Page 109 of The Graveyard Girls

“Why are you being so damn obstinate?” Ellie snapped. “Do you want to go to jail?”

Anguish darkened his eyes. “That’s the last thing I want.”

“Then explain about your prints. Did you know Earl Bramble? Were you with him the night he died?”

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN

Ellie barely resisted grabbing Cord by the shoulders and shaking the truth out of him. But she reined in her emotions and decided not to go there. She loved the infuriating man. “Then trust me,” she said softly.

“Ellie, we talked about this. You don’t need to be in here.” Derrick turned to Cord. “Are you going to jeopardize her reputation to protect yourself?”

A thick silence filled the room, and the truth dawned on Ellie. “You aren’t protecting yourself, are you, Cord? You’re covering for someone else, aren’t you?”

His only reaction was to avert his eyes.

Ellie’s phone dinged and she checked her phone. “It’s the lab.” Her pulse jumped and she connected. “Detective Reeves.”

“It’s Williams. I thought you’d want to know the results ASAP.”

“Definitely. Another girl is missing.” She massaged her temple where a headache pulsed.

“Dr. Whitefeather identified the body we found as Earl Bramble.”

“I know. Agent Fox already told me that. Were his prints on any of the items or in the house at the farm?”

“No. But we have the results on the DNA and prints from the scarves and truck. A male’s.”

“Hayden or Edward Higgins? Or Clint Wallace’s?”

“No.”

He’d said a male. Who could he be talking about? “Spit it out, Lieutenant.”

“Someone close to the Bramble women. Someone who also worked at the graveyard when he was a teenager and attended school with Ruth Higgins.”

“Clint and Hayden were the only teenagers considered as suspects. Was it one of their friends?”

“I don’t know if they were friends, but the prints we found belong to Joe Jones.”

Ellie swallowed hard. “Oh, my God, that’s Ida’s husband.” When she’d met him, he’d seemed worried about the safety of his daughter. He’d also been living in Brambletown for years. And no one ever suspected him.

Did he have Carrie Ann now?

She thanked him and hung up. “Derrick, we have to go.”

“What’s happened?”

“I’ll explain in the car.” She pocketed her phone and pulled her keys. “I’ll drive.”

Cord’s chair rattled as he shifted. “Uncuff me and let me help.”

“Only if you’re ready to talk, McClain,” Derrick said.

Ellie gave him an imploring look. Why in the world would he cover for Joe Jones? Had he known him as a teen? Did he owe him something? “Cord?”

His heavy sigh answered her question. He wasn’t going to talk.

Heart hammering, she turned and walked out the door. Now they knew who to look for. If Carrie Ann was still alive, maybe they could save her.