Blood Vines

CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

Wednesday, March 17

10:30 P.M.

They’d located Alex’s car. The Rohnert Park Walmart parking lot. A search of the store had produced no sign of her; they were in the process of getting the store’s security tapes.

Reed shown his flashlight inside the Prius. No sign of a struggle. No left behind articles that might suggest a criminal act. No shopping bags.

He didn’t like this. His earlier presumption that she’d bolted felt wrong. All along he’d seesawed between suspecting she was behind events and worrying she was in danger from them. The seesaw had just tipped-he feared for her safety.

Reed looked at the deputy who had called it in, working to keep his cool. “Report.”

“Doing a routine sweep. Recognized the car from the Alert, checked the plate number to confirm, then called it in. Performed the same check as you.”

Tanner and Saacks arrived. They climbed out and crossed to him. “You have a visitor.” Tanner motioned to the car. “Your brother Joe. Came to the Barn looking for you. Says it’s about Clarkson and what’s going on. Wouldn’t talk to us.”

Reed’s heart seemed to stop. He nodded and headed for the car; Joe stepped out as he reached it. His normally pressed and creased brother was a mess. “I don’t want to talk to them,” Joe said, motioning to Tanner and Saacks. “Just you.”

“Can’t help you there, Big Brother. We’re a package deal.”

“Forget it then. I’m not talking.”

Reed snapped. “No problem. Because I’ll haul your ass in and book you for obstruction, which is a felony. And then you’ll talk, only it’ll be in a nine by twelve windowless room with a lock on the door. Don’t test me, Brother.”

Joe paled. He moved his gaze from Reed to the other detectives and back. He looked like he might puke. “It’s about that night. The night Dylan disappeared. We raped her. We raped… Rachel.”

Standing in the middle of a Walmart parking lot, Reed could have heard a pin drop. His brother dragged a hand through his thinning hair, the movement jerky. “I didn’t. I… couldn’t. I ran away. But the others-”

“Who?” Tanner demanded.

“Clark and Tom. Spanky and Terry.

“I ran, but I didn’t do anything to stop them. I didn’t go for help. Nothing.”

He hung his head. Reed gazed at him, feeling nothing but contempt. “Where?”

“The Sommer place. Outside the wine cave.”

Reed and Tanner exchanged glances. “The night Dylan disappeared.”

“Yes, he was there. Rachel had him. He was crying.”

Reed felt sick to his stomach. “What about Alex?”

“Didn’t see her.”

Tanner’s cell phone went off. She checked the display, then excused herself.

“Did you go to Dad, tell him any of this?”

He shook his head. “Never told anyone. Until now.” He started to cry. “All these years, I’ve hated myself… that I let them do that to her.” He lifted his gaze to Reed’s, expression pleading. “But she turned out okay. Right, Reed? She’s good.”

“That was Cal,” Tanner said, returning to their sides. “He heard back from the Ashton-Drake people. The two dolls, they both belonged to Rachel Sommer.”

Reed realized two things simultaneously-they combined to take his breath away: Rachel was definitely not okay and worse, Alex was with her.