Hush Little Girl by Lisa Regan (first e reader .txt) 📗

cotton T-shirt and faded jeans moved watermelons from a wheelbarrow onto one of the tables. Shaggy brown hair hung over his eyes. Beside the produce displays were two vans parked side by side. Each one had a magnetic sign affixed to its body that read: “Bryan’s Farm Fresh Produce.”

They parked and headed inside. The building was cavernous and cool with rows of produce tables from one side of the building to the other. A counter with a cash register sat near the front doors. Arrayed across it were plastic containers filled with different kinds of nuts and candy. Next to the counter was a row of refrigerated display cases filled with milk, cheese, and eggs.

They looked around. Several people browsed the aisles, using plastic baskets to carry their selections. Behind them, the front door swished open, sending a bell overhead jangling. A large man in a tattered green T-shirt beneath overalls carried a bushel of corn. White hair hung from the back of his mostly bald head. Small brown eyes regarded them from over ruddy cheeks. “Help you?” he said gruffly, brushing past them to get behind the counter.

Josie showed him her credentials. “Is this your place?”

“Yeah. Reed Bryan. What can I do for you?”

“We came to talk to you about a woman named Lorelei Mitchell,” she said.

“What about her?”

Noah said, “Do you know her?”

Josie knew he wanted to see if Reed was going to deny his association with Lorelei. Reed didn’t know they’d found his prints inside the house. If he chose to lie about knowing her, they’d have to look much more closely at him for hers and Holly’s murders.

He nodded. “Lives up the road. Something happen?”

Noah said, “I’m afraid she was murdered. So was one of her daughters.”

The man went very still. His large, calloused hands were flat against the counter. Josie noted that there were no visible injuries on his arms or hands, although that didn’t mean much. They knew the killer bled at the scene of Lorelei’s murder, but they had no idea what body part had been injured. She counted off fourteen seconds before Reed spoke. This time his voice was softer. “What, uh, what happened?”

“We’re still investigating,” Noah said.

“Just the two of them were killed?”

“Lorelei and Holly,” Josie answered.

“When? When did it happen?”

Josie answered, “We believe it happened yesterday morning.”

Noah said, “Where were you yesterday morning?”

Reed’s eyes sharpened. His voice took back some of its flintiness. “I was here, working.”

“What time was that?” Josie asked.

“Got here at seven.”

“Where were you before that?” Noah asked.

He hesitated a moment, looking back and forth between them, his eyes dark with suspicion, as though they were trying to trick him. “I was home,” he answered.

Noah said, “Can anyone confirm that you were home until you arrived here at seven a.m.?”

“My son.”

Josie asked, “Did you know Lorelei well?”

“No. She came in regular, but I didn’t know her other than to say hi.”

“Do you know where she lives?” Noah asked.

“Up the road aways.”

“Have you ever been to her home?” Josie asked.

He shifted his weight uncomfortably. He looked past them, craning his neck to see through the front doors. Then he lowered his voice. “I mighta been there once or twice. What’s any of this got to do with me?”

“When is the last time you were at her house?” Josie asked.

“Why do you need to know this?”

“We’re investigating the murder of a mother and her child. You can tell us what you know here and now, or you can come down to the police station and make a more formal statement.”

He glared at her. “I don’t know, okay? It was a long time ago.”

“What was your relationship with Lorelei?” Josie asked.

He squeezed the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Wasn’t no relationship between us, okay? I went to her house to get my son. Sometimes he goes off on his mountain bike and rides over there.”

“Is your son’s name Pax?” Josie asked.

“It’s short for Paxton, but yeah, that’s him. Now what else do you need to know?”

Noah asked, “Did you ever see her with anyone?”

“Just her kids. You about done?”

Ignoring him, Josie went on, “We believe that Lorelei and her children were targeted for personal reasons. You’ve been here a lot of years, right?”

“Twenty-two years. Used to run this place with my wife till she passed. Now it’s just me and my boy. I got a farm outside of the city. Got a few people I pay to work it. Get the rest of our stuff from local farmers, other places.”

“That’s a long time to be in business,” Noah said. “You don’t ever remember seeing Lorelei or her children with anyone else?”

“She talked to some other customers now and then, but no, she never came here with anyone besides her kids, and usually they weren’t with her. Most of the time it was just her.”

“How often was she here?” Josie asked.

“Couple times a week.”

“Is your son here?” Noah asked. “We’d like to confirm with him that he was with you yesterday morning.”

Reed responded with a grunt. He moved back around the counter and out the door. Josie and Noah followed. He walked over to where the teenage boy was now arranging apples, oranges, and bananas on the outdoor tables. Every so often he seemed to get stuck on a particular row of fruit. He would take the entire row off the table, put it back into the bushel, and start again. Reed leaned down and said something in his ear. Then he snatched the basket away and tossed it to the ground. The boy winced.

Josie and Noah walked over with their credentials out for the boy to peruse as they introduced themselves. Wide-eyed, he studied their IDs. Up close, Josie saw that his face was covered in acne. His eyes were brown and wide with what looked like a combination of fear and uncertainty. Reed nudged the back of his neck. “Tell ’em.”

Josie said, “Hello, Paxton.”

Mumbling a hello, he looked down and jammed both hands into his apron pocket.

“How