Not by Sight (31 page)

The front door opened, and Jill Beth came outside holding his cell phone. “I’m sorry to interrupt your peace and quiet, love. Billy Gene is on the phone. Says you’ll want to take the call.”

He kissed Jill Beth’s hand and put the phone to his ear. “What’s up?”

“Sir, we got us a situation. A 9-1-1 call came in from those foster folks that’re keepin’ Ella Tutt. She’s gone missin’.”

“
Missing
? How could that happen?” Virgil switched the phone to his other ear.

“They put Ella to bed and went in the den to watch TV. A short time later, they heard tires screechin’ and looked outside. Never did see a vehicle. But they went and checked on the girl. She wasn’t there. Her bedroom winda’s open.”

Virgil looked up into Jill Beth’s questioning eyes. “I don’t believe this! Are they sure? Did they search the house? The yard? Any place she might’ve wandered?”

“Said they did, Sheriff. We’re fixin’ to head over there right now. I’m thinkin’ we should send a couple deputies up yonder to check Mrs. Tutt’s place.”

“Do it,” Virgil said. “We also need a list from DCFS of everyone who knew where Ella was. I’ll go up to Angel View and talk to Kate Cummings. Though I can’t believe she or anyone in her family would pull a stunt like this.”

“Mrs. Cummings already knows about it,” Billy Gene said. “She called in right after we got the 9-1-1 call. Said she’d just gotten an anonymous call from a woman who told her that Ella Tutt’d been taken. Mrs. Cummings was real shook up. She might could use an encouragin’ word from you.”

“All right.” Virgil rose to his feet. “I’m on my way.”

Virgil disconnected the call, his mind buzzing with the implications.

“I overheard what Billy Gene said. This is surreal.” Jill Beth seemed to be processing. “You don’t think Hawk or Abby or Jay would’ve done something like that? I sure don’t think Kate would jeopardize her chance of regaining custody.”

“I hope not.” Virgil opened the front door and let Jill Beth squeeze past him. “We had every reason to believe that the girl’s DNA would prove she’s Riley Jo and that she’d be returned to Kate very soon. A stunt like that would not sit well with the judge.”

“You said Otha Tutt was fond of Ella. Maybe she did it.”

“No way. It’s not like DCFS would just cough up the name and address of Ella’s foster parents and give it to her. That’s protected information. Whoever took Ella must’ve paid someone off to find out where she was.”
Let’s hope it wasn’t Kate.

“This is really getting sinister,” Jill Beth said. “There could be another layer to this no one’s thought of yet. Maybe Ella isn’t Riley Jo after all.”

The thought pierced him. Just when he thought they had solved the crime, another dimension had been added. “We’ve got nothing to lose for now believing she is. The DNA test will tell us soon enough.”

“Virgil, what are you going to do?”

“Get dressed and head up to Angel View. I want to eyeball every one of the Cummings. I need to know if any of them were in on it, but I just can’t imagine it.”

“Wouldn’t it be awful if the girl’s vanished again?”

Virgil went into the bedroom and turned around. “Darlin’”—he put his hands on her shoulders—“I can’t think that way. Not after all that family has suffered and all those kids went through to get Ella out of there. My department has too much invested in this case to fail. If it’s the last thing I ever do, I
will
find her.”

Kate opened the front door of her log home and invited Virgil inside and led him into the living room, where the rest of the family had gathered.

“Why don’t you sit there, in the blue chair?” Kate said, all too aware of the numerous times Virgil had occupied that chair, discussing one dead end after another in his department’s investigation into the disappearance of Micah and Riley Jo.

Kate, still shaking, sat between Abby and Jesse on the couch.

Virgil leaned forward in the chair, his hands clasped between his knees. “Let me start by saying how sorry I am that y’all have to go through this. I am committed to finding this child. And I won’t rest till we do.” He looked over at Kate. “Tell me about the phone call.”

“
I
answered the phone,” Kate said. “It was a woman. She sounded a lot older than me and spoke with a twang. All she said was, ‘Ella Tutt’s been taken.’ Needless to say, I was on the phone with DCFS immediately. No one there could tell me anything, so I called the sheriff’s department. Deputy Duncan told me about the 9-1-1 call.”

Virgil moved his gaze from one family member to another and then back to Kate. “Just for the record, I’ll need to know where each of you were this evening.”

“Grandpa and I were down at the pier,” Abby said. “We heard Mama’s emergency whistle and rushed back to the house.”

Jesse looked up at Kate. “I was in the kitchen making hummingbird nectar.”

“What about you, Hawk?” Virgil turned to the fireplace hearth, where Hawk sat.

“I was up yonder on the ridge.” Hawk fiddled with the bottom button on his shirt.

“Any particular reason?”

Hawk bit his lip. “Yes, sir. I needed to get quiet. I have a favorite spot where I go to think.”

“Anybody see you there?”

Hawk’s eyebrows came together. “No. But that’s the whole point of going up there—to get away from everything.”

“How did you know there was a crisis at home?”

“Mama called me on my cell.”

“Did you tell her where you were?”

“I don’t remember.” Hawk looked at Kate and then at the sheriff. “You’re acting like I’m a suspect.”

“I’m just gathering the facts.”

“It sounds as if you don’t believe him,” Kate said. “He was as shocked as I was to hear the news.”

“It’s my job to be objective. I’m sure y’all are disappointed that you’re not allowed to see Ella until her true identity has been confirmed.”

Kate’s heart raced. “Virgil, none of us had anything to do with her being taken from the foster home. We weren’t even told where she was.”

“I’m not saying you did. But we both know the system can get bogged down with rules and regulations, and I could certainly understand you wanting to cut through the red tape.”

“By kidnapping my own daughter?” Kate said. “Then what—hide her for the rest of her life?”

Virgil held up his palm. “Actually, I can’t imagine any of you are foolish enough to complicate things by breaking the law. Especially when you’re so close to finding out if this child is Riley Jo. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask the questions. Kate, would you authorize us to check your phone records and see who the anonymous call came from?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ve got deputies checking the Tutt property,” Virgil said. “We’ll lean on Isaiah and see if he tells us anything. And we’re gathering a list of everyone who knew where Ella’s foster parents live.”

Kate put her face in her hands. “Find her, Virgil. Please … I can’t lose her again.”

A short time later, a handcuffed Isaiah, clad in his orange jumpsuit and leg irons, was brought into an interview room at the county jail, where Virgil and Kevin were waiting for him.

“You ain’t got no cause to have me woke up and drug in here!” Isaiah bellowed as the deputy seated him at the table. “I told you all there is to tell.”

“Not quite,” Virgil said. “Where’s Ella?”

“Well, she sure ain’t with me.”

Virgil leaned forward, his voice deep and threatening. “You
do not
want to mess with me on this.”

“Your deputies give her to some foster lady, who drove off with her. I ain’t seen her since.”

“Who took her from foster care?”

A devious grin crossed Isaiah’s face, turning his dark eyes to slits. “It sure wasn’t me.”

“But you know who did it.”

“Don’t be puttin’ words in my mouth,” Isaiah said. “Ain’t my fault you can’t hold on to her.”

“You think this is funny?”

“Yep. Considerin’ you treated me like I’m dumber ’n a bucket o’ rocks, and now you’re accusin’ me of commitin’ a crime in my sleep. I didn’t do nothin’.”

“Who did?”

“How should I know?” Isaiah faked a yawn. “I was sound asleep, sawin’ logs. I ain’t seen or spoke to nobody.”

“But you know who took Ella,” Virgil said.

“That’s a powerful accusation, lawman. I weren’t even told what y’all done with her. I ain’t no magician.”

Virgil studied Isaiah’s arrogant expression, and it was all he could do not to grab him by the beard and get in his face. Instead he took a slow, deep breath. It was hard to argue with the fact that he hadn’t had contact with anyone since he’d been arrested.

“Maybe one o’ your deputies is in cahoots with Ella’s real kin,” Isaiah said. “I don’t know nothin’.”

“Sure you do,” Virgil insisted. “And if I have to keep you up all night, you’re going to tell me.”
Please don’t pick now to lawyer up.

“Hope y’all brought your nightclothes.” Isaiah looked down at his orange jumpsuit. “I’m all set.”

Virgil could almost feel the heat of Kevin’s seething anger, but neither of them showed any reaction to Isaiah’s irritating remark. Kevin didn’t want him to request a lawyer either. It was just a matter of time before the court appointed one, whether Isaiah wanted one or not.

Virgil folded his hands on the table. “An older woman, who didn’t identify herself, called Ella’s biological mother and told her Ella had been taken. Who’s the woman? Give us a name. You know we’re going to find out sooner or later. This is only going to get worse.”

Isaiah pursed his lips. “You’re wastin’ your time. I can’t tell you what I don’t know ’cept to say I had nothin’ to do with it.”

“How about venturing a guess?” Virgil said sarcastically.

“I ain’t in contact with other folk. Me and Otha and the young’uns keep to ourselves and mind our own bidness.”

“Somebody took Ella from that foster home—and you know who it is.”

“I’m sayin’ I don’t.”

“I think you’re lying.”

Isaiah smirked, his arms folded across his chest, and didn’t say anything.

“Sheriff, I can deal with him,” Kevin said. “I know you’ve got things to do.”

“All right.” Virgil pushed back his chair and stood. “I’ll go see where we are on that list of folks that knew who Ella’s foster parents were. I’ll send someone in to take my place. I don’t care if you have to pry his eyelids open, this man doesn’t sleep until he starts telling us the truth.”

“Looks like you ain’t gittin’ your forty winks tonight neither.” Isaiah laughed.

Chapter 34

Abby curled up in the window seat in her room, hugging Riley Jo’s baby doll. The moon was suspended over Beaver Lake, its luminous reflection casting a soft golden glow that turned the ripples into diamonds and the islands and inlets into a mysterious shadowy maze.

Her father’s death didn’t seem real yet. But losing Riley Jo a second time did. It was both depressing and confusing.

Lord, it hurts so much that You let Daddy get killed. I was so sure he would come home. But it was amazing that we were able to get Riley Jo away from that monster. Why did You let us lose her again? I heard Mama crying in her room. She has too many things to be sad about.

Surely this setback would cause her mother and Hawk to be even more cynical toward God.

Abby heard a gentle knock at the door.

“It’s Grandpa, Abby. Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

Grandpa Buck came in, turned on the lamp, and sat on the side of her bed, facing her. “How’re you doin’?”

Abby shrugged.

“I know how bad you must feel about Riley Jo. But as the sayin’ goes, ‘It ain’t over till it’s over.’”

“What if Sheriff Granger doesn’t find her?” Abby said. “We’ll be in limbo like we’ve been for five
long
years—only worse because now we
know
she’s alive and we came so close to getting her back.”

“We’re still close to gettin’ her back. Don’t forget that.”

“But Isaiah’s in jail. He couldn’t have taken her. Otha wouldn’t do that, now that she knows the truth. How does anyone know where to start looking?”

“We best let Virgil work it out.”

Abby rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t know where to look either, Grandpa.”

“Come over here,” he said.