Skeletons in the Mist (The McCall Twins) by Jennifer Hayden Page B

him since dinner yesterday. He went to bed and when they went to wake him this morning, he had vanished. It’s possible he’s been gone as many as twelve to sixteen hours.”
    “You’re shitting me.”
    “Nope. The area’s being canvassed. The foster family’s house is near the Riverfront Park. I’m guessing our boy has gone underground somewhere. The question is where?”
    “I don’t know. I’m on my way back. He might head home.”
    “It’s possible. How’d the visit with the other one go?”
    “You don’t want to know. I’ll talk to you later.” He disconnected his phone, not really wanting to break this news to Roxy, considering how rotten her day had been so far.
    He turned the key and started the engine abruptly.
    “What?” she asked, obviously sensing that something was wrong.
    “You don’t have to worry about seeing Dylan today, after all.”
    “Why not?” she asked carefully, as though she knew exactly what he was going to say.
    “Because he hasn’t been seen since six o’clock last evening. He’s missing.”

EIGHT
    It didn’t take long for them to get back to Cavern Creek. Roxy followed Chas into the police department, her head reeling. It wasn’t really shocking that Dylan had run off. It was shocking that they hadn’t anticipated this happening.
    “No news,” Trace said in greeting when they walked into his office. “Just got an update from Spokane. They’re still looking but they suspect he’ll head here. He probably has some friends—or his brother does—that he’ll have hide him. Someone should probably talk to Devon again.”
    “Yeah, right,” Chas scoffed, sitting on a corner of Trace’s neatly organized desk, and earning himself a scowl. “He’s not going to be of any help. Neither will any of his friends. They won’t rat him out.”
    “Maybe they will if I talk to them,” Roxy suggested.
    “I doubt it. Kids stick together when it comes toratting on each other,” Trace said, leaning back in his chair. “I can’t believe those foster parents didn’t keep a better eye on that kid. They were warned he was a flight risk.”
    “Yeah, well I’m thinking Dylan may have more to hide than what meets the eye,” Chas remarked thoughtfully.
    “You think Dylan did the shooting and Devon’s covering for him,” Trace figured out aloud. “It’s possible.”
    “Maybe neither one of them did it? Did you ever think of that?”
    Both Chas and Trace turned to stare at Roxy. Chas spoke first.
    “Obviously. But with no other suspects and no witnesses, we have no choice but to pursue Devon.”
    “Maybe you should concentrate on
finding
another suspect, rather than railroading two young kids who seem to be fighting an uphill battle with the world.” Roxy could see Chas getting mad and she didn’t care. As hurt as she was at how her brother had treated her, she knew his behavior was all in response to the loneliness and desperation hewas feeling. She knew that because at one time, she’d been in his place.
    “Don’t get soft on me, Roxy. I know you want to believe your brothers are innocent, but you must admit that neither of them are doing much to help themselves. Devon’s doing everything he can to spoil his defense and Dylan running off just makes him look guilty as hell.”
    “They’re kids,” she said simply. “They don’t know the right things to do here.”
    “Well they sure as hell aren’t giving us much chance to tell them.”
    Trace stared from his brother to Roxy and then back again. Then he shut his eyes and shook his head. “God, you two sound like an old married couple. Are you sure you just met yesterday?”
    Both Chas and Roxy leveled him with a glare. He held his hands up in surrender. “Arguing isn’t going to solve this problem.” He looked at Roxy. “We are searching for anyone with a motive that would have wanted Myra Tavish dead. So far, we have nothing. If you have any ideas, we are certainly open to them.”
    “I don’t know