Missing with Bonus Material: The Secrets of Crittenden County, Book One Read Online Free PDF

They were both old and young.”
    “And their ages?”
    “Late teens, early twenties,” Walker said, feeling as helpless as a bug in a spider’s web. “Maybe someone even older, closer to thirty.”
    “From around here?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Come on, Walker. Talk to me.”
    “All I know is they didn’t go to high school with me. But the county is big, and a lot of kids don’t go to the public school. They were homeschooled or they drop out.”
    “What do you know about Perry and Lydia?”
    The change in questioning made his head spin. Clenching his jaw so his voice wouldn’t shake he said, “They dated for a while. Then they broke up a few months ago. ”
    “And you said you don’t know her well?”
    “I know her well enough to say hi on the street, that’s about it.”
    “She never confided in you?”
    “Back when they were dating, they were Amish, I was not. It’s not like Lydia would have had any reason to confide in me. We weren’t friends.”
    “What were Perry and Lydia like together?”
    Walker felt his mouth go dry. The detective was pushing all kinds of memories forward that he would have been perfectly happy to forget. “When they were still together, before Perry got mixed up in . . . they were good. Perry . . . he used to say that he’d do just about anything to make her smile.”
    The detective raised his eyebrow. “Why? Was she not normally happy?”
    “I think she was normally quiet. Perry could be outrageous,” he clarified. Remembering a time when Perry had made Lydia laugh so hard she started crying.
    “Outrageous, how?”
    Just remembering made Walker smile. “One time Perry got a hold of a unicycle.”
    “A unicycle?” the detective prodded.
    “Yeah, like the circus clowns use? Anyway, somehow, he’d taught himself to ride it. One day, Lydia came to the store and he rode that thing down the center aisle. Just as he got close, he lost control and knocked over a display of baked goods.” Before he could stop himself, Walker found himself grinning. “Mr. Schrock was fit to be tied, but Lydia had laughed and laughed. Perry later said hearing her so happy was worth his punishment.” Looking at the detective, Walker took a breath and spoke from his heart. “That’s how Perry used to be, Detective. He was my friend. But once he changed . . . Either way, he didn’t deserve to be murdered.”
    Luke stared at him for a long moment, then shifted and pulled out a card from his wallet. “Well, I’ll be here awhile looking into Perry’s death. Take this and give me a call if you remember something new. Call anytime, day or night. Okay?”
    “Okay. Sure.” He stood up and started walking before the detective got to his feet. But once he rounded the corner of the building, his footsteps slowed. And suddenly, it was impossible to not think about better days, easier times.
    Back when he and Perry had been partners in crime . . . but just the kind of crime that meant harmless shenanigans and lots of laughs.
    “Hey, Walker,” Perry called out as he flew through the front door. Late again. “Don’t tell Schrock, okay?”
    Walker crossed his arms over his chest and tried to sound irritated. “Where were you?”
    “With Lydia.”
    “Again. And what were the two of you doing that made you lose track of time?” he’d asked. Just to give Perry grief.
    But in a flash, Perry’s whole demeanor changed. “Nothing like that, English. Lydia’s a nice girl. She’s special.”
    He held up his hands. “Sorry! I was just kidding. You know that, right?”
    But Perry walked right by, snubbing him. Walker knew that the damage was done. Perry was going to hold a grudge for the rest of the day. . . .
    The detective’s car door slamming brought him back to the present. Shaking his head at the memory, he strode into the store.
    But the moment she saw him, Mrs. Schrock clicked her tongue in dismay. “Walker, you’re soaked to the skin! Go in the back and dry off before you