Ashes to ashes, p.14
Ashes to Ashes, page 14
“Look, I have entertained the thoughts that you’re saying. I’m not being blind about this. But every time I try to lean in a different direction, my gut says no. I keep coming back to a knowing that this is about the Huntsman case. Is it logical? No, but not everything we do is about logic, is it?”
“Not always, no,” Max said and reached for her hand to kiss her palm. “I’m sorry. The idea that this guy was outside your house, with the girls there? That terrifies me. We’ve been steps behind this guy from the beginning and none of our usual methods of tracking down a suspect have worked. Even going old school has us hitting brick walls.”
“Not completely,” Evan said. “We got a warrant for the records from Auto Sales International and Rudy is scanning them so we can get them uploaded for all of us to see. Rudy also says that it’s looking like Glen Lyle Rollins was in the general area when all of the murders happened.”
“Did we get a list of where he’ll be next?” Max asked.
“They said he took a sabbatical four and a half weeks ago and is not scheduled anywhere for the next two months. Yet, he’s not gone back to his Connecticut apartment, either. No one knows where he is,” Evan replied.
“Where was he last, that they know of?”
“Savannah, Georgia.”
“We need to find this guy. Do we have a picture yet?” Max asked.
“Let me see if Rudy’s uploaded it yet,” Evan said and went to get her laptop. She opened it up and logged in, then stared at the photo for a minute before she turned the screen to show Max. “This is his employee photo that’s about four years old.”
Max looked at the photo and frowned. “Okay, drop about fifty pounds and thin the hair and it could be the shooter. Maybe. Gah, I wish I could say yes for sure.”
“The problem we all run into when it’s ‘average white guy’ that fits a million different faces. Don’t stress over it, Max. When we catch this asshole, you can positively ID him then, okay?”
“It’s my hope that when we catch him, we don’t have all of that DNA evidence making it so we can’t convict him.”
“That would well and truly suck,” Evan said. “I still don’t get why the DNA shows Matteus Chase when we know he’s dead. And absolutely no trace of a twin for the man.”
Max reached over and pulled her back to him. “How about we see if I can get your mind off the case by sucking something else?” He waggled his brows and Evan laughed, then squealed as he pulled her beneath him and rubbed the scruff of his beard against her neck.
“What were we talking about again?” Evan asked playfully and shortly there was a different kind of conversation between them that had little to do with words at all.
Maggie and Alanna had been a huge force behind getting the twins in the mood to celebrate at all. The pizza, cake, and ice cream had been a huge hit and Max had stopped by with his gift for the girls. He’d bought each one a birthstone ring, with Harper’s an emerald heart set in yellow gold and Hayden’s set in white gold. Inside the band he’d had their names engraved with “Love, Dad” and they all had a few tears in their eyes when they hugged.
Two days later, Evan and the twins had taken some of Emery and Darra’s ashes to Haven Point Park. The granite outcropping, Haven’s Rest, sprouted out of the side of the famous hiking trail about a mile up, and it was where Darra had asked Emery to marry her. The girls took the small jar of mixed ashes and scattered it into the wind.
“Now they will be together forever and always,” Evan said as she stood with an arm around each girl. “Do you mind if we sit here a while?”
“I’d like that,” Hayden said and went over to a fallen tree that acted as a bench for those who came up to appreciate the view.
Harper and Evan joined her and they sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Hayden spoke up.
“Harper and I have been talking, and after school’s out, we’d like to meet more of Dad’s family. We never had grandparents that we can remember. Mama Darra’s father died before we were born and her mom died when we were two. I know we have pictures of her with us, but that’s pretty much it.”
“Would it bother you if we wanted to have a relationship with them?” Harper asked.
“Why do you think it would bother me? I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Evan said.
“But you seemed to think it was special that we were the last three Wylders,” Hayden said.
“That was when I first got here and I wanted you to know we were a unit. That doesn’t mean the unit can’t change and grow and shift,” Evan said. “And with Max in your lives, you should do whatever feels right for your relationship with him and his family. They’re good people and will be overjoyed to have grandchildren in their lives.” She grinned and nudged Harper with her shoulder. “You’re gonna get spoiled.”
“It’s scary, having more people to care about. Especially when they’re older,” Harper said.
“A lesson I’m still learning,” Evan said as she wrapped an arm around each girl, “is that love is a treasure and even if you only get to share it with someone for a short time, it’s so very worth every moment. It can hurt to lose someone you love, but would you have given up all of the good to avoid the pain?”
Both girls shook their heads no and leaned into Evan. “We should go get lattes,” Harper said.
“I’ll second that. First we have to hike back down, then I want to stop at the cemetery and put flowers at the gravestone. Then we can go get lattes. We don’t have to stay at the cemetery long, just so I can get rid of the dead flowers and put the fresh ones down,” Evan said.
The three of them started back down the trail.
“I don’t mind stopping at the cemetery,” Hayden said. “As long as I don’t have to get out of the car. My feet hurt.”
Evan chuckled. “You don’t have to get out. This is for me more than anything. And then we’ll go get lattes and maybe stop and get mani-pedis? Do something to spoil ourselves and let your moms know that we’re living our best lives even though we miss the fuck out of them.”
“I like that,” Harper said. “I’ll make us appointments when we get back to the car.”
“I think the moms would be happy for us. Thanks for being here, Auntie V,” Hayden said.
“Thank you for wanting me here,” Evan replied.
Chapter twenty
The last day of school came and went, and Max called his parents and asked them to fly up to visit. He paid for their tickets and three days after the girls were done with school, he picked his mom and stepdad up at the airport and brought them to his house.
“You two rest up and I’ll be back this evening with dinner and someone I want you to meet,” Max said.
His mom fussed about guests and Mario told her to go shower and take a nap because that’s what he was going to do. Max gave them both hugs and left them to get settled, then went over to Evan’s place.
“Okay, they’re taking showers and naps and I told them I’d be bringing food and a guest this evening. I didn’t want to spoil it and say more than one or anything,” Max said.
“And I’ve made two pies,” Harper said. “For dessert. You’re getting food from the barbecue place, right?”
“Yep, and I ordered ribs, chicken, and I made sure to include coleslaw and potato salad in the sides,” Max told her.
“Good. And we have to wait until this evening? I’m already nervous,” Harper said.
“Go read a book or something. Watch a movie. They need time to rest up after the flight, or they won’t have the energy to enjoy meeting you,” Max said.
“How old are they?” Hayden asked.
Max just arched a brow at her. “Go. I’ll let you know when it’s time to head over.”
As the twins left the room, Max fixed two mugs of coffee and went to nudge Evan’s office door open.
“I hear you, Rudy. I’ll let Max know. Thanks again,” Evan said and disconnected the call, then turned to Max with a tired smile. “Thank you. I needed a fresh infusion of caffeine. Did your folks get in okay?”
“Yeah, they’re showering and then taking a nap before this evening. They only know that I’m bringing home food and a guest. I didn’t want to spoil it,” Max said as he handed her a mug. “What do you need to let me know?”
“There was a sighting of Rollins in Maine, just over the border, but they lost him. So he’s in the region. They refreshed the BOLO for him and made it nationwide with the photo and a couple of possible changes in appearance due to aging,” Evan said.
“Good. Maybe we’ll get lucky, someone else will catch him and we can play clean up after the fact,” Max said.
“That doesn’t sound like you. Aren’t you the one that usually wants to bring them in yourself?”
“I used to be. I just want this guy taken out of circulation because while the DNA may not point to him, everything else does. I’m afraid if I see him, I might shoot him and be done with it.”
“This one really got to you, huh?” Evan asked.
“It has. More than any other case so far. I don’t know if it’s because I knew Esha’s parents from around town and had seen the girl here and there – or if it’s because I’m now a father to two beautiful young women that are just this guy’s kind of targets. Or both.” Max paused. “Yeah, probably both.”
When the four of them entered Max’s house with boxes and bags for dinner, Selene and Mario were at his kitchen table, drinking coffee. They both jumped up to help carry things in and get them settled, then Selene turned to Evan with a hug.
“It’s so good to see you, Evan. I’m so sorry about Emery and Darra,” Selene said.
“It’s good to see you, too, Mrs. Rivera,” Evan replied. “And you, Mr. Rivera.”
“Are these two lovely young women those tiny girls I used to bake cookies for?” Selene asked as she turned to greet the twins.
“Mom?” Max interrupted. “I’d like you to meet your granddaughters.”
Selene froze and turned from the twins to Max. “What?”
“It’s a long story, but to sum it up, the twins are my daughters with Evan, who were raised by Emery and Darra. They wanted to know what having grandparents would be like and asked if I’d introduce them to you properly,” Max said.
Selene turned to Evan. “You kept this from us, all this time?”
Max reached out to pull his mother close. “Mom, Evan explained it all to me, and I agree with her decisions. The past has passed and we have today to start something new as a family. I promised Evan that you wouldn’t automatically hate her for decisions she made years ago and would give it all a chance. Don’t make a liar out of me, now.”
Selene turned to face her son, hands pressed to each cheek. “I love you, but don’t ever speak for me again.” She then turned to Evan. “We will talk about this later.” Then she turned to the girls. “I’d like you to call me Nana. Let’s get the food on the table so we can settle in and I can get to know you better, hmm?”
Evan let out a slow breath and stepped to the side to give the girls and Selene more room to work. Max slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close, then kissed the top of her head. “See? It could’ve gone worse,” he murmured to her.
“It could’ve gone better, too. I’m worried she’s going to hate me over this,” Evan said.
“She can’t hate you. You’re my partner now, for as long as we both can stand it. You’re family, Evan. She’ll come around,” Max said.
“I’m glad you didn’t say future wife. I’d rather make our promises to each other and not need a piece of paper that says we’re committed.”
“I think we’re in agreement about that. I’m going to get a beer. Want one?” Max asked.
“I’d better stick to iced tea, thanks. I need to keep my wits about me.”
The food was good and the conversation started out a little stilted but settled fairly quickly. Evan watched and listened, and only spoke if someone asked her something directly. She wanted this to be about the twins and their new family, not about her and the deceit that kept them from this for eighteen years.
Max reached over under the table and squeezed Evan’s hand.
“Stop beating yourself up,” he whispered to her. “This is a good thing. Mom will come around quickly. You’ll see.”
“Uh huh,” Evan said and poked at her food. She jumped when her phone rang, then excused herself to go answer it. Selene didn’t like phones at the table, so she’d left hers on the counter next to her purse. Picking up the phone, she went into the other room to answer it.
“Wylder here,” she said.
“Evan, it’s Derek. They picked up Glen Lyle Rollins in Springfield, Massachusetts. The State police got him on a traffic stop and matched him to the BOLO. You need to get up there and question him.”
“Holy shit, that’s great. Okay, it’ll take me a couple of hours to get there. They can hold him for seventy-two hours, so I’ll plan on getting to Springfield tonight and I’ll question him first thing in the morning. Thanks for the call, Derek.”
“You’re welcome. Give me a call if you need anything,” Derek said and disconnected the call.
Evan let out a breath, then went back in to pull Max away from the table. “I’ve got to go to Springfield tonight. They picked up Rollins and are holding him. I'll be interviewing him tomorrow morning. Are you staying or coming?”
“Will you be okay if I stay here?” Max asked. “I won’t be able to help you in the interview anyway, and here I can be with the girls so they can spend time with my folks.”
“That was what I thought would be best, too. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done talking to him, to fill you in on everything. Keep our girls safe, okay?”
“I will. Are you going to leave now?” Max asked.
“Yeah, I need to go pack and get on the road. I don’t want to be getting in late and end up strung out for the interview in the morning. I need a good night’s rest before dealing with this asshole.”
“Okay, come say your farewells and then I’m going to kiss you senseless before you head home,” Max said with a grin.
The girls promised to save Evan a piece of pie and Max was true to his word with a kiss that curled her toes. Thirty minutes later, she was in her car and on the road, making a list in her head of the questions she would be asking Rollins.
Evan could feel it in her bones. The case had finally taken a turn and maybe they could get this thing settled at last.
Chapter twenty-one
Evan wore a suit and silk blouse to the station to interview Rollins. She looked every inch the FBI agent as her heels clicked on the cement floor of the hallway to the interview rooms. The art of getting information out of a suspect began with the psychological impact of a cold room, a chair with one leg a little shorter than the others, and gray concrete walls that felt like prison had already started.
She stopped in the observation room first, to get a look at the man they’d been trying to find for months. Thinning blond hair was combed over to try and hide the bald patch. His skin was lightly tanned, but somehow he still looked pallid – probably caused by the night in a cell. His suit was wrinkled, his button-down shirt had a stain, and his tie had been taken away, along with his belt and shoe laces. One hand was cuffed to the bar on the table and he fidgeted enough that the chair was in constant motion due to the shortened leg.
“How long has he been in there?” Evan asked.
“About an hour and a half. We let him up once to use the bathroom, but he’s not had water or food since six this morning,” the tech said. He would record the interview with voice and cameras that caught more than one angle so they could study his body language.
“Okay, let me grab a cup of coffee and a bottle of water, and get this thing started,” Evan said. “Coffee for me, but not him. If he loves coffee, the smell will drive him crazy. Bottle of water so we can get his DNA.”
“Sounds good. Good luck, Agent Wylder,” the tech said.
Evan unbuttoned her suit coat to make her seem more approachable, and nudged the door open with a hip, her coffee and the bottle of water in her hands.
“Hello, Mr. Rollins, I’m Agent Wylder. Would you like some water?” Evan said as she handed him the bottle before she took her seat.
“Thank you,” Rollins said as he opened the bottle and downed half of it right away. “Better. I’d love to have a coffee if I could?”
“That’ll have to wait. They don’t like to give suspects hot liquids. They can be used as a weapon,” Evan said as she took a sip of her coffee and set her tablet on the table. “Do you know why you’re here?”
“They told me the FBI needed to speak with me and that I was a suspect in a case. I don’t know what I could’ve possibly done to need to be spoken to by the FBI,” Rollins said.
Evan put down her cup and picked up the tablet, tapping on it a few times. “Do you know a Matteus Chase?”
“I did know him. He was my best friend for years, then just up and ghosted me about five or six years ago. Something like that.”
Evan turned the tablet to show Rollins the image of Matteus’ skeletal remains in the grave in the Chase back yard. “This is Matteus Chase. According to our labs, he’s been dead at least six years. We found him buried in the back corner of the Chase property.”
Rollins stared at the photo, then looked up at Evan. “That’s not Matty. It can’t be.”
Evan arched a brow. “I assure you, it is him. His dental records and the medical file that catalogued his broken bones all matched the remains. Any guesses on who put him in that grave?”
“How would I know that? I haven’t been back to Rock Beach in about eight years or so. Not since my Aunt Jenny died and I had to close up her place.”
“Did you know Matteus mother, Agnes, was dead, too?”
Rollins went completely still, his eyes on the table. “No. She left Noah Chase about five years ago and just disappeared. He told me so.”
Evan brought up the picture of Agnes Chase’s body stuffed into the freezer and turned it to show him. Now that got a reaction out of him. Rollins flinched and looked away.
