee, and they exchanged pleasantries.
Tilly hugged her coffee in her hands and took a sip, but Ellie saw her gaze rake over Derrick with appreciation.
She obviously thought he was handsome, and something sparked in his eyes as he seated himself across from Tilly.
“I know why you’re here,” Tilly said, dragging her gaze from Derrick as she squared her shoulders. “Do you have new information about my sister’s disappearance?”
Ellie licked whipped cream from her mocha. “Nothing concrete,” she said honestly. “But I’m sure you saw the news and know we’re examining her case to see if it’s connected to Bonnie Sylvester’s murder.”
“Why do you think they’re connected?” Tilly asked.
Ellie’s heart squeezed at the hint of hope in Tilly’s voice. “As we mentioned on the news, we discovered several other girls around your sister’s age who’ve gone missing across Georgia over the last few years.”
“But how can you tell it’s related to Ruth when her body was never found?”
“We can’t say definitively,” Ellie said. “Can you tell us what happened the night Ruth disappeared?”
Tilly traced her finger around the rim of her coffee mug. “Ruth snuck out that night. I… was in bed and heard her opening the window in her room.”
“Did she say where she was going?” Ellie asked.
“To meet a boy,” Tilly answered. “I told the police that at the time.”
Derrick sipped his black coffee. “Not that night, but the next morning when your parents realized she was gone.”
Misery flashed in Tilly’s eyes. “I know, I should have told them sooner. But… Ruth told me to keep quiet.”
“You were just a kid yourself, Tilly,” Derrick said, his voice thick with empathy.
Tilly gave him a grateful look.
“Did she say where she was meeting this guy?” Ellie asked.
“No,” Tilly said. “She just said it was a secret. That she’d be back before our parents woke up and they’d never know she was gone. But if I’d told, she might still be here today.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Tilly. It’s not your fault,” Derrick said softly.
Tilly’s gaze met Derrick’s and Ellie realized they shared a connection, not just a spark of attraction. Guilt was a powerful emotion.
“Ruth was dating Clint Wallace, wasn’t she?” Ellie asked.
“Yes, but they’d just broken up.” Tilly cradled her coffee again. “I got the impression she was meeting another guy just to piss him off.”
“Do you have any idea who? Someone from school?”
Tilly shook her head. “No. All the guys liked Ruth. It was the girls who didn’t.”
“You’re talking about Ida and Hetty Bramble, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Tilly’s gaze scanned the room as if she wanted to make sure they weren’t in the coffee shop.
“We know they got into a brawl with her,” Ellie said. “Was there more to it than that?”
Tilly pressed a hand to her chest. “Look, I don’t want to disparage Ruth. She’s my sister and I loved her.”
“I understand. But?” Ellie’s voice was gentle. “If she was enemies with the girls or another boy, they might be involved in her disappearance,” Ellie said. Although how that would connect them to the other victims on their murder board she didn’t know. But if they were, she’d find out.
Tilly ran her fingers through her hair, sending the waves cascading over her shoulders. “The police went through all this before. Multiple times.”
“I know but bear with us,” Derrick said gruffly. “Sometimes fresh eyes see things that were missed the first go around. And if the same killer is at work now, we need to stop him before he takes another life.”
Tilly sighed wearily. “Ruth was mean to them, made fun of them for not having nice clothes and for living by the graveyard.”
Which would go toward a motive.
“But they were mean to Ruth, too,” Tilly added. “They were jealous of Ruth and I think one of them had a crush on Clint.”
“Do you think they were capable of murder?” Derrick asked.
Tension stretched in the air. “I… don’t know,” Tilly said. “But… even so… Ruth didn’t deserve to die.”
Derrick patted Tilly’s hand. “I understand this is difficult. I lost my sister when I was young and it still haunts me.”
Tilly sniffed, sadness radiating from her somber eyes. “It tore our family apart.”
“Mine, too,” Derrick murmured.
Derrick and Tilly locked gazes.
Sympathy for Derrick and Tilly filled Ellie. Guilt and anguish had driven his father to suicide.
She let the moment pass. “Please make a list of anyone else at school who might have been angry with Ruth, Tilly. Especially another boy?”
Tilly nodded that she would. “Again, why do you think Ruth’s case and these others are connected?”
“We can’t discuss details at this stage,” Ellie answered. “When the police investigated your sister’s disappearance, was there a particular place they searched?”
“Outside our house and the woods behind it,” she admitted. “And I told them about the watering hole at the overhang.”
“Why would you think they’d go there?” Derrick asked.
“It was the make-out spot for all the teenagers.”
“Did they find any of Ruth’s belongings?” Ellie asked.
Tilly shrugged. “Not her clothes, but I think they found one of her shoes. I thought she might have taken them off if they waded in the watering hole but it was freezing that night so I don’t know.”
“They only found one?” Derrick asked.
Tilly nodded.
“What kind of shoes was she wearing?” Ellie asked.
“Red knee-high boots,” Tilly said.
Ellie and Derrick exchanged a silent look. Red shoes were part of the unsub’s MO.