Sweet Friend of Mine (A Sweet Cove Mystery Book 8) Read Free Page A

branches of the trees looked like skinny silver-gray bones reaching skyward. A light dusting of snow gathered around the base of the trunks. When the chief saw the police cars up ahead on the side of the road, he said, “Here we are.” He pointed to where Ellie should pull in behind the vehicles.
    One officer approached the van with the intent to shoo them away, but when Chief Martin stepped out, the young man’s demeanor changed and he huddled in conversation with the chief. The sisters and Mr. Finch got out and waited for instructions. They kept the cats in the vehicle and Euclid was so loud howling his annoyance with that decision that the officer took a few concerned glances at Ellie’s van.
    “It’s a cat,” Chief Martin assured the young man.
    “I wasn’t sure.” The officer finished updating the chief and then walked over to stand beside one of the police cars.
    Chief Martin gestured for the group to come forward. “Why don’t we have a look around and if it seems suitable, we can come back for Euclid and Circe.”
    They followed the chief a few yards up the road and stopped when they saw Ryan Allen’s car in a ditch on the side of the roadway. The late-model, beat-up, dark red sedan was facing down the embankment at an angle. The position of the car made it hard to see from the road. The four sisters and Mr. Finch stood quietly trying to pick up on what might have happened. The wind kicked up and everyone pulled their coats around themselves or adjusted scarves and gloves against the cold breeze.
    “So here it is.” Chief Martin stared at the vehicle. “The driver’s side door was unlocked. There’s a sweatshirt on the backseat, otherwise, nothing much. No sign of a struggle.” He turned to Angie. “The officer just updated me about the phone records.”
    “Do they indicate that Ryan called his parents from this spot?” Angie wondered if maybe someone had moved the car.
    “Yes. The initial call was placed within this area. Though the records can’t pinpoint the exact spot.”
    “Ryan and his friend must have had a few drinks.” Courtney stepped closer to the edge of the ditch and looked down. “How else would he have become disoriented?”
    “That is unknown at this time,” the chief said.
    “Like we said before,” Ellie reminded them. “He could have hit his head when the car went off the road, maybe he has a concussion.”
    Mr. Finch looked the car over. “Perhaps the young man was fumbling with his phone or the radio and lost control, spun out, and went off the road and over the edge.”
    Jenna looked around at the woods lining both sides of the road. “His friend lives here in Mission River?”
    “He does.” The chief took out a notebook and jotted some observations.
    “Nearby?” Jenna wondered how close the friend might have lived and whether Ryan may have headed in that direction.
    “No,” said the chief. “The friend lives with his parents about five miles from here.”
    “Have you spoken to him?” Angie asked.
    “Not yet, but I will. Some other officers talked to him to find out when he last saw Ryan.”
    “Why is Ryan’s car heading this way?” Ellie fiddled with the ends of her hair. “Shouldn’t it be facing south? Towards Sweet Cove? He was heading home, right?”
    “That’s what Ryan told his folks.” The chief turned sideways and started down the steep embankment. “Why don’t you stay here? I’ll just have a look at the car.”
    “Maybe the car spun around and ended up looking like it was headed away from Sweet Cove.” Angie walked around the berm looking for skid marks or anything that might indicate that the car skidded out on the gravelly road. “The road’s dry, but last night there could have been black ice. Ryan might have hit the ice and the car went flying.”
    Courtney ran her foot over some of the gravel on the side of the road. “We should ask the parents if Ryan mentioned ice on the road when he called them last night.”
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