Chapter Ten: Peppermint:

Her name was Peppermint Harrelson. She looked so small. She didn’t have any shoes or socks on. Daniel and Edwin stared at her.

“What?” Daniel asked. Peppermint looked down at her hands.

“I have an idea where Lanie went,” she said. Edwin took out his notepad.

“Where did she go?” Daniel asked. “Did she come here in Tanglewood?”

“Yes,” Peppermint said in a small voice.

“When was that?”

“Last night.”

“How did Ms. Cape seem? Was she scared? Sad? Calm?”

“Tired. She had no emotion on her face.”

“Walk us through last night. What happened when she came to your place?”

Peppermint tugged on her long white sleeves as she tried to keep contact with the police. “I was about to go to bed when I heard a knock on my door. At first, I thought it was my ex coming around, looking for money. I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. But when I opened the door, there was Lanie. She had no emotion on her face. Already, I could tell that she was here to get money from me. I was ready to tell her off too but she said that she needed somewhere to sleep for the night. Before I could say anything, Lanie pushed herself past me.” She watched as Officer Edwin took notes.

“What happened after that?” Daniel asked.

“We stayed up getting high and drinking,” Peppermint said. “She said that she did something really bad.”

“Did she say what happened?” the detective asked. She shook her head.

“Do you remember what either one of you said?” Daniel asked.

“No,” the frail woman said.

“And then what?”

“We stayed up until really late. I slept on the couch and Lanie slept on the floor. When I woke up, she was gone.”

“Did she leave a note or anything on where she was going?”

Peppermint shook her head again. “No. But I do have some idea of where she went.”

“And where would that be?”

“She has a brother named Travis closer to the city limits. Travis Cape is his name. I think he learns near that old laundry mat in town. He should be back from active duty now.”

“Oh, military, huh? Which branch?”

“Army.”

Daniel whistled. “Wow.” Peppermint’s eyes shifted back and forth.

“Am I in trouble?” she asked.

“No, no,” the detective said, shaking his head. “Thank you for your time.” Peppermint just turned around and ran away. Edwin looked up when he finished his notes.

“Who was that, by the way?” he asked.

“I have no idea,” Daniel said, shrugging and shaking his head. Edwin read over his notes.

“Think we have a good lead here?” he asked.

“Only one way to see,” his partner said. Daniel turned and got into his car. Edwin tilted his head and got into the passenger seat. The cops were happy to drive out of Tanglewood at last.