Read Online Cold Case at Carlton's Canyon by Rita Herron - Free Book Online

getting arrested? A boy accused of rape by one of the girls?”
    Amanda rubbed her temple. “I don’t remember anything like that.”
    She fell silent for a moment, her brow furrowed.
    “What?” he asked.
    “Now that I think about it, there were two things that happened. Donald Reisling had a bad car accident his junior year and has been in a wheelchair ever since.”
    “What happened?”
    “He was supposedly driving drunk, but there were rumors that his girlfriend at the time was behind the wheel, and that he covered for her.”
    “What happened to the girl?”
    “She moved away after college, but I saw that she’d RSVP’d that she planned to attend the reunion.”
    “What about Donald?”
    “He was pretty broken up. His family was irate. They tried to prove the girl was behind the wheel, but her father hired a fancy lawyer and the case was dismissed.” Amanda pointed to a sign indicating the turnoff for the complex. The area was rundown, the concrete building outdated.
    Odd for a man who was supposedly a builder himself.
    “Donald’s in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down. There’s no way he’s strong enough or physically able to kidnap and kill anyone, then dispose of their bodies without someone noticing.”
    Justin turned into the parking lot, spotting a few battered cars, a black dusty Jeep, a Land Rover and a few pickup trucks holding supplies, obviously used for work.
    “Unless he has a partner.”
    Amanda’s eyes widened. “I suppose that’s possible.”
    “What about his family? They have to harbor ill feelings about the court decision.”
    Amanda seemed to stew over that suggestion. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in years. But I know Donald’s father still lives outside Sunset Mesa.”
    “And you said the old girlfriend is coming back for the reunion?”
    Amanda sighed, sounding distressed. “Yes, her name is Lynn Faust. She’s on the committee that organized the dinner dance.”
    Justin made a clicking sound with his teeth. “Maybe this reunion stirred up resentments. The father could be bitter that his son has spent the last few years in a wheelchair while this girl went on with her life. And now she’s throwing it in his face that she’s returned to dance at their reunion when he can’t even walk.”
    “My God, you could be right. That might explain why Tina was left holding the class ring. But why kidnap or kill the others? Why not just go after the woman who ruined Donald’s life?”
    “Perhaps Donald or his father’s resentment has grown, so he views all the victims as hurting Donald. After he was in the wheelchair, he probably didn’t get many dates.” Justin scraped a hand over his chin. “Lynn could be his endgame.”
    Fear streaked Amanda’s face. “We need to warn her.”
    Justin shook his head. “Let’s talk to the father first and test our theory. We don’t want to cause unfounded panic.”
    She nodded although she fidgeted, obviously still worried.
    He veered into the parking space, rolled to a stop, then cut the engine. “You said there were two incidents.”
    She shrugged. “The other was a suicide, a guy named Carlton Butts.”
    “What happened?”
    Guilt flashed in her eyes. “He was a friend of mine,” she admitted softly.
    “You dated?”
    “No. Nothing like that.” Amanda bit her bottom lip. “He was a smart kid, but a nerd,” she said. “I don’t mean that in an ugly way, but he was one of those kids who was teased a lot. I... We grew up together and hung out some because I wasn’t popular either.”
    Justin’s gaze met hers. “I find that hard to believe, Amanda.”
    The vulnerable look on her face moved something inside him. Could she not see how beautiful she was? That he was turned on by her tough, stubborn drive and intelligence?
    * * *
    “I T ’ S TRUE ,” SHE SAID , hands clenched. “But the difference between me and Carlton was that he cared and I didn’t.” Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. “I