Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
“No, six miles outside of Voxmore,” Gladys corrected him.
“That’s…” Haru began, but his voice immediately faded.
“He had family here?” Adrian asked sharply.
Gert shook her head. “No, he was from Legton, which was where Ginger’s daughter was working when they met. After they married, he got a job in Bellcairn and they moved to the capital.”
“I’m the only one he knows in Voxmore,” Ginger cut in. Her thin hand balled into a tight, trembling fist. “Why would he come here and not bring my daughter and the kids? Why not come see me if there was a problem?”
“Because maybe he was brought here against his will for a completely different purpose,” Adrian mumbled. His brain was piecing together slivers of the same information he’d been hearing for a couple of weeks now. People snatched up with no warning, disappearing off the streets, from their homes, and no one ever sees them again. That this man’s body was discovered was a surprise. Maybe he’d escaped but died of injuries he’d sustained before he could reach help. At the very least, it was a good guess that The Pit was more than six miles outside of Voxmore in a highly wooded area.
“Hey boy,” Gert grunted. Adrian’s head jerked up to see Gert flash him a wicked grin. “Your accent is slipping.”
He could only smirk at her. He usually wasn’t so sloppy in his guises, but this whole mess had caused his brain to overheat. Of course, it didn’t seem as if Gert had believed them.
“Would you be able to give us some directions as to where your son-in-law was found?” Haru inquired, drawing Gert’s narrowed gaze from Adrian.
The women exchanged a look that sent a chill through Adrian. After a heartbeat, Gladys said, “Ginger, show him the map.”
The map?
What the hell had they stumbled upon? Was the G-Squad more than sweet grannies playing games at the local coffee shop? It felt like they were a secret crime-solving vigilante group. Adrian glanced at Haru, who shrugged.
Ginger bent over and picked up a cloth purse that could have doubled as a shopping bag or possibly a duffel bag. Adrian’s eyes grew wider as he watched her digging through the gaping maw. Metallic items clanked, and there was a sound of change rattling.
“Good gods, Ginger, you’ve gotta stop carrying your entire house with you,” Gail complained.
“Yeah, you bitch, but the last time you had hot flashes and indigestion, who was the one with the pills to help you?” Ginger snarled without lifting her head from her purse.
Gail rolled her eyes while Gert and Gladys pushed aside all the white tiles that had littered the tabletop. A moment later, Ginger pulled a slightly crumpled piece of paper from her purse and unfolded it so that it nearly covered the cleared surface. It was a black-and-white map of Voxmore and the surrounding area that appeared as if it had been printed out across several pieces of paper and taped together. There were a few markings scribbled on it, but the eye-catching thing was the big red X that someone had circled.
“They found Isha here,” Ginger stated, pointing at the X.
“It’s all woods in that area for about ten miles in all directions. Part of a national forest.” Gert leaned forward and motioned toward a thin line that sliced through part of the parkland. “That’s Holly Canyon Road—the main road that cuts through the park off the highway. There are a couple of gravel roads that lead to campgrounds and a few fire roads, but they dead-end. No buildings or other structures.”
Adrian lifted an eyebrow, and his smile grew. “You’ve checked them all out?”
“Of course we have,” Gail snapped.
“Ginger and her daughter deserve to know what happened to Isha,” Gladys added.
Haru leaned a little farther over the table, getting a closer look at the map. “Who found your son-in-law?”
“Campers. It was during the spring, during a warm weekend. They had set up a camp here.” Ginger paused and pointed to another star drawn on the map about two miles from the red X. “They’d gone for a hike and found his body.”
“The coroner stated that he’d likely gone for a walk and gotten lost in the woods. Died from exposure.” Disbelief radiated from Gail’s tone until Adrian flinched.
“Bunch of bullshit,” Gert muttered. “Isha didn’t camp. He wasn’t one of those outdoorsy types. He definitely wouldn’t have gone camping on his own. Let alone disappeared for six months without a damn word to his wife and kids.”
“We talked to the hikers. They reported that the body was incredibly thin and his clothes swallowed him up,” Ginger said, her voice trembling.
“Isha was something of a plump man,” Gladys chimed in.
“Plus, black-and-blue marks covered him like someone had beaten him,” Ginger continued.
Adrian grunted. If he’d been told that parts of Isha were missing, it would be understandable that the local wildlife had gotten to him before being discovered. But most animals didn’t take the time to beat the shit out of their prey. No, humans liked to do that. And it sounded as if someone had starved Isha while he was a prisoner.