Three different scenarios skittered through his head.
Kelly could have met with the old boyfriend, decided shed made a mistake in agreeing to marry Fisher and run off with him.
Or Sumter could have tried to convince her to leave with him and either kidnapped or killed her when shed refused.
Or Fisher could have discovered Kelly had feelings for her ex, and fought with her about it and killed her...either accidentally or in a fit of rage.
* * *
THE PHOTOGRAPH OF Kelly Lambert went up on the wall beside the other girls.
All such pretty young women with their glossy hair, perfect lips and orthodontist-enhanced smiles.
All girls who were ugly on the inside and deserved to die.
One by one they would leave this world.
And everyone at Canyon High would know the reason why.
Chapter Three
Amanda knew dividing Lambert from Fisher was the best police approach. If one of them was lying or hiding something, separating them was the best way to get the truth. But she didnt intend to let the Texas Ranger run her investigation or tell her what to do.
Lambert glanced back at the door, a nervous twitch to his eye. Whats that Ranger talking to Raymond about?
Just asking routine questions, finding out background information, Amanda said. It helps us to get a full picture of Kelly. Hell want to know who her girlfriends are, when Raymond last saw her, anything that might help us figure out what happened to her.
We have to find her, Lambert said. I lost my wife... I cant lose Kelly. Shes everything to me.
Sympathy for the man made Amanda squeeze his shoulder. I promise you, Mr. Lambert, that Sergeant Thorpe and I will do everything we can to find Kelly and bring her back home to you.
He glanced down and studied his knuckles. Amanda narrowed her eyes. He had scrapes on his left hand. A gash on his right.
She casually poured them both coffee, an image of Kelly at eighteen, when shed won an award for most congenial, flitting through her head. What happened to your hands? she asked, sliding a cup of coffee in front of him.
He twisted his fingers in front of him, his expression odd as if he didnt remember. I...was nervous when Kelly didnt call me back. Went outside and cut some wood. Guess I scraped my knuckles.
His explanation was feasible. Still...his daughter was missing.
Well need a current photograph of Kelly for the media and to spread around to other law enforcement agencies.
Lambert reached inside his back pocket, removed his wallet and pulled out a picture of her. Amandas heart tugged. Kelly had always been
pretty and had grown more so. She was dressed in a print dress, her long hair sweeping her shoulders.
That was a couple of months ago, Lambert said. I took her to the club to discuss the wedding plans.
Amanda studied the photo, thinking of her own father and how special their father/daughter dates had been.
Worry gnawed at her for Kellys sake.
If Kelly had been kidnapped by the same person whod abducted the other girls, they might never find her.
Kelly could already be dead.
Or...she could be suffering now.
Which meant every minute counted.
Amanda claimed the chair across from Lambert. You say your daughter was excited about the wedding. Does she have any enemies that you know of?
Another wave of sadness washed over the mans face. No. Everyone loves her. In high school she was voted most congenial and most likely to succeed.
Amanda had forgotten about the most-likely-to-succeed award.
In college, she worked on the school newspaper, her father continued, then earned her degree in English and planned to teach high school. Shes been applying for jobs and hopes to start in the fall.
Amanda cradled her own coffee cup, aiming for a casual tone. You and Kelly get along?
Oh, yes, he said. Kelly means everything to me. He coughed. When we lost her mother, she was depressed, and at first I thought what the hell am I going to do with a teenage girl? But then...we both missed Janelle and... His eyes flooded with tears as he looked up at her. Shes a good girl, Sheriff. A good girl.
I know she is, Amanda said, battling to keep her compassion at bay so she could ask the tough questions that needed to be asked. The first rule of police work was not to let your emotions get involved. Her father had taught her that, God rest his soul.
How about her and Raymond? she asked. Do they have any problems?
Not that I know of, Lambert said. She adores him. I wanted them to take it slower, not marry till they had more money in the bank, but they insisted on going ahead, said theyd survive on love.
Amanda grimaced. Shed never been that naive. Maybe because she didnt believe in love. Her mother and father sure as hell hadnt loved each other.
Mr. Lambert, what about you? Do you have any enemies?
His eyes widened. You think this might be about me?
I dont know, but we have to look at all the possibilities.
He stood and paced across the room. No, I mean I own the bank and a few people got angry at me because I turned down loans. Filed a couple of foreclosures. But thats business.