But Not For Lust by BJ Bourg (comprehension books .txt) 📕

“Yeah, he’s right here,” she said into the phone. “Yep, he’s got a badge.” She looked up at me. “What’s your name, sir?”

“Clint Wolf,” I said. “I’m a detective with the Mechant Loup Police Department.”

She relayed the information to whoever was on the other end of the call. After exchanging a few words, she extended the phone. “She wants to talk to you.”

When I got on the phone, the woman on the other end said she was Natalie Conway. I remembered her and she remembered me from a previous case I’d worked south of town.

“Phoebe told me you were asking about the woods behind the street,” she said. “She mentioned it might be involved with the murder that happened at the front of the street yesterday?”

I didn’t correct her. Instead, I told her I needed to know who owned the land so I could ask for permission to search it for Ty Richardson. She said she owned all of the property behind the neighborhood, as well as a few lots with trailers on them along Orange Way that she rented out.

“I don’t have a problem with you searching it,” she said. “The combination to the lock is 3-2-4-9. Help yourself now and any other time you need to go back there. Just do me one favor; if you catch anybody hunting back there, throw them in jail.”

Although she couldn’t see me, I nodded and thanked her. Before I handed the phone back to Phoebe, Natalie told me she didn’t have a problem with Ty being back there.

“He’s a good man,” she said. “I hope everything turns out alright.”

“Me, too,” I said. Once Phoebe had the phone again, I asked for her last name and if she knew Ty.

“Watts,” she said quickly. “I’m Phoebe Watts. Yeah, I know Ty. He comes back here a lot.”

“Do you ever talk to him?”

“Oh, no, sir—never.” She shook her head for emphasis. “I just see him walking back and forth from the woods.”

“Are you afraid of him?” I asked.

“No, not at all. If Blue’s outside when Ty walks by, Ty will usually wave to him and tell him it’s a beautiful day—even when it’s not—but he’s never done anything bad that I know about. I’ve never been afraid of him. It’s just that I’ve never spoken to him.”

I nodded, glanced toward the woods. After a few cold snaps in late December and early January, the leaves on the trees had finally fallen and it was starting to look a little like winter, although it didn’t feel like it today.

“Have you seen anyone suspicious back here?” I asked, turning back to Phoebe. “Or toward the front of the street?”

“No,” she said slowly, apparently searching the deep recesses of her brain. “I don’t remember seeing any strange cars lately. The only visitors I get back here are my parents and my sister-in-law, but—”

“My Daddy visits me sometimes,” Blue said, interrupting his mom. “He’s a big man—bigger than you and his muscles are stronger.”

I smiled. “I’m sure he is, buddy.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Phoebe said, sliding a hand over Blue’s mouth. Her face flushed bright red with embarrassment. “His dad and I are divorced.”

“No, it’s okay.” I shot a thumb toward the dirt road leading through the woods. “When’s the last time you saw Ty go into the woods?”

She scowled. “Oh, it was probably last week sometime. Maybe Wednesday?”

I fished out a business card and leaned up to hand it to her. “If you hear anything or see Ty, can you please call the police department right away? He’s missing and he’s a person of interest regarding the death of his mom. We’re not calling this a murder—we just need to talk to him. For all we know, he might be a victim, too.”

She looked down at the card and then up at me. Nodding, she promised she’d call if she saw anything.

I thanked her and smiled at Blue. He didn’t return the smile, so I turned to walk away.

“My daddy can beat you up!” Blue called after me, his voice as menacing as he could muster.

I smiled to myself and kept walking.

  CHAPTER 15

I called Headquarters over my police radio and let Lindsey know I would be searching the woods behind Orange Way.

“I’m Code Four and don’t expect any trouble,” I said, not wanting Regan to feel the need to stop what she was doing and come assist me. I also didn’t want Susan to hear the traffic and think I was hot on Ty’s trail. If she thought that, she would come running.

“Oh, Ty’s picture hit the newspaper today,” Lindsey said. “Maybe that’ll help find him.”

“I sure hope so!”

I pulled my Tahoe right up to the gate and swapped my combat-style boots for waders. Just because it hadn’t stormed in a few days, it didn’t mean I wouldn’t encounter water along the way. After all, this was southeast Louisiana, and we were basically one giant flotteur sitting on a bed of water.

After silencing my phone and radio, I slipped through the bars of the gate and began trudging down the grassy road. I stayed to one side of the faint trail at all times, so as not to destroy any tracks or other sign that might be present. My stomach grumbled along the way and I was starting to regret not eating the rest of my hamburger. Sure, it would still be there when I returned, but I could’ve used the extra fuel.

I must’ve walked a mile when I saw a break in the tall grass in front of me. It veered off toward the right into the trees, and—still staying to one side—I followed it into the forest. I was in deep shade now.

Since the sun’s rays didn’t reach the forest floor in this area,