Page 59 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)

FIFTY-EIGHT

“My daughter is not dead and my son certainly didn’t kill her,” Mrs. Higgins stated emphatically.

“How do you know that?” Derrick asked.

Gina’s frail-looking hand fluttered to her chest. “I… just refuse to believe it.” She motioned to Ellie. “Let me show you something.”

Ellie and Derrick exchanged a look, then Ellie followed the woman up the winding staircase. Sadly, just because Gina believed her daughter Ruth was alive didn’t mean it was true.

Gina led her past two bedrooms that looked as if they’d been decorated by an interior designer, then to a third bedroom. When she opened the door, Ellie’s pulse clamored.

“This is Ruth’s room. Well, not the one where we lived before. We had to move from that house because of all the press, but I replicated her room here.”

Teenage décor filled the room. A soft white duvet, a teddy bear propped against the pillow, posters of a boy band, a bulletin board covered with pictures of Ruth and various girls from school, Ruth with her cheerleading team, and a photograph of her and Clint Wallace obviously dressed for Homecoming.

A desk held old textbooks and a pink covered laptop.

“Did the police search Ruth’s computer?” Ellie asked.

Gina seemed lost in memories as she ran her fingers over the bedding. Ellie’s question jerked her back to reality, and her expression morphed from melancholy to anger.

“I’m sure the sheriff did,” she snapped. “But I asked for it back. I wanted everything the same when Ruth returned.”

Sympathy squeezed at Ellie’s heart although the woman’s attitude was disturbing.

For the parents’ sake, she wanted to be wrong about Ruth being dead and find her alive.

Some kidnap victims had been held in captivity for years before being found or escaping.

If that was the situation, she’d probably be traumatized. Neither scenario was good.

Although her experience, and the fact that a red scarf and missing shoe had been found indicated Ruth wasn’t coming back.

“Mrs. Higgins, how did you think Sheriff Wallace handled the investigation?” Ellie asked.

Her shoulders sagged. “Well, I guess he did what he had to do, talked to all her friends. But he tore our family up with his attention on my husband and son.”

“If she was abducted, who do you think would have taken her? Did Ruth mention anyone she had problems with?”

“Those lowlife Bramble girls. Everyone knew they were trouble and their daddy was an ignorant drunk.”

Ellie forced a neutral expression at the woman’s tone. Gina certainly didn’t hold back her opinions. “What about a boy? I know she was dating Clint Wallace.”

A faraway look settled in her tear-filled eyes. “Clint seemed like a nice enough kid, but he was cocky and possessive.”

“Possessive? Why do you say that?”

She shrugged. “I heard Ruth talking on the phone to one of her friends one night. She said he was jealous when she talked to other boys.”

“Do you think he’d hurt her if he knew she was meeting someone else?”

Another shrug. “I don’t know. According to the sheriff, he had an alibi.”

Yes, according to the sheriff, Clint’s father.

“Tilly said Ruth wouldn’t tell her who she was meeting that night, but she said it wasn’t Clint. Was there another boy she was interested in? One Clint was jealous of? Or one who might have been angry if she rebuked him?”

Mrs. Higgins threw her hands in the air, a sigh of exasperation escaping her. “How should I know? Teenage girls don’t exactly confide in their mothers.”

True, Ellie thought. She certainly had had her differences with her adopted mother, Vera.

“Now, I’ve answered these questions a hundred times before, and I don’t want to discuss it anymore.”

Ellie nodded in understanding. “The computer?”

Gina rubbed her fingers across the pink cover, held it to her chest for a moment then finally relinquished it. “Let’s get this straight, Detective. I expect it to be returned in the same condition it was in when you took it. Do you understand? Ruth will need it when she comes home.”

Ellie gave an understanding nod. “Of course.” Her phone buzzed, and she checked the number. Cord.

She lifted a finger signaling she needed to answer the call, then stepped into the hall and connected. “Cord? I hope this is important. I’m with Ruth Higgins’ parents right now.”

“It is.” His breath wheezed out. “I think I found another body.”