Page 72 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)

SEVENTY-ONE

Briar Ridge Mobile Homes

Tilly was still shaken from her confrontation with the sheriff as she drove away from the police station.

She’d known coming back to Brambletown would be difficult, even dangerous, but if she uncovered the truth about what happened to her sister, it was worth the risk.

Still, Clint’s warning echoed in her head.

Night had set in, the winds picking up and beating at her car, and traffic was minimal.

She made a snap decision to stop by Ida’s house and point blank ask her where her father was.

Although Clint’s relationship with Ruth raised flags in her mind, Earl Bramble was and had always been the primary suspect in her sister’s disappearance.

After Ruth went missing, two other girls in school told the sheriff that he’d been watching them and following them when they’d come to the cemetery to visit a family member.

Ida and Hetty had admitted he was mean, and Tilly had heard the school counselor reported bruises on Hetty that she suspected came from Earl.

Ms. Maeve claimed she saw him shove Hetty more than once when she took flowers to her beloved deceased husband’s grave.

Tilly had never been to Ida’s or Hetty’s homes, and noting the state of the run-down mobile home park, she felt sorry for Ida.

She’d told her sister that Ida and Hetty’s low-income lifestyle wasn’t their fault and to be kinder to her, but Ruth was stuck on herself and savored the attention their father gave her, taking advantage of his wallet to keep herself decked out in expensive outfits, shoes, purses and makeup.

Tilly pulled into the graveled parking lot past three mobile homes until she found Ida’s place. Mud streaked the side of the beige exterior and the yard was overgrown and unkempt. Obviously neither Ida nor her husband, Joe, were gardeners like Hetty.

Hoping Ida would open up to her seemed futile, but she had to take a stab at it.

Taking a deep breath for courage, she walked up the graveled drive, climbed the two steps to the front door and knocked.

The wind tossed her hair in her eyes, and she pushed the strands to the side and tapped her foot as she waited.

A noise sounded inside then the door squeaked open. Ida’s husband, Joe, stood in the doorway, staring down at her. In high school, Joe had been fairly good-looking, but he’d gained about thirty pounds, his hair was receding and his belly hung over his faded blue jeans.

“What are you doing here, Tilly?” Joe barked.

Ida hurried up behind Joe, wringing her hands on a kitchen towel, her eyes wide with alarm. “Yes, why did you come?”

Tilly swallowed hard. “I wanted to talk to you about Ruth and the two girls they discovered at the graveyard.”

Ida’s glare could scorch butter. “You have a lot of nerve. Your family ruined my life.”

Tilly offered her a tentative smile. “I’m sorry, Ida. I know Ruth wasn’t very nice to you and Hetty. Believe it or not, I tried to convince her to be more kind.”

“Well, she wasn’t,” Ida snapped. “She was mean and sneaky and I hated her as much as she hated me.”

“I know,” Tilly said. Although at times she wondered if Ida or Hetty had hurt Ruth, she couldn’t imagine them killing other young girls.

“Just answer one question,” Tilly said. “Do you think your father killed Ruth?”

Joe shot her a venomous look. “You shouldn’t have come here. None of us need that time dredged up again.”

“I’m not the one dredging it up,” Tilly said. “Whoever killed those girls is.”

The door by the kitchen opened and Ida’s daughter, Kat, appeared. “What’s going on, Mama?”

“Go back to your room,” Ida shouted.

Tilly pushed again. “Do you know where your father is, Ida? Do you think he killed my sister and that he’s been murdering other girls?”

“I don’t know where he is.” Ida folded her arms across her chest. “Now get off my property and leave me and my family alone.”

A second later, Joe pushed his way onto the porch. “You heard Ida, Tilly. Leave town. Nobody wants the likes of you here.”

His words cut Tilly to the bone. But she lifted her chin and stood her ground. She had run fifteen years ago, but she wasn’t running anymore.

And neither Ida nor Joe nor Clint Wallace would force her to.

“I’ll be back,” he shouted over his shoulder to Ida. “Gonna get some beer.”

She hurried to her car, but Joe was on her heels. “Don’t come back here, Tilly.”

She slid inside, slammed the car door and locked it, then sped off as he climbed in his truck. Nerves clawed at her as she turned onto the highway.

Was he really going for beer or did he want to make sure she left his property?