Read Online Cold Case at Cobra Creek by Rita Herron - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rita Herron
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they took Benji to another state. And Gandt didn’t issue an Amber alert.”
Dugan’s dark look made Sage’s stomach knot.
“Oh, God...what if whoever took him carried him to Mexico?” Then she might never know what happened to him or get him back.
“We can’t jump to conclusions,” Dugan said. “Let’s follow the pieces of the puzzle and see where they lead us.”
Sage just hoped they didn’t lead to Mexico. Finding Benji in the United States would be difficult enough, but crossing into another country where the legal system was less than satisfactory would complicate matters more.
Dugan knocked again, but no answer, so they walked back to his SUV and drove to the hair salon where Beverly worked.
Big Beautiful Hair was housed in a trailer on the edge of the small town, across from a convenience store called Gas & Go and a liquor store called Last Stop. Several cars were parked out front, a sign painted in neon pink-and-green advertising the big hair Texas women were famous for.
Sage hurried up the steps to the trailer, anxious to speak to Beverly. When she entered, the whir of hair dryers and blow-dryers filled the air, the scent of perm solution and hair dye nearly overwhelming.
There were three workstations, with patrons in various stages of coloring, cutting, highlighting and dying scattered through the long, narrow room. A half dozen bracelets jangled on the arm of the buxom brunette who approached her.
“Can I help you, miss?” She started to examine Sage’s unruly hair, but Sage took a step back.
“I need to see Beverly.”
The woman shrugged, then turned and called for Beverly. The platinum blonde at the second station glanced over, her sparkling eye shadow glittering beneath the lights. “Yeah?”
Sage crossed the distance to her, while Dugan hung back. On the ride over, they’d decided Beverly might open up to her before she would to someone investigating the man Beverly apparently loved. “Can we talk for a minute, Beverly?” Sage said in a low voice.
“You don’t want a cut and color today?”
“No, I need to ask you some questions about Mike Martin.”
Beverly dropped the curling iron she was using and hurried over to Sage. “Mike, good Lord... Now, there’s a blast from the past.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” Sage asked.
Beverly chewed her bottom lip for a moment before she answered, “About four and a half years ago.”
“How was he?” Sage asked.
Beverly tapped one of her three-inch high heels. “Agitated.”
“Did he tell you that he’d been arrested?”
Beverly coaxed Sage to the back by the hair dryers. “Yes, but that was a mistake. He said he was going to get it all worked out and then he’d come back for me.”
Sage forced a calm to her voice when she wanted to scream at the woman that she’d been a fool to believe anything Mike Martin had said.
Just as she’d been a fool to believe Ron Lewis.
“So you knew he was leaving town?”
Beverly nodded. “He said he was due to make a small fortune and then the two of us would get married and buy a house. Maybe even a ranch of our own.”
Disgust filled Sage. Ron certainly could be convincing. “Did he say where he was going to make this fortune?”
Beverly leaned in close. “Said he was into a real estate deal with this developer and he was buying up property left and right. He’d already picked out some land for us.” She batted her eyes. “I always dreamed about having a big place in the country. Waking up to the sun.”
Clearly Beverly had been snowed by Ron’s charm. “Then what happened?”
An odd look glimmered in Beverly’s eyes. “Then he just disappeared. I tried calling the phone number I had for him but got a recording, saying it was disconnected. I haven’t heard from him since.”
“What did you think happened to him?” Sage asked.
Tears moistened Beverly’s big blue eyes. “I don’t know, but I’ve been scared to death that something bad happened. That
Dugan’s dark look made Sage’s stomach knot.
“Oh, God...what if whoever took him carried him to Mexico?” Then she might never know what happened to him or get him back.
“We can’t jump to conclusions,” Dugan said. “Let’s follow the pieces of the puzzle and see where they lead us.”
Sage just hoped they didn’t lead to Mexico. Finding Benji in the United States would be difficult enough, but crossing into another country where the legal system was less than satisfactory would complicate matters more.
Dugan knocked again, but no answer, so they walked back to his SUV and drove to the hair salon where Beverly worked.
Big Beautiful Hair was housed in a trailer on the edge of the small town, across from a convenience store called Gas & Go and a liquor store called Last Stop. Several cars were parked out front, a sign painted in neon pink-and-green advertising the big hair Texas women were famous for.
Sage hurried up the steps to the trailer, anxious to speak to Beverly. When she entered, the whir of hair dryers and blow-dryers filled the air, the scent of perm solution and hair dye nearly overwhelming.
There were three workstations, with patrons in various stages of coloring, cutting, highlighting and dying scattered through the long, narrow room. A half dozen bracelets jangled on the arm of the buxom brunette who approached her.
“Can I help you, miss?” She started to examine Sage’s unruly hair, but Sage took a step back.
“I need to see Beverly.”
The woman shrugged, then turned and called for Beverly. The platinum blonde at the second station glanced over, her sparkling eye shadow glittering beneath the lights. “Yeah?”
Sage crossed the distance to her, while Dugan hung back. On the ride over, they’d decided Beverly might open up to her before she would to someone investigating the man Beverly apparently loved. “Can we talk for a minute, Beverly?” Sage said in a low voice.
“You don’t want a cut and color today?”
“No, I need to ask you some questions about Mike Martin.”
Beverly dropped the curling iron she was using and hurried over to Sage. “Mike, good Lord... Now, there’s a blast from the past.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” Sage asked.
Beverly chewed her bottom lip for a moment before she answered, “About four and a half years ago.”
“How was he?” Sage asked.
Beverly tapped one of her three-inch high heels. “Agitated.”
“Did he tell you that he’d been arrested?”
Beverly coaxed Sage to the back by the hair dryers. “Yes, but that was a mistake. He said he was going to get it all worked out and then he’d come back for me.”
Sage forced a calm to her voice when she wanted to scream at the woman that she’d been a fool to believe anything Mike Martin had said.
Just as she’d been a fool to believe Ron Lewis.
“So you knew he was leaving town?”
Beverly nodded. “He said he was due to make a small fortune and then the two of us would get married and buy a house. Maybe even a ranch of our own.”
Disgust filled Sage. Ron certainly could be convincing. “Did he say where he was going to make this fortune?”
Beverly leaned in close. “Said he was into a real estate deal with this developer and he was buying up property left and right. He’d already picked out some land for us.” She batted her eyes. “I always dreamed about having a big place in the country. Waking up to the sun.”
Clearly Beverly had been snowed by Ron’s charm. “Then what happened?”
An odd look glimmered in Beverly’s eyes. “Then he just disappeared. I tried calling the phone number I had for him but got a recording, saying it was disconnected. I haven’t heard from him since.”
“What did you think happened to him?” Sage asked.
Tears moistened Beverly’s big blue eyes. “I don’t know, but I’ve been scared to death that something bad happened. That
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