Jen took the card, holding it near her mouth as she thought. “I wouldn’t usually do this … .”
“What?” Grady asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.
“There is one man who … has caused me some concern over the past few months,” Jen said. “I want to stress that I don’t believe he’s capable of blowing up an innocent woman.”
“But?” Grady prodded.
“We had to ban him from the shelter,” Jen said.
“Why?”
“He, um, well, he has some impulse control problems,” Jen said. “He was in close proximity to a mortar shell about eight years ago in Iraq. He’s deaf in one ear, which creates communication problems. He’s also missing two fingers on his left hand.”
“Why are you suspicious of this individual?” Sophie asked.
“He’s a talker,” Jen said. “He kind of breaks the mold on the previous rule. It’s just that … I’m not sure I believe all of his stories.”
“Can you be more specific?”
“He tells these graphic stories about burning Iraqi children alive and blowing up dignitaries’ cars,” Jen said. “The thing is, none of those things ever happened as far as we can tell. He’s still obsessed with fire and explosives. That’s one of the reasons we had to ban him. He kept setting fires in the garbage cans in the bathrooms.
“Still, we didn’t have to ban him until he put a makeshift bomb into one of the toilets,” Jen continued. “You can imagine the mess.”
“What’s his name?” Grady asked.
“Cole,” Jen said. “Cole Gordon. He was in the Army.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” Sophie asked.
“It’s been almost three weeks,” Jen said. “We ousted him right after the bomb incident.”
Grady rolled his neck, the crack audible. “That would have been a few days before Mandy was hurt.”
“Maybe it was a test,” Sophie suggested.
“Maybe,” Grady agreed. He turned back to Jen. “Do you have any idea where Cole would go?”
Jen shrugged. “I’m not going to lie, Mr. Hardy. I’m worried that you’re going to take some form of revenge on this man without any evidence. I understand that what happened to your brother’s girlfriend was terrible – but we don’t know that it was Cole.”
“Ma’am, I have no intention of going after an innocent man,” Grady said. “Going after a man who didn’t try to kill Mandy does me no good. We’re all in limbo until we find the right man. I won’t hurt an innocent man.”
“I can vouch for him,” Sophie said. “I promise you, we’re just trying to find the truth.”
Jen nodded, sighing loudly. “Check the tent town in Mount Clemens.”
Grady furrowed his brow. “The tent town?”
“There’s a homeless tent village near the Clinton River, in the woods off North River Road,” Jen said. “A lot of the veterans who can’t follow the rules here end up there.”
“In a tent town?” Grady was incensed. “What do they do in the winter?”
“They build fires.”
Grady ran a hand through his long hair, fighting the frustration rushing through him. “We’re going to send you a check tomorrow. I didn’t know about any of this.”
“It’s hard to see when you’re not looking,” Jen said.
Her words were harsh, but warranted. Grady forced a tight smile onto his face. “When this is all settled, I’d like to donate more than money.”
Jen’s face broke into a wide smile. “That’s the best thing you could have ever said to me. Solve your crime. Keep your brother’s girlfriend safe. Then? Then come and see me. I’ve got more for you to do than you can imagine.”
“I’ll be back.”
Seventeen
Grady refused to take Sophie to the tent town after dark. He had a feeling she would find the place on her own – her own need to do a story and drum up funds driving her – but he wanted to make the initial visit himself.
After kissing Sophie goodbye the next morning, he showered and headed toward the area Jen had directed him. He drove up and down North River Road multiple times, finally giving up when he couldn’t find the tent town from the street.
He parked in one of the small outlets local fishermen utilized to gain access to the river, and then hiked into the woods.
It didn’t take him long, the sound of people talking and the smell of barrel fires drawing him to a clearing about a half of a mile into the secluded forest refuge. When his mind registered what he was seeing, Grady fought the urge to cry – and then hit something.