He ran his hand over one of the unclosed boxes, which held kitchenware, looking lost for a moment as if he didnt know what to do.
Justin cleared his throat. Wheres Kellys computer?
Fisher gestured toward an oak desk in the corner, and Justin addressed Amanda. Ill take a look at it if you want to search the place.
She agreed and started in the kitchen while he slid onto the desk chair and booted up Kellys laptop.
Fisher paced for a minute, then seemed startled when his phone jangled. Its my new boss, he said before stepping onto the back patio to take the call.
Amanda opened kitchen cabinet doors, noting they were empty, then checked the drawers. Kelly must have already packed up all the silverware and kitchen supplies.
She scanned the counters, finding a bottle opener and a basket with a couple of envelopes inside.
A power bill and a bank statement. She pulled out the statement and skimmed the summary of transactions. The grocery store, household bills, a payment to the florist and wedding caterer made two days before, all signs Kelly had planned to go through with the wedding.
Her account still held five thousand dollars, not enough money to warrant anyone kidnapping her for it. Then again, Kellys father was the one with the big bucks.
Satisfied the kitchen held no answers, she headed toward the couples bedroom, but the refrigerator caught her eye. A magnet held Kellys wedding invitation. Beside it, she noticed the invitation to the high school reunion.
The reunion was the week before Kellys wedding. The timing meant that a lot of Kellys friends would be in town. That is, if she still kept up with them.
Unlike her, Kelly had been a popular girl.
Moving on, she stepped into the bedroom. An eight-by-ten of Kelly and Fisher sat atop the dresser, the couple embracing for a romantic kiss. Both looked completely happy and in love.
More boxes were stacked on the floor. Most of the dresser drawers were empty, but when she opened the closet door, she found a long white satin wedding gown hanging inside. Pearl buttons ran down the back to the waist, where the gown flared with yards of organza and lace.
It was a beautiful dress; Kelly would have been a beautiful bride.
Had her life been cut short?
So far, her fiancé and fathers stories held up. She wanted to talk to Kellys girlfriends next. They might be able to shed some light on whether or not Fisher or Kellys father should be considered suspects.
If they were innocent, she couldnt afford to waste too much time on them. Every minute she did meant whoever had taken Kelly was getting away.
If the same person whod abducted the other missing girls had abducted Kelly, what was the reason? How was he choosing his victims?
Studying victimology could help her find answers.
Her cell phone buzzed, and she saw it was her deputy, Joe Morgan, so she snatched it up. Hey, Joe, whats up?
I got your message and will look into the bank angle. But I found Kelly Lamberts car.
Where?
Off of Old River Mill Road.
Amanda held her breath. Was Kelly in it?
No, Deputy Morgan said. The car had nosedived into a ditch. There are skid marks on the road as if another car ran her off the road.
Possibly a hit and run? Ill call a crime unit to lift the tire prints.
Ill wait here for them. By the way, Kellys car is red, but I noticed pewter gray paint on the side. Ill have them take samples of the paint, too.
Good work, Deputy. Did you search the area for Kelly? Maybe it was a hit and run and shes lying hurt nearby?
I already looked. Shes not here, Sheriff. But I found a blood trail leading from Kellys car to the edge of the road.
Amandas lungs constricted. So Kelly was hurt.
If the driver had forced Kelly to go with him, where was she now?
* * *
JUSTIN SEARCHED KELLYS computer, first skimming her emails, but nothing stuck out. Some were personal correspondence with friends, excited chatter about the upcoming wedding, which confirmed Fishers story that Kelly still planned to marry him. Other notes were to vendors finalizing arrangements for the ceremony and reception. The emails were dated the day before Kelly disappeared, also confirming that she didnt have plans to run away or cancel the wedding.
A note from someone named Eleanor Goggins asked if she was going to attend their high school reunion. Two others girls, Anise Linton and Mona Pratt, had joined that discussion, all commenting on how much fun it would be to get the old crowd back together again.
He checked Kellys financial records. Her account was stable, most transactions relating to household bills and payments to vendors. A large deposit had been added a week before from her father, which was probably meant to cover wedding costs. But nothing out of the ordinary.
He checked her browser history and found wedding decoration and planning sites, then noted shed researched teaching positions and had sent applications to three different schools in Austin.
All confirmed Fishers story.
Next he examined her social media sites. She was on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and Pinterest. He took a few minutes to skim her posts and discovered she liked mystery books and classics, and she tweeted and wrote Facebook posts about her job search and upcoming nuptials. Photos of her and Raymond filled her Facebook page: shots of them at college football