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The Secret Of Logan Pond

The Secret of Logan Pond

A Cat in the Attic Mystery

by

Kathi Daley

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Katherine Daley

Version 1.0

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

A Cat in the Attic Mystery

The Curse of Hollister House

The Mystery Before Christmas

The Case of the Cupid Caper

The Secret of Logan Pond

Table of Contents

A Cat in the Attic Mystery

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Next From Kathi Daley Books

Preview

Chapter 1

Friday

On May 19, 1995, Austin Brady, a middle school student, along with five of his friends, decided to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather. They cut school and headed to Logan Pond, which was really more of a lake than a pond, for an overnight fishing trip. After setting up camp, the group gathered around the campfire and told ghost stories late into the evening. When the boys awoke the following morning, Austin was gone. The five remaining boys looked for him but to no avail. It was as if he’d simply vanished.

While most folks living in the area at the time of the disappearance figured he’d simply wandered away and became lost, there were those who believed otherwise. Based on interviews conducted by me, Calliope Rose Collins, it appears Austin was a smart kid, who was nearing his thirteenth birthday. He’d lived in Foxtail Lake his entire life and was very familiar with the area. The idea that he’d gotten lost while visiting a fishing hole he’d visited many times in the past seemed like the easy answer, but in my opinion, not necessarily the correct one.

I looked at Alastair, my Great-aunt Gracie’s cat, as he sat in the window seat in the attic, watching me work. I’d recently landed a job as a full-time reporter for Foxtail News, and I’d been working on a series of articles relating to Austin’s disappearance as the twenty-fifth anniversary of that disappearance neared. While I was nowhere near solving the quarter-century-old cold case, which was my ultimate goal, I’d done a lot of research and knew quite a bit more than when I started. According to the official missing persons report my good friend, Deputy Cass Wylander, secured for me, after Austin was reported missing, the entire town came together, and hundreds of residents set out to scour the forest surrounding Logan Pond for any trace of the missing child. Unfortunately, the search came up empty. The pond was dredged, friends and relatives were interviewed, and an all-points bulletin was issued, but it seemed as if the boy had simply vanished. According to the lead investigator, even a wild animal attack would have resulted in some sort of physical evidence, but despite long hours scouring the woods, not a single clue was found.

“I think this is going to be a tough one to crack,” I said to Alastair.

“Meow.” He jumped down out of the window seat and trotted over to a stack of old magazines that had been piled up in the corner.

“Don’t knock those over,” I warned as he began to paw at the tall pile, which appeared to have been haphazardly stacked and not all that stable.

“Meow,” he answered as he gave the pile a final shove with a paw, sending it tumbling.

I let out a sigh and headed toward the magazines, which were now scattered around on the floor. “Silly cat, I told you to be careful and not knock them over.”

I began picking up the old issues of what looked to be travel magazines. I really wasn’t sure why Aunt Gracie was keeping these. Not only were they ancient, but as far as I knew, the magazines, which had been part of the stack, had gone out of business years ago.

“Oh, look,” I said, picking up the magazine Alastair had decided to sit on. “This one is a visitor’s guide to Colorado.” I opened the cover. “There are maps of hiking trails, photos of beautiful meadows, descriptions of ski areas, and locations of lakes and ponds deemed to be great for fishing.” I stood up, taking the magazine with me. “Logan Pond and Foxtail Lake are both included as premiere spots to catch your limit.” I looked at the cat. “Personally, I’ve never had all that much luck in either location.” I thumbed through the issue. “They have a section on old mines and caves in the area.” I glanced at Alastair. “I’ve always been interested in learning more about the gold rush. Maybe I’ll do some research for a future column.” Tossing the magazine on my desk, I brushed off the dust that had gathered on my sweatpants while kneeling on the floor to gather up the scattered periodicals. “Perhaps I’ll look through these old magazines later. There might actually be articles I can use. Right now, I guess we should go down for breakfast.”

“Meow.”

I’m not sure why I find the early mornings before the sun even makes its appearance over the distant summit the best time to write, but it’s a routine Alastair and I have settled into and quite enjoyed. I logged off my computer and headed down the stairs. Aunt Gracie, the owner of the home where I currently resided and had lived in as a child, was sitting at the kitchen table, having coffee with her best friend and groundskeeper, Tom Walden. I’d noticed a slight shift between the two of them since they’d returned from their vacation in Hawaii. Nothing overt, but I sensed an intimacy that hadn’t been quite as apparent before. Not that Aunt Gracie would act on whatever might be going on between them. We both believed in the family curse and had vowed to never marry or produce offspring, but not marrying or having children wasn’t the same as not falling in love.

“I noticed you were up,” Gracie greeted. “I guess you’ve been working on your column.”

I nodded as I poured a mug of coffee. “I’m trying to come up with some fresh ideas for the Austin Brady case, but I’m afraid I’m getting nowhere.”

“The boy disappeared twenty-five years ago, and despite their best effort, the local police were unable to find a single clue as to what happened to him,” Tom pointed out. “I’m not sure that the case is solvable.”

I blew out a breath and sat down with the senior couple. “I know it’s a long shot, but Dex and Austin were friends, and he really wants answers. I know it’s a big ask on his part, but I’m really hoping to give them to him.”

“I guess Dex would have been around the same age as Austin at the time of his disappearance,” Gracie said.

Dex was my boss and the current editor of Foxtail News. He inherited the position after his father, Garrett Heatherton, retired, and he was still trying to make his mark on the family business.

“Dex told me that he was actually supposed to go along with the other six boys on the overnight fishing trip, but his father found out about his plan to cut school on Friday and put an end to things. I know it’s a longshot, but this is important to Dex, so I’m going to do what I can to find something. I’m not sure what that something might be after all these years, but there must be something to discover that might not have been found back then.”

“Seems like you’ve taken on a big job,” Tom said. “It might be best to keep your expectations realistic so as not to be too upset if you’re unable to do what you’ve set out to do.”

“I know how difficult this will be, but Dex and Cass have agreed to help me, as has Hope, who’s done her own research on this case in the past.”

Hope Mansfield was the local librarian.

“So, what do you know so far?” Gracie asked.

“Not a lot. The five boys who went fishing with Austin were: Josh Underwood, Colin Woodford, Larry Lakewood, Bobby Brighton, and Toby Wallis. Josh died in a vehicle accident when he was seventeen, but Colin, Larry, Bobby, and Toby are all still alive and kicking. I plan to speak to each of them.”

“Didn’t Toby move from the area?” Tom asked.

I nodded. “Toby is a ranger for the National Park System and is currently based at Glacier National Park. He’s married to my friend, Natalie, from high school.”

“I remember Natalie,” Gracie said. “She was going to be a doctor.”

“She ended up being a wildlife veterinarian, which works perfectly with Toby’s choice of career.”

“I thought Toby was quite a bit younger than Austin,” Gracie said.

“He was. In fact, he was the youngest in the group. I think he was four or five years younger than the others. Hope thinks the reason he was there was because he might have gone with Josh Underwood. Josh’s mom used to babysit Toby when his mother was out of town.”

Gracie got up and headed toward the oven where something delicious smelling was baking. “I guess that makes sense. Is Toby coming to Foxtail Lake?”

“No. He can’t get away, but Cass and I are going to have a video conference with him tomorrow. I know Toby the best, so I’m hoping to get a basic foundation from which to question the others.”

“I know Colin and Bobby still live in the area, but I’m not sure about Larry,” Gracie said.

“Larry Lakewood’s family moved to Denver not long after that fateful camping trip. He currently lives in Steamboat Springs. Cass and I plan to take a drive up there to speak to him at some point next week. I also plan to interview Colin and Bobby as soon as I can set something up. I was going to do it before this, but Hope warned me that neither man is really open to speaking about the incident, so it would be best if I did my research and had my ducks in a row before I spoke to them.”

“It seems like you’ve been working on this story for over a month now,” Tom said.

“I have. I’ve been looking at the police file, including the missing persons report, witness interviews, and old newspaper articles. As I just mentioned, I haven’t actually started my interviews yet, but I plan to take care of that next week. I’m hoping that once I’ve conducted my consultations with these men, I’ll be ready to try out a theory or two. I plan to go ahead and turn in the first of my three columns to Dex since it’s only an introduction that shows my intent to do further research, so I’ll still have time to figure out something. At least I hope I can figure out a way to put all the little pieces of information I’ve been gathering these past weeks together and come up with something new, even if it doesn’t lead me to the answers everyone seeks.”

“What happened to Austin’s family?” Tom asked. “It seems they moved on quite a while ago.”

“His father died in a climbing accident maybe ten years ago, and his mother remarried and moved to Florida. Austin was an only child, so there are no siblings to interview. Dex has the contact information for Austin’s mother, but I’m hesitant to call her unless I actually have news to share with her.”

“That makes sense,” Gracie said after sliding a quiche out of the oven. “No reason to bring the whole thing up again if you don’t need to. The poor woman has certainly had to live with more than her share of tragedy.”

“That’s what I figured.”

Gracie slid a plate with a slice of quiche and a piece of toast in front of me. Before my accident, I’d lived on my own and would usually just grab an apple or a banana for breakfast. Since I’d decided to move home to Foxtail Lake, Gracie had been feeding me wonderful meals twice a day. I realized that if I didn’t want to get fat, I was going to have to up my workout routine, which at this point consisted of pretty much nothing.

“I’m thinking about joining the new gym that opened up on the north end of town,” I said after I tasted my first bite of the delicious breakfast.

“I hear it’s really nice,” Gracie said. “I think it’s being referred to as a health spa or wellness center rather than a gym. They have weights and whatnot, but they also offer classes and have a juice bar.”

“Naomi joined last month, and she said all the equipment is state of the art.” Naomi owned the local animal shelter where Cass and I volunteered two afternoons a week. “She said the classes are pretty good as well. They have spin, yoga, dance, and a couple others.”

“It sounds fun. I think you should do it,” Gracie encouraged. “Trust me, when you get older, you’ll be glad you stayed in shape.”

“I do feel like I need to work on my strength. I’ve let my workout routine slip into oblivion since the accident, and I haven’t kept up with the exercises the physical therapist gave me the way I should have. It really is time to get my strength and flexibility back. Naomi told me they’re running a promo for the spring, so the timing is good. I thought I’d stop by today after I check in at the newspaper.”

“Will you be spending the afternoon at the shelter?” she asked.

“I will,” I confirmed. “And since Cass and I usually go out for a bite after our shift, don’t plan on me for dinner.” I glanced at the clock. “I guess I should head up and shower. I told Dex I’d be in around nine. He mentioned that he has a couple extra articles for me this weekend. I hope they aren’t too time-consuming, but I guess I’ll just be flexible and go where the news takes me.”

“I really enjoyed the article you did last week about the upcoming fishing derby,” Tom said. “It was so well written that it motivated me to sign up even though I’d initially decided not to.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. The derby won’t actually be taking place for another month, but Dex wanted to start getting the word out. He’s hoping for a good turn out this year since the community voted to roll the derby, chili cook-off, and ax throwing contest all into the same weekend.”

“Are they having the chili cook-off and ax throwing contest out at the lake?” Gracie asked.

“They are. I hope this nice weather holds. An outdoor event in May can go either way, but we have had an early spring, and the snow is about gone at this elevation, so I think we should be fine.”

I took my dishes to the sink and then headed upstairs to shower and dress. I had a busy day ahead of me, and I knew I’d need to stay organized. I wasn’t sure if I’d actually workout today, but I packed a bag with workout gear just in case. I needed to meet with Dex first, and I had my volunteer shift at the shelter in the afternoon, so I’d need to stop by the gym between the two. If I didn’t have an immediate need to do research or an interview for the articles Dex planned to assign to me, I might get a short workout in today; otherwise, I’d just check it out and plan to return for my first workout at another time.

Chapter 2

Dex was waiting for me in his office when I arrived. I could sense his impatience to find the answers he’d been seeking ever since his friend disappeared, but I think he knew I was doing the best that I could and the odds of me actually finding anything that hadn’t been discovered before were pretty slim. Still, it was hard to see the look of anticipation in his eyes, only to watch it extinguish when I told him that despite weeks of research, I still hadn’t found anything.

“I can see you’re really trying,” he encouraged. “And I know finding anything new is a longshot.”

“I know most folks think Austin simply got turned around and lost his way, but what other theories were passed around back then?” I asked. “There must have been a lot of talk and speculation at the time. I lived in Foxtail Lake when he disappeared, but I was just a kid, so I don’t remember much.”

He shrugged. “Like you said, most figured he wandered off and became disoriented, which caused him to lose his way, others figured he woke early and went fishing, only to somehow be pulled into the lake, where he drowned.”

“Pulled into the lake? By what?”

He shrugged. “Maybe a really big fish or perhaps some sort of lake monster. It was a pretty out-there theory to begin with, so who knows what whoever suggested it was thinking. Again, there were a lot of theories being tossed around, but most were pure nonsense.”

“I guess. And I agree that a lake monster sounds a bit out there. What other sorts of things did people theorize?”

Dex leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, resting them on his slightly protruding belly. He was a tall man who looked to have been in excellent shape at one point, but it was obvious that he could use some time in the new gym in town too. After a moment, he answered. “There were theories having to do with animal attacks, kidnappers, and even alien abduction. Like I said, the ideas were filtering through the community at a crazy rate, but to this day, no one seems to know what actually happened on that long-ago spring night. As you know, Logan Pond was dredged, the forest searched, and almost every stone in the area overturned, but the guy was just gone.” He looked me in the eyes. “How can someone just be gone?”

“I don’t know, but I do plan to do everything in my power to figure it out. I have interviews set up with the surviving boys next week. Maybe one of them noticed something they may not have even realized they noticed. If there is a new lead out there, I’ll find it.”

“Thank you. I appreciate how seriously you’ve taken this whole thing. I guess I don’t need to tell you to walk softly with Colin and Bobby. I’m not sure what Larry’s stance about the incident might be at this point since I haven’t seen him since shortly after Austin went missing, but I do know that both Colin and Bobby are prickly about the whole thing.”

“I’ll move slowly and take it easy. I’m not sure I’ll be able to coax much out of them that isn’t already known, but I’ll try. You said you have a couple other assignments for me this weekend.”

He nodded. “I do. The Nottaways are teaming up with Connie Denton from the diner to do a fundraiser for cancer research. Nottaway General Store is donating a bunch of cool stuff for a raffle, and Connie is going to close the diner for an evening and do a ten dollar a ticket spaghetti dinner to benefit the charity. I told Nora I’d chip in with free advertising and a feature or two to get everyone on board.”

“I’d be happy to write an article.” Nora Nottaway was battling cancer, and while she had a tough spell back in February, she seemed to be doing really well now. “Do you want me to talk to anyone in particular?”

“I told Ned you’d be in touch. I guess Nora has prepared some things she wants in the article, and you can add the personal touch after you speak to her.”

“Okay. And the other assignment?”

He nodded. “The new wellness center north of town is taking out a series of half-page ads over the next six weeks. I told them I’d throw in a human interest piece or two along the way.”

“That’s actually perfect. I planned to head there when we were done here to check the place out.” I glanced down at my own thin yet flabby frame. “It’s been a while since I adhered to a regular workout routine. I suppose the time has come to at least attempt to get back into shape.”

“You look great, but I know what you mean about falling out of shape. It’s so easy to do. I thought you could talk to the owners and maybe a couple of the members for your first article. I’m looking for something that will make working out sound like a fun and worthwhile thing to do. Something to get folks to try it out. Maybe play it up as the new social scene in town.”

“Got it. Anything else?”

He shook his head. “No, that will do it for now. I may have a couple more articles for you come Monday, but we can talk about them then.”

“Is Monday okay for the finished product for these two articles?” I asked.

“Monday works fine.”

I stood up. “Okay. I’m going to go get started. I’ll check in with you on Monday. Maybe I’ll even have something new relating to the Austin Brady story by then.”

“I guess we can hope all your hard work will pay off in the end.”

After I left Dex’s office, I stopped in the bullpen to chat with Gabby King, the newspaper’s receptionist. She’d recently been romantically matched with her one true love, Gabe Crawford, by local legend, Ms. Cupid. Gabe worked part-time delivering newspapers to the merchants who carried it, but his main source of income was from the bowling alley that he owned.

“How’s it going?” I asked, pausing to lean a hip against her desk.

“So good,” she gushed.

“Based on your huge grin, I’m going to assume that things are going well with Gabe.”

She nodded. “Better than well. Ms. Cupid is a genius. He really is the perfect guy for me.”

I was one of the few people who knew that Ms. Cupid was actually Nora Nottaway, who’d decided to distract herself after her cancer diagnosis by matching up eligible individuals in town.

“I’m glad things worked out with Gabe. He’s a really great guy. I’m sure the two of you will be very happy.”

“I know it sounds crazy to be talking long term plans so early in the relationship, but Gabe and I have had some pretty serious conversations about where we might want to live once we marry, how many children we’d like to have, even names for both male and female offspring that appeal to us. We aren’t formally engaged or anything, but I think that formality is only a matter of time.”

“I really like Gabe, and I do think the two of you make a good pair, but you’ve only been dating for two months.”

She shrugged. “I know. But when something is right for you, you know it.”

I supposed that might be true. I’d spent my life intentionally avoiding situations where I might meet and fall in love with my soulmate, so I really knew nothing about the sort of connection Gabe and Gabby obviously had, but when I looked at the joy in her eyes that hadn’t been there a few months ago, I found myself wondering what exactly I might be missing out on.

“I guess I should run,” I said, shaking myself from my somber mood.

“Do you have to go? We could get coffee,” she offered.

“I’d love to get coffee with you, but I really do have a million things to do before my volunteer shift at the shelter. Rain check?”

“Sure. Anytime. You know where to find me.”

“I do,” I smiled. While I tended to pop in and out of the newspaper office, Gabby was there eight to five Monday through Friday.

After I left the newspaper, I headed to the post office. Aunt Gracie had asked me to mail a package for her as I was walking out the door this morning. Wilma Goodwin was at the counter, so I stopped to ask her about the golden retriever she’d adopted this past February.

“So how’s Maggie doing?” I asked as Wilma weighed the package.

“Really well. I really do think we’re perfect for each other.”

Maggie was a mature dog who’d become available for adoption when her elderly owner was forced to move into assisted living and couldn’t take her. Maggie was well trained and liked to go on walks. She was used to a quiet home, so we’d been looking for someone without small children.

“You know,” Wilma said. “I wasn’t even a hundred percent sure I wanted a dog when I first spoke to you about it, but now that I have Maggie, I realize how empty my life used to be. She really is the best thing to have happened to me in a very long time.”

“I’m glad it worked out. It does my heart good to see our rescues find the perfect forever home.”

“I really admire the job Naomi and her band of volunteers have taken on. It’s one thing to simply house strays, but I can see that you all really care about the animals in your care. I admire the way you and Naomi and the others approach your adoptions as seriously as an adoption agency might approach the adoption of a human child.”

I smiled. “Naomi really is great, and she’s managed to recruit a group of individuals who care about the wellbeing of the dogs and cats at the shelter almost as much as she does. You know, Naomi is always looking for volunteers to play with the dogs and cuddle with the cats. If you have the time to do something like that, it really can be rewarding.”

“I’ll definitely think about it. I’m pretty busy during the week, but I usually have some free time on Saturdays. Sundays are for church, of course.”

“Of course. I know Naomi can use help every single day of the week. Give her a call. I think you will be happy that you did.”

I spoke to Wilma for a few more minutes, and then paid the package’s shipping fee and headed toward Nottaway General Store. I figured I might as well stop by and talk to Nora while I was in the area. I also wanted to check on her since I hadn’t seen her in a few weeks. Nora had found out that she had cancer a while back and had been struggling with her health ever since. Only those closest to her knew what was going on, although after the tough winter she’d had, I suspected even those she hadn’t told had figured it out.

“Oh good, I was hoping you’d stop by,” Nora greeted after I walked in through the front door of the general store. I headed toward the front counter and the large jars of candy that had been there since I was a child.

“Oh. And why is that?” I asked, popping a peppermint into my mouth.

“Your aunt special ordered some fabric for one of the projects she’s working on with Paisley, and I wanted to get it to her right away.”

Paisley Holloway is our ten-year-old neighbor who has lived with her grandmother since her mother became ill just over a year ago. After a long struggle, she’d passed away, leaving the grieving child looking for a port in the storm, so Gracie and I took her under our wing. We helped with rides to and from school and meals most every day. We also made a point of having her over to work on special projects several times a week. Overall, we simply tried to help fill the void in her life.

“I’ll be sure to take it to her,” I said. “Paisley has been almost as excited about sewing with Gracie as she’s been about learning to play the piano with me.”

“It’s such a nice thing the two of you are doing for that child. The poor girl’s had a rough time of it, and I know that the two of you have made all the difference in helping her cope with the situation.”

“Gracie and I want to do what we can, and we both adore Paisley. She’s like the little sister I never had.”

Nora looked me in the eyes. “Actually, given her age and yours, it would be more likely she’d be the daughter you never had rather than a sister.”

I slowly bobbed my head. “Yes. I guess you’re right. It’s funny, but since I never once considered having children, I guess I just don’t think in terms of children in my life.”

“You do realize that silly curse you and Gracie have defined your lives by is all a bunch of nonsense, don’t you?”

“Maybe, maybe not, but I figure, why risk it.”

Nora rolled her eyes.

“The main reason I came by was to talk to you about the fundraiser you’re doing for cancer research.”

She smiled. “Yes. I’m quite excited about our plans. Let me get Ned to cover the front, and we can head back and have a cup of tea and chat.”

It didn’t take long for me to get a list of the raffle prizes the Nottaways were donating as well as the time, place, and date for the spaghetti dinner. I got a quote or two from Nora about why she’d selected this cause and how important cancer research was to the community as a whole. I promised to run the feature next week, along with photos of several of the raffle prizes. The dinner wasn’t for another two weeks, so I told her I’d do two features, one each week between now and then.

“So, how are you doing?” I asked. “I have to say you look a lot better than the last time we chatted.”

“I’m feeling much better. I was finally able to shake the pneumonia and get back to my treatments, which were completed two weeks ago. At this point, I’m actually beginning to feel like my old self. My doctor is very optimistic, and, if he’s optimistic, then so am I.”

“That’s really great. I’m very happy to hear that.”

“So, how is you other story going?” she asked after taking a sip of her tea. “The one about Austin Brady.”

“I’m working on it, but I’m not really getting anywhere. Trying to research an event that took place a quarter of a century ago isn’t an easy task. For one thing, any clues there might have been at one point are long gone, but even without the liability of time passed, it seems there really weren’t many clues back then. I have a bunch of interviews set up next week. I’m just hoping someone remembers something.”

“I actually might know something,” Nora said. “It’s a small and unimportant detail, but Ned and I have been discussing the situation, and it’s caused us to really take ourselves back to that date.”

“What do you remember?” I asked, hoping against hope that her nothing piece of information would turn out to be something.

“The six boys came into the store for bait that Friday, the day they went up to the lake and the date Austin was last seen. I don’t know if you remember, but we used to have a deli counter. We took it out ten years or so ago, but we sold deli sandwiches, chips, potato salad, and those sorts of things back then.”

“I remember,” I said.

“Well, Ned and I were discussing the situation a couple days ago, and Ned remembered that while the boys were at the store buying bait, they decided to buy deli sandwiches to have for dinner that night in the event the fish weren’t biting. We had a meal deal that included a foot-long sandwich with your choice of meat, cheese, and filling, a bag of chips, and a can of cola. The boys bought seven meals. I know it seems like I wouldn’t remember a fact like that, but Ned and I discussed the discrepancy at the time. We even mentioned it to the investigator, but I don’t think he felt it was important enough to even note.”

“So maybe there was a seventh friend,” I said.

“That’s what Ned thought, but all those boys were interviewed, so it seems that one of them would have said something if there was a seventh boy. I do realize that it might be that one of the six was extra hungry and felt he might need two meals, but those sandwiches were big. I really can’t see anyone eating two.”

“Dex told me he was supposed to go with the others but that his dad found out that the boys planned to cut school and put the kibosh on his plans. Maybe the seventh meal was for him in the event he worked things out with his dad.”

“Perhaps. I just figured I should mention it since you’re looking into things.”

“I’m glad you did. You never know when some seemingly minor fact will blow the whole thing wide open.”

Chapter 3

The Fit and Fabulous Wellness Center really was something special. When I first heard that someone opened a gym, I was picturing a room with weight benches and dumbbells, but this gym was more of a spa. Yes, there was a room with weight benches and dumbbells, but there was also a room with weight and Pilate’s machines, one with cardio machines, a yoga studio, a spin classroom, and a cardio dance room. I could already tell that my favorite area was going to be the sauna and Jacuzzi pool. Well, that and the juice bar, which also sold smoothies.

When I arrived at the workout facility, I asked to speak to the owner. When I explained who I was, I was offered a tour and a free three-month membership, which I graciously accepted. They wanted me to have the full spa experience for my articles, so they even offered me an hour with a masseuse and ten free sessions in the tanning bed, which were normally an extra charge beyond the monthly membership fee.

I wasn’t sure I’d use the tanning bed, but the hour with the masseuse was exactly the sort of thing I’d need after an hour or two working out. I did wonder how a small town like Foxtail Lake was going to support such a large and elaborate enterprise. I supposed they’d attract some of the residents living in nearby towns, but the distance most people would be willing to drive to workout would be limited, especially in the winter.

“So tell me about the classes,” I asked as we neared the end of the tour. “Do you have a schedule that you can print for me?”

“I do. I’ll get it for you before you leave. The schedule is posted every month since there are always variations based on trainer availability. Your free introductory membership includes unlimited classes since we want you to be able to write about the full spectrum of our offerings. We offer tiered memberships. The basic membership gives you access to the machines and free weights, the gold membership gives you access to twenty classes a month, and the platinum membership includes unlimited classes as well as unlimited access to the sauna and Jacuzzi area. The tanning beds have their own membership structure from single-use to unlimited passes, and the masseuse is paid by the hour.”

“It all sounds fabulous, and I’ll do my best to do justice to your enterprise with the columns I plan to write. I am wondering about the membership numbers that you’ll need to keep something like this afloat and the limited number of residents in our little town. I assume you ran the numbers before you decided to open.”

“Yes, we did. I understand your concern. To be honest, if not for the Larchmont Resort, this little town would never be able to support a wellness center such as this.”

“Larchmont Resort?” I asked. I’d never heard of such a place.

“Larchmont bought up the land on the north end of town just a quarter of a mile from our facility. They have plans to begin construction within the next year on a large project that will feature timeshares as well as a huge hotel and weekly condos. They wanted a workout and spa facility to offer to their guests and residents, so they contracted with us.”

“Has this project been approved?” I personally attended most of the town council meetings, and this project hadn’t been brought before the council since I’d been back in town.

“Mr. Larchmont has verbal approval from the acting mayor, but I believe the council as a whole will have the chance to vote on it in a month or two. Mr. Larchmont wanted to make sure the plans for the project were finalized before he presented it to the council.”

“Who is the acting mayor now that Mayor White has passed?”

“Councilman Lewiston is filling in as mayor until the election.”

“Of course. I guess I had heard that. So what is going to happen to the wellness center if the council doesn’t approve the project?” I asked.

She looked shocked by my question. “Why wouldn’t they approve it? The project is a high-end deal. It will be good for the community. I really can’t see anyone not welcoming Larchmont to the area.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. There were a lot of folks in this town who wanted to keep the small-town feel that the town had always had. It wasn’t my place to argue with the woman providing the tour who was just an employee, so I gave her a brief smile and changed the subject. “I hope it all works out for you. This place really is fantastic. I have a dog training class to get to right now, but I’m sure you’ll see me on Monday or Tuesday next week.”

“We look forward to having you get started.”

Once I left the health club, I headed toward the shelter. Cass and I both volunteered for playtime on Tuesdays and Fridays from four to six. I arrived an hour and a half early on those same days to put the dogs assigned to me through a basic training routine. I’d never trained a dog before I began to volunteer at the shelter, but by this point, I had to say that I was pretty darn proficient. Naomi had even begun having me help with the advanced training classes from time to time. Who knew that the girl who’d never even owned a dog would nail it as a trainer.

When I arrived at the pen of the first dog I planned to work with, I found it empty. I turned to the trainer next to me. “Do you know where Roxy is?”

“She was adopted.”

I smiled. “Good for her. I’ve been hoping she’d find a forever home.” Roxy was a very energetic shepherd mix who hadn’t been trained as a puppy and was a real handful by the time Naomi got her. Initially, I figured she would end up as one of those hard to adopt dogs who lived out their lives in the shelter, but I’d been working with her for almost two months, and at this point, she actually responded to all the basic commands.

“I think Naomi replaced Roxy with Nala in your schedule.”

I nodded and headed toward Nala’s pen. She was an energetic pit bull mix who was cute and funny, and I was sure she was going to make a wonderful companion dog if she could learn to come when called and we could break her of her habits of eating everything in sight, including furniture, and jumping up on everyone she greeted.

“Hey, pretty girl,” I greeted as I approached Nala’s pen. “How about we work on your recall?”

She smiled. Okay, there are those who don’t think dogs can smile, but I can assure you that Nala could.

“Let me just get the leash on you.” I looked her directly in the eyes as I prepared to open the gate to her pen. “Sit.” She did. “Wait.” I unlatched the handle. So far, so good. I knew that Naomi had been working with Nala for the past couple of weeks, and it really showed.

I opened the gate and stepped inside the pen. I attached the leash to her collar and then told her to heel as we headed out to the lawn area. Of course, heel was a behavior she’d yet to master, so she pretty much pulled me after her until I managed to dig in my heels and get control of the situation.

The next hour went by pleasantly. Nala still had a way to go before Naomi would deem her ready for adoption, but she was a smart dog, and I knew with regular workouts, she was going to be really special.

“Roxy got adopted,” I said to Cass when he showed up.

“Good for her. I was pulling for her.”

I greeted his dog, Milo, who was both Cass’s best friend and his partner. Milo had been trained as a police dog, and when he was on duty, he was on high alert at all times, but when he was off duty, he was a playful goof just like any other high-energy dog.

“I’m working with Nala now. She’s really come a long way since she’s been here. I’m pulling for her, and all my trainees, but I really hope we can help Nala work through her behavior issues so someone will want to adopt her.”

“She’ll get there,” he assured me. “She’s a big dog, and there are a lot of folks who are hesitant to adopt a big dog with behavior problems, but she’ll figure it out. Who are we supposed to exercise today?”

“The most recent arrivals. Naomi wants them to get a lot of playtime so they’ll begin to relax. Since transitioning from a home with a family to the shelter is rough on a lot of them, she wants to be sure they begin to feel comfortable here as soon as possible.”

Cass went to the supply room to get the balls and ropes, while I let the dogs that had been selected for playtime into the fenced-in yard. During the winter, we played with the dogs in the indoor playroom, but the snow had melted, and the grass was dry enough to play with the dogs without getting wet, so we decided that outdoors was the superior option.

“I received an email from Toby today,” Cass informed me. “We’re all set for a video conference at ten a.m. tomorrow. If you want to come to my office at nine-thirty, that will give us time to get set up and get our questions in order.”

“I can do that.” I tossed a ball across the lawn. “I’m not holding out a lot of hope that Toby will know anything, but it would be nice to pick up even a small clue. So far, this particular cold case is a regular iceberg.”

“If it was an easily solvable case, someone would have solved it years ago. I was just a kid when Austin went missing, same as you, but I do remember the overall atmosphere in town was one of terror and panic. I really believe everyone involved gave it a hundred and ten percent at the time he went missing. The fact that no trace was found wasn’t from lack of trying.”

“Yeah, Dex said he looked into things himself at one point and came up empty. I’m not sure why he thought I’d have any more luck than he did, but he asked me to try, so I intend to do just that.”

Cass bent down and ruffed the terrier who’d jumped up on his leg behind the ears. “You have had an uncanny success rate since you’ve been in the amateur sleuth game. I imagine that Dex is hoping your lucky streak will continue, and you’ll notice something no one else has.”

“I hope so. For Dex’s sake, if nothing else.” I picked up a frightened beagle mix and cuddled her to my chest. “It’s okay, sweet thing. I’m not sure how you ended up here, but Naomi is going to take good care of you.”

The poor dog was shaking, so I held her tightly and began to rock slightly as I whispered into her ear. She eventually began to relax. Before I left, I’d tell Naomi how frightened the poor thing was. Knowing Naomi, she’d bring her into her home for a day or two until she adjusted to her new circumstances.

“I did learn one thing today that you might find interesting. I know I did,” Cass said.

“Oh? And what’s that?” I asked.

“There’s a footpath at the south end of Logan Pond. If you follow that footpath, it will lead to the river that feeds into Logan Pond. There is a large flat meadow about a quarter of a mile up the river where people who don’t camp at the pond often set up. On the day it was realized Austin was missing, a wide range search was conducted. The lead investigator noted in his report that there was evidence of a recent camp in this meadow.”

“How recent?” I asked.

“Very recent. Not only was there a spot on the grass that was still flattened out from the tent that had been set up near the river, but there was evidence of a very recent fire in the homemade fire pit. The investigator noted that there were still warm coals beneath the layer of dirt someone had used to cover the fire before abandoning the campsite.”

“So it seems likely that there were other campers in the area on the night Austin disappeared.”

Cass nodded. “Yes, it does seem likely. Unfortunately, the individual or individuals who camped there were never identified. A search was conducted for any sort of physical evidence that would identify the campers, but none was found. There were heartfelt pleas published in the newspaper for information relating to whoever might have camped there, but no useful information was obtained.”

“So maybe the second set of campers was responsible for whatever happened to Austin.”

“Maybe.” Cass tossed several balls in rapid succession, causing most of the dogs to take off in different directions. “Without any physical evidence, it was impossible to know who’d camped there. Initially, the police hoped someone would come forward and admit to being in the area, or perhaps someone who knew who’d been in the area would say something, but no one ever did.”

“And the person or persons who camped there didn’t leave anything behind? Trash maybe. Something with a fingerprint or DNA.”

Cass shook his head. “The only thing that was found was a few specs of dried tobacco.”

“So, the person or persons who camped there probably smoked.”

“The investigator believed that the person or persons who camped there rolled their own cigarettes. The tobacco left behind looked to have been dropped as someone poured tobacco onto a paper for rolling. There wasn’t enough tobacco to identify the brand or any other distinguishing feature, but it was something I suppose. Something that never led anywhere, but still, it was something.”

“If the camp was only half a mile from where the boys were camping, it stands to reason that those individuals might have seen or heard something.”

“Perhaps,” Cass agreed, “but that was a long time ago. The campers were never identified back then, and it seems near impossible to identify them now.”

I supposed Cass had a point. The second campsite probably was a dead end at this point, but I still had to wonder if the person or persons camping by the river weren’t actually the bad guys in our little drama.

“Do you want to get dinner tonight?” Cass asked.

“I do. I need to run over to the main house and talk to Naomi about the change in my training schedule first.”

“Why don’t you do that while Milo and I put the dogs in their pens and clean-up.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “I won’t be long.” I handed Cass the balls I was holding and headed toward the main house.

Naomi’s shelter housed animals in addition to dogs and cats. In fact, she seemed to be willing to take in any animal in need. I looked for her in her small house near the river but ended up finding her in the llama barn.

“I hoped you’d stop by before you left,” Naomi greeted.

“I wanted to ask you about Nala’s training. Should I plan to attend the Tuesday class with her, or do you have other plans?”

“The Tuesday class is fine. I’m going to have both you and Sherry work with her individually during the week. She’s such a sweet young thing. I’d really like to get her placed in the perfect home.”

“Okay. Tuesdays and Fridays still work for me.”

“I noticed that she is really good at playing hide and seek,” Naomi added. “If we can get her on board with the behaviors taught in the basic training class, and she isn’t adopted right away, I may try her with the search and rescue group. I was told she was a pit bull mix when she was dropped off, so I know she has terrier in the mix, but I think her mother might have been bred with a dog from the hound family. I like the way she naturally sniffs out her environment.”

“She’s really energetic, and I can tell that even though she has issues, she wants to please, so maybe she would make a good scent dog. I’ll throw in a game or two of hide and seek while I’m working with her.”

“Sounds good. I appreciate all the time you put in around here.”

“I’ve been pretty busy with my job at the newspaper, but my work here is important, so I want to be sure to make time for it.”

“How is your investigation into Austin’s disappearance going?” she asked.

“Slowly,” I answered with a definite hint of frustration in my voice. “But I’m not giving up. Cass has been helping a lot, and between the two of us, we’ve managed to gather a few random facts that didn’t seem to come up during the first investigation, but in the end, we’re both totally lost. Unless we can find someone who actually knows something and was too scared to come forward back then but is willing to now, I really think this might end up being nothing more than a wild goose chase.”

She closed the door on the llama pen. “I suppose that’s always a risk, but it still seems like a task worth taking on. Hope and I have been chatting about it as well. Maybe the four of us: you, me, Cass, and Hope should get together at some point and compare notes.”

“I’ll ask Cass. How would Sunday work? Maybe we could get together for lunch.”

“Sunday will work for me. Check with Cass, and then we can call Hope. The library is closed on Sundays, so it might be a good day for her as well.”

Cass had finished tucking everyone in by the time I returned. He was in the mood for fish and chips, and there was a good place to get fish and chips out near Foxtail Lake. The restaurant wasn’t dog friendly, but Milo was a member of the Foxtail Lake Police Force, and as an officer of the force, he was welcome everywhere. Cass and I found a table near a window and Milo laid down at Cass’s feet.

“Naomi suggested we get together this weekend,” I said once Cass had ordered his fish and chips, and I’d ordered a seafood salad. “I suggested Sunday, and Naomi thought that might be a good time since the library is closed, and Hope will be off.”

“I’ll need to see how the weekend goes, but it might not be a bad idea to get together. I know Hope and Naomi have both been doing some digging since you brought up the subject a couple months ago. They are both intuitive and intelligent women, and I’d be interested in hearing what they have to say.”

“I figured as much, so Naomi is going to call Hope and then let us know. I’m really hoping Toby will have something to add to our current knowledge base. He was actually there when Austin went missing. He must have some sort of idea as to what might have happened to him.”

“If he does, he didn’t say so at the time of the disappearance,” Cass pointed out.

I took a sip of my water. “I seem to remember him saying that the older boys didn’t really want him there and that they made him go to bed early while they stayed up and told ghost stories.”

“That’s what I remember as well. When he got up the next morning, the other boys were still sleeping, so he hung out by the fire, but when Colin got up, he decided to go fishing. It wasn’t until everyone was up that they realized that Austin wasn’t there. They looked for him, but he was never found.”

I nodded. “All of that is consistent with what all the kids said, but I’m still hoping that someone heard or saw something they were too scared to share the first time around.”

The waiter brought our food, which stalled the conversation. After he left, I brought up the subject of the new wellness center. “They gave me a free three-month membership. I’m actually really excited to get started. It’s a beautiful facility, and I really haven’t been keeping up the exercises given to me by the physical therapist after my accident the way I should have.” I reached down and rubbed my bad hand with my good one. “I guess I figured there was no point since I was never going to be able to return to my career, but I’ve had a lot of tingling lately. More often than I had in the beginning, so I guess I should get back to the routine the therapist gave me before it gets worse.”

“I agree. Do you think you should bring up the tingling to your doctor?”

“I will if it gets worse. It comes and goes. I’m supposed to go to my specialist in New York this summer for a checkup. I suppose that if my hand is still bothering me, I can bring it up then. In the meantime, I plan to get this body in shape. You should join the health club as well. We could work out together.”

He smiled. “I’d like that. We’d need to go early before I need to be at work or late after I get off.”

“I usually do my writing early, but I’m sure we can find a couple hours a week to meet at the gym. They have a men’s and women’s sauna and a heated pool, complete with jets that I’m very excited about.”

“A sauna would be a nice feature on cold winter days.”

“Did you know that the land on the north end of town near the wellness center was bought by Larchmont Resort? According to the woman I spoke to at the wellness center, they plan to build a huge property with timeshares, a hotel, and weekly condos.”

Cass lifted a brow. “I hadn’t heard. It seems like if something like that was in the works, the news would be all over town, although Acting Mayor Lewiston seems to have a way of controlling the news to his advantage.”

“The woman I spoke to brought it up after I asked how they planned to support such a fancy wellness center with our small population. I guess Larchmont contracted with the wellness center to provide a spa and exercise facility for their guests and residents. According to the woman I spoke to, Larchmont has verbal approval for the project from the acting mayor, but the project hasn’t been formally presented to the council.”

“I guess they want to keep a lid on the whole thing until they have all their ducks in a row,” Cass said.

“Do you think the council will approve such a huge project?”

Cass slowly bobbed his head. “I think they might. A resort such as that will bring jobs to the area. It will also bring those willing to invest in new infrastructure. Economically, it would be good for the town, but I realize there will be those who won’t be happy about a huge resort in our little town and you can bet those with lodging properties in the area will be extra upset.”

“It seems like growth and development are themes that continue to reoccur. You figure out a way to halt the plans of one developer, only to find there’s another one in the wings with their own project.”

“Change is a force that can only be denied for so long before it finds a way,” Cass pointed out. “Besides, now that Hugh Lewiston has announced his bid to run for the open seat in the state senate, I suspect that things might change quite a bit at the local level.”

“Why is that?” I wondered.

“I hadn’t known about the development until you brought it up, but I had heard that Larchmont is supporting Lewiston in his bid for the senate. I guess the why is beginning to make sense. As you can imagine, a successful run for the state senate will require a lot of money. Larchmont has money. If Lewiston is supporting the development, I suspect the two men have come to some sort of an understanding. Lewiston is a powerful guy in the community. If he wants Larchmont’s project approved, I have a feeling it will be approved.”

Cass and I continued to chat about the new wellness center, new resort, community events, and life in general while we consumed our meal. After we ate, we each headed toward our own homes. It appeared that Aunt Gracie was in her room watching television when I arrived, so I changed into my pajamas, made a cup of tea, and headed to the attic to jot down the notes I was going to need for tomorrow’s interview with Toby. It had been a very long time, and he’d only been seven at the time of the incident, but I was still hoping he’d have something to share that might give us an additional avenue of investigation.

I turned on my laptop and then clicked on the small white Christmas lights I’d strung around the room. I found that I liked the subdued light much better than the overhead light when working, plus they were festive. Alastair pushed his way into the room through the partially closed door. I bent down and picked him up, and then I headed to the window seat and settled in to stargaze as I often did in the evenings. One thing I liked about living out at the lake was that Gracie’s property was isolated and free of street lamps and lights from other buildings. It provided a perfect place to view the stars in all their glory.

“So I was assigned a new dog today,” I said to Alastair as we sat together in the window seat. “I’m sure you’d hate her if you ever met since she’s the rowdy sort, and you aren’t all that fond of dogs, but she’s really cute. She’s exactly the sort of dog I’ve been thinking about getting. Smart, energetic, friendly.”

Alastair hissed and jumped down. No one could tell me that he didn’t understand English.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to adopt a dog. Not at this point in my life anyway. I really am much too busy to give a dog the attention he or she needs. I was just sharing facts about my day.”

Alastair trotted across the room and jumped up on my desk. He batted at the magazine I’d left there, which resulted in it being shoved off the desk onto the floor. I unfolded myself from the window seat and walked across the room. I picked the magazine up and then returned to the window where I settled in to check out the article on mining and caves in the area. Colorado had a rich mining history that dated back to the early eighteen hundreds. I knew there were all sorts of abandoned mines peppering the mountains surrounding Foxtail Lake. Maybe I would take the time to do the research and write a series of columns about the men and women who came from the east to strike it rich and ended up building settlements, many of which became the towns that still existed.

“Meow.” Alastair jumped up onto my lap. He batted at the magazine I’d been looking at.

“You seem antsy tonight,” I said, setting the magazine aside. “What’s going on? Do you feel okay?”

The sleek black cat jumped up onto a bookshelf that held books Gracie hadn’t wanted in her office but hadn’t wanted to get rid of either. He knocked several books to the floor and then came back over to where I was standing and did a circle eight between my legs. I bent down and picked him up. “Okay, let’s go to bed. Maybe you’re just tired. I want to get up early and get started on the articles Dex assigned to me, so an early night might be just the thing for me as well.”

On the way out, I picked up the books Alastair had knocked off the shelf. They were books on Colorado and its history. It was odd that I’d never spent any time looking into the place where I’d spent a good portion of my life. Perhaps Alastair was trying to tell me that there were answers to the questions of the present contained within the events of the past.

Chapter 4

Saturday

“Something was going on with the older kids on our campout,” Toby informed Cass and me during our video chat. “I’m not sure what exactly, but there were sly glances and whispered conversations I wasn’t invited to be a part of. I was pretty sure they didn’t want me there at all, but Josh’s mother had told him that if I couldn’t go, he couldn’t go. Josh’s mother babysat me when my mom was out of town, but Josh was often left doing the actual watching.”

“The police report said that the older kids made you go to bed early,” Cass said.

“That’s true. After we got to the lake, we set up camp. Once the camp was set up, we mostly broke up. Austin and Josh went in one direction, Colin in another, and I remember Bobby heading out with that camera of his.”

“Camera?” I asked.

“Bobby was the tenderhearted sort who didn’t like to fish, but he did like to hang out with the rest of us, so while we fished, he took photos of wildlife and stuff.”

“So, what did you and Larry do?” I asked.

“We both headed to the pond to fish. After a while, we all gathered back where we’d set up camp and ate the deli sandwiches we’d bought in town. After we ate, Josh told me I had to go to bed despite the fact it wasn’t even dark yet. I didn’t mind, though. We each had our own tent, so I had my privacy, and I’d brought a book to read and a flashlight to read it with.”

“And the other boys?” Cass asked.

“They built a fire and sat around telling ghost stories.” Toby paused. “Although, it does seem like Josh and Austin might have left for a while. I remember there were just a couple of kids by the fire for a while.”

“And did all the boys come back?” Cass asked.

He nodded. “By the time it got all the way dark, all five of the older boys were sitting by the fire.” He paused for a moment and then continued. “I remember they were drinking, and I’m pretty sure they were smoking weed. I was mad at all of them for dissing me the way they had, so I mostly ignored them.”

“Did you tell the investigating officer that weed and alcohol were involved at the time of the disappearance?” I asked.

“No,” he admitted. “The question was never directly asked, and I didn’t want Josh and the others to get into trouble because of something I said. I still had to go to Josh’s every other weekend while my mom was away. The last thing I needed was for him to be mad at me.”

I supposed that was understandable. “So walk me through the morning following your arrival at the lake,” Cass said. “You said you got up first.”

He nodded. “I did. When I got up, the fire had burned down, but there were still embers, so I stirred it up and tossed some new logs on the coals. I sat there by the fire by myself for a while, and then Colin got up. Colin was a bit of a jerk back then, and he wasn’t at all happy about the fact that Josh had been forced to bring me along, so he started talking smack. I got mad, grabbed my pole, and headed down to the lake. The spot I chose to fish was within sight distance of the camp, so I figured I’d keep an eye out for Josh, and once he’d gotten up, I’d go back and see if anyone had brought anything for breakfast.”

“And then?” Cass asked.

“And then everyone got up one by one. I don’t remember the order, but Josh was last except for Austin. When I returned to the group, everyone was talking about Austin. Colin knew I was the first one to get up, so he asked me if I’d seen him. I told the group that I hadn’t. One of the kids, I think Larry, made a comment about Austin being totally out of it the night before. Everyone seemed to assume he’d just wandered away and passed out. We looked for him for hours. After enough time had passed and we’d looked everywhere we thought to look, someone suggested we should go back into town and tell someone what happened. I stayed behind with Josh and Larry. Bobby and Colin hiked back into town to get help.”

“And then?” Cass asked.

“And then the cops came and took a look around. When they didn’t find anything, they brought in a bunch of other people. We were questioned separately and then together. It was total chaos.”

“Did it seem to you that the other boys were all telling the truth?” Cass asked.

“Well, everyone lied about getting wasted the night before,” he said. “And when asked what they talked about the previous night, they said they just told ghost stories, but I heard a lot of chatter from my spot in my tent about sex and bodily functions.”

“I meant, did you think anyone was lying about what they knew about Austin’s disappearance?” Cass clarified.

He frowned. “What do you mean? Do you think someone from the group did something to Austin?”

“I don’t know. I’m just asking if you thought anyone was keeping something to themselves rather than being totally honest,” Cass clarified.

Toby paused. I supposed to consider the question. “All the older kids were being careful about what they said. Heck, I was careful as well. We were all scared, and I think we all wanted to be sure we didn’t say anything to make it worse. I know I’d decided to keep quiet about the fact that the older boys had all gotten wasted, and I know none of the others mentioned it either.”

“Was anyone acting extra odd?” Cass asked.

He started to reply but then paused. He closed his mouth and started again. “Yeah. I guess I do remember thinking that Colin knew something he wasn’t saying. I don’t know why exactly. It was more of a vibe I was picking up. He was one of the ones who left the camp and the pond earlier in the day. Austin left as well, although they didn’t leave together. Still, maybe something happened while they were gone that Colin didn’t want to talk about.”

“But Austin came back to the camp after he left that afternoon.” I knew he’d already asked this question, so I assumed he was just verifying Toby’s answer.

“Yes. He came back and was sitting at the campfire with the others the last time I peeked out to see what was going on. Whatever happened, happened late that night or early the following morning before I got up.”

“So you think it’s possible that Austin slept in his tent and got up early. Even earlier than you?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s possible. It had been light for at least an hour by the time I got up. If Austin did get up early that morning, he left the camp without so much as tossing a log on the fire, but I suppose if he had a destination in mind, he might have simply rolled out of his sleeping bag and headed out.”

“Any idea where he might have gone?” I asked.

“No. I really can’t think where he would have gone. I suppose he might have headed down to the lake to fish. None of us had had much luck the previous day.”

“Was Austin’s pole missing?” Cass asked.

Toby frowned. “I have no idea. I don’t remember seeing it, but I didn’t specifically look for it either.”

“Did anyone else show up at any point during the campout? A seventh person?” I asked, remembering the sandwich.

“I didn’t see anyone else show up at the camp. Why do you ask?”

I explained about the seventh sandwich.

“I don’t know why we would have bought the seventh sandwich. I don’t even remember doing that.”

“There was a deserted campsite found along the river about half a mile from where your group was camped,” Cass informed Toby. “Do you remember hearing about that?”

He nodded. “Yes. The man who investigated asked me if anyone from our campsite had gone to that campsite or if anyone from that camp had come to ours. I told him that no one came to our campsite other than those of us who hiked out there together, but that I wasn’t sure where some of the other boys might have gone.”

“You said you went to bed early, but do you remember who went to bed last?” Cass asked.

“I have no idea. I guess you can ask the others.”

Cass held up the police report. “According to the official report, everyone was asked that question at the time Austin went missing. You answered that you went to bed first, which the others verified, but the answers to the question of who went to bed next are inconsistent.”

“Inconsistent?” Toby asked.

“Colin said he went to bed next after you, and Josh said it was him. Bobby said he didn’t remember, and Larry said that he didn’t remember specifically, but that when he went to bed, it was only Colin and Austin who were still up.”

Toby frowned. “Like I said, everyone was wasted. I wouldn’t be surprised if they honestly didn’t remember.”

Cass nodded. He set the report down and then looked back toward the screen. “Austin knew the area well. Do you think it’s possible that he either took a stroll that night before turning in or he got up early, and simply got lost and couldn’t find his way back?”

“No. I never believed that theory. If Austin took a stroll the night before we realized he was missing, he would have been drunk or stoned. If that occurred, then yes, he could have gotten turned around. But even if he’d gotten lost, he was wearing a heavy sweatshirt, a long sleeve t-shirt, and jeans, and would have been fine in the woods until the next morning, at which point he would have sobered up and could have found his way back. If he took off that morning, then I really don’t have any idea what could have happened. I do know he knew the area too well to simply get lost.”

“There are some who say he drowned,” I added.

“Can’t see why he would have gone swimming either in the early morning or the middle of the night. It wasn’t cold enough to freeze to death, but it wasn’t warm either.”

“What do you think happened to him?” Cass asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve gone through the events of that night thousands of times in my mind, and I really can’t imagine what could have happened to him. I don’t buy the fact that Austin just wandered off, though. I suspect something bad happened to him. I figured he must have been dead since no one found him. I suppose he could have fallen and broken his neck or something, but there were a lot of people scouring every inch of those woods. If something like that happened, his body would have been found. The only thing that makes sense is that someone killed him and buried him in a place where no one thought to look.”

“If you had to choose one of the other boys who you felt had the best chance of knowing what happened to Austin, who would you choose?” Cass asked.

“I’m not sure. I guess either Colin or Bobby. Colin seemed to have a secret, but Bobby seemed to be the most frightened.”

“Frightened?” Cass asked.

“Once everyone realized Austin was missing, I guess we all figured we’d find him fishing or exploring or passed out somewhere in the woods. As time went by and he wasn’t found, everyone began to get tense, but Bobby looked downright terrified. Colin was the one who was trying to convince us that Austin was fine, and he’d show up, but Bobby didn’t seem convinced of that even in the beginning. Like I said before, after several hours of looking for Austin, Josh suggested that someone should hike back into town for help while the rest of us continued to look for Austin. Colin volunteered and suggested that Bobby should go with him. It seemed like Bobby didn’t want to go, but he did.”

“And you, Josh, and Larry stayed at the camp?” Cass confirmed.

He nodded. “The three of us talked about what might have happened, we hiked around the woods, calling his name and we walked all the way around Logan Pond, looking for footprints. Of course, there were a bunch since we’d all been there fishing the day before, but nothing really jumped out as being relevant.”

“Did Austin make any comments about wanting to do something or check something out?” I asked. “Could he have gotten up early and decided to head over to the river and try his luck catching breakfast there, or did he express interest in checking out the old abandoned barn at the pond, or perhaps one of the other little ponds or lakes in the area?”

“He never said anything to me about anything like that. Like I said before, Austin didn’t really hang out with me. None of the older boys did. They were mad that I was there, and mostly ignored me.”

Chapter 5

After we talked to Toby, we spent some time going over our notes and trying to come up with what we felt were the two or three most important takeaways from the conversation.

“I think the fact that the older kids had been drinking and smoking weed might be important,” I started off. “It would certainly explain how Austin might have become disoriented and gotten lost, but I agree with Toby, that if he’d simply been lost, he would have found his way back once he sobered up, and if he’d been hurt, it seems that one of the search and rescue volunteers would have found him.”

“I was interested in the fact that some of the kids, including Colin and Austin, left the rest of the group for a while after the boys arrived. They all made it back to the camp, so I don’t necessarily think anything occurred while they were away, but something could have happened that led to Austin’s disappearance later that night,” Cass said.

“Based on what Toby said, it sounds like Austin and Josh left the campsite together, but Colin and Bobby left individually. No one said where they were going, which seems a bit odd to me. I wonder if one of the boys met up with someone else who might have been in the area. Perhaps whoever was at the campsite that was by the river. If the older boys were drinking and smoking weed, maybe that’s where they got it.”

“Perhaps. It’s a theory that’s certainly worth exploring.”

“Toby said that of all the older boys, Colin was acting the most oddly,” I pointed out. “I guess he mentioned both Colin and Bobby. Colin was acting the most secretive, and Bobby was the most afraid. I think we need to play those angles when we talk to each of them.”

“It’s going to be a tricky conversation. It has been almost twenty-five years since any of this happened,” Cass reminded me.

I blew out a breath. “I know. This second look is a longshot, but it’s the job I’ve been assigned, so I plan to do it to the best of my ability. And who knows, maybe after all these years, someone will slip up and say something that will lead to a clue which will provide an explanation as to what happened to Austin Brady.”

“Maybe.”

My phone buzzed, and I looked at the caller ID. “It’s Hope,” I clicked the answer button. “Hey, Hope. What’s up?”

“Something came up, and I can’t do lunch tomorrow. I was hoping you and Cass could meet me after work today. The library closes at five, and Naomi has already said that she can meet us then.”

“Hang on, and I’ll check with Cass.”

I asked Cass about meeting this afternoon, and he said it was fine with him. We arranged to meet at the library at five o’clock. Once our plans were firmed up, Cass and I returned to our conversation.

“I’m not sure how much of this, if anything, I should include in my column,” I said. “The point of my investigation is to get the information needed to write a series of articles about Austin Brady’s disappearance, but I don’t want to spill the beans and print something we might end up wishing hadn’t been made public.”

“Why don’t you let me look at each column as you write it. Between the two of us, we can figure out what sorts of things should be kept private and which are okay to share.”

“It’s sort of odd to be researching this so far ahead of writing the articles,” I commented. “If by some miracle we actually find out what happened to Austin and identify the killer, assuming there is one, he or she will be arrested before I even get to the point in the series where I sum things up. It will be anticlimactic to give away the ending before the history relating to the event is published, but if we do stumble onto the answer, there is no way I will be able to keep it quiet.”

“I agree with that. If we do figure this out and someone did kill Austin, you’ll need to run with the big reveal right off the bat. I suppose you can use the history of what occurred as part of the bigger article relating to solving the case after all these years.”

“Yeah. I guess. Should we try to speak to either Colin or Bobby today? I know we don’t have appointments, but we do have time.”

“I’d rather wait until we have a chance to sleep on what we’ve learned from Toby. If something bad did happen to Austin and either Colin or Bobby were part of what happened, we don’t want to scare them off before we can come up with a theory as to what might have gone down on that early spring day a quarter of a century ago.”

I looked at my watch. “Since we don’t have to meet with Hope and Naomi until five, I’m going to run home and check in with Gracie and Paisley. They’re working on a sewing project today, and I promised to pop in and take a look at it.”

“Okay. I’ll just meet you at the library. I have a few things to do, as well.”

A couple months ago, Aunt Gracie decided to convert one of the rooms in her home to a sewing room, which she and Paisley could use to create the garments they seemed to be producing almost every week. Gracie had always loved to sew, and she’d tried to get me interested when I was a child, but I was having nothing of it. Then along came Paisley, a lonely orphan with a huge heart and insatiable curiosity, who, quite conveniently, loved to sew. I could see that Gracie and Paisley were having a lot of fun working on their project of the moment each week, and tried to support their effort with regular check ins when I could.

“So, what are you working on today?” I asked, after arriving back at the lake house.

“Short overalls,” Paisley said. She held up a piece of fabric. It had a creamy white background with tiny purple flowers all over it. “This is the material I’m going to use for the pocket on the bib, the straps, and the pockets on the shorts. The shorts, as well as the bib, will be cream-colored denim. I wanted something springy instead of plain blue or white.”

“I think those are going to be awesome. And you have that purple tank top you can wear under it.”

“I did think of that. What are you doing today?” Paisley asked.

“Just doing research for my column. Did you practice the musical number we worked on last Thursday?”

She nodded. “I did. I’m still having problems with the middle part. I might need you to show it to me again on Monday. We are still having our piano lesson on Monday, aren’t we?”

“I’m planning on it. I’ll pick you up from school as usual.”

“Plan to stay for dinner,” Gracie said. “In fact, plan to stay today as well. We’re going to grill steaks this evening since it’s such a nice day,” Gracie said.

“I can stay,” Paisley said.

Gracie looked at me.

“That sounds really fun, but I promised to meet Hope and Naomi at the library at five,” I answered. “I didn’t realize you were going to grill when I made my plans. Cass will be bummed as well that he is missing out on a steak.”

“I guess we could do the steaks tomorrow,” Gracie said. She looked at Paisley. “Would tomorrow work for you? We planned to spend the day sewing anyway.”

She shrugged. “I can do either night. My grandma might want to come too. Is it okay if I invite her?”

“Absolutely,” Gracie said. “We’ll pick up some takeout tonight, and you can bring her some of that as well.” She looked at me. “Will you be back in time to have takeout?”

“No. I’ll probably grab something with Hope and Naomi. I will definitely plan on steaks tomorrow night, however. This will be the first cookout of the season. I can’t miss that.” I glanced out the window. “It looks like Tom is cleaning up the old fishing boat.”

“He got it in his head to do some fishing this year and decided to clean up the old boat. We have the garden to get up and going as well, so I hope he doesn’t get too preoccupied.”

“I’m sure he won’t,” I answered. “Tom always puts your needs and desires first.”

A look of longing crossed Gracie’s face. “He does. Doesn’t he?”

I chatted with Gracie and Paisley a while longer, and then headed up to the attic to work on the columns I’d promised Dex I’d turn in on Monday. The piece relating to the charity event to benefit cancer research was fairly easy. I included the date, time, place, and cost of the dinner, and then I added a few quotes from Nora letting everyone know what a good cause it was and how important it was that the entire community turn out to support this research. Once I finished that, I started on the intro to my article about the new health and fitness facility. I hadn’t had the chance to work out yet, so an article on the machines and classes themselves would have to wait, but I was able to provide an overview of the facility based on my tour. The girl behind the desk had given me a class schedule as well as a list of the packages and the associated monthly fees. I just needed to add a few personal impressions, and I’d have my story.

Once I completed both of the articles Dex had assigned to me, I took some time to organize my notes from the interview Cass and I conducted with Toby, and then I headed outside to enjoy the sunshine and chat with Tom for a while. I’d need to head back into town in about an hour, but it wasn’t often I found Tom alone for a chat.

“Looks like you’re planning on doing some fishing,” I said as he tinkered with the small outboard motor.

“Yup. Thought I might toss a line in the lake this year. Never even got my fishing pole out the past couple years, but with the early spring, I find myself motivated.”

“I used to love to troll around with you when I was a kid,” I said.

“I remember that. You loved to toss a line in the water, but you didn’t want to catch anything, so we’d weight your line but leave the hook off. You were such a tenderhearted child.”

“I guess I was. I still am in some ways, but I will fish with a hook now. Do you still have that old rowboat?”

He nodded. “It’s dry-docked out behind the old shed.”

“It might be fun to teach Paisley how to row. I remember floating around on the lake, watching the clouds change shapes when I was her age.”

“I’ll dig it out and fix it up once I get done working on the fishing boat. Are the girls still working in the sewing room?”

I nodded. “I’m actually heading into town in a few minutes. I’m afraid my schedule has caused the cookout to be moved until tomorrow.”

“That’s fine. I need to clean up the old grill anyway. It’ll give me more time. I’m hoping to get all my projects not garden related done before Gracie decides it’s time to tackle the cleaning, planting, and weeding of the beds for the season. It seems that once the garden season begins, it keeps us both busy until fall arrives, and we tuck the plants in.”

I looked at my watch. “I need to run, so I’ll let you go. I hope the old boat starts up okay once you get it in the water.”

I was on my way up to my room to grab my sweater and purse when my cell rang. It was Cass.

“Hey, Cass. I was just getting ready to head into town.”

“I’m going to have to miss our meeting this afternoon. I just received a call to respond to a shooting.”

“Oh, no,” I gasped. “Who was shot?”

“Bobby Brighton.”

My hand flew to my mouth. “Is he...”

“Yes, he’s dead.”

“Do you think his death has anything to do with the Austin Brady case?” I asked. “I imagine everyone knows we’re taking a second look at the case by now, and if Austin did meet with foul play all those years ago and Bobby knew what happened, it seems to me that someone might have decided to silence him before he spoke to us.” I remembered how Toby had said that Bobby seemed to be frightened about something at the time Austin disappeared.

“That explanation makes as much sense as anything, but I guess at this point, I just need to follow the clues and see where they take me. It’s also possible Bobby was shot because of something he had going on in his current life, and the timing of it is just coincidental.”

I doubted it, but I did see why Cass would need to look at all the angles. I decided to keep the meeting with Hope and Naomi. I could hear what they had to say about Austin’s disappearance, and I could ask them about Bobby’s death and their opinions relating to his death while I was there as well.

Chapter 6

“I can’t believe someone shot Bobby Brighton,” Hope said after I arrived at the library where she’d been chatting with Naomi. “Do you know where this happened?”

“I’m not sure,” I answered. “Cass was in a hurry when he called, so I didn’t ask any questions. Did you know him well?”

“Not well,” Hope admitted, “but I did know of him. He used to be married to Tamara Harwell, one of the teachers at the elementary school. They have two children. Talia is three, and Tasha is seven months.”

“Used to be married? Are they divorced now?” I asked.

Hope nodded. “They actually split up before Tasha was born. Actually,” she chuckled, “before she was conceived. I guess after Talia was born, Tamara had some issues with depression, which Bobby was unwilling or unable to deal with. They separated when Talia was one. At some point between becoming separated and becoming divorced, the two had an encounter of the intimate sort, and Tasha was conceived. When Tamara first found out she was pregnant, the two tried to reconcile, but it didn’t work out, so Tamara, who is a very nice woman, by the way, has been raising her two daughters on her own.”

“And the depression she’d been suffering from?” I asked.

Hope shrugged. “She seems fine to me. She’s a popular teacher and a wonderful mother. She seems to have worked through whatever it was she needed to work through. I don’t know either Bobby or Tamara well, but based on what I do know, I don’t think Bobby was a very good husband. In fact, he seemed to be the sort who simply would never grow up. Tamara and I have a friend in common, Brandyanne Bradford. Brandyanne told me that it was her opinion that it was Bobby and his irresponsible behavior that caused Tamara’s depression in the first place. She told me that the guy would do the dumbest things like gambling away the money they had set aside to pay their mortgage. She told me that on more than one occasion, he would head out for beer and not come back until the following day.”

“It does sound like she was better off without the guy. And I do hope she’s okay. I know that you know that depression can be complicated, and sometimes removing the source of stress might not take care of those hollow feelings entirely.”

“Of course, you’re right. I guess I should check in on her. Especially now. I know she was glad to have Bobby out of her life as a husband and life partner, but it does seem that Tamara maintained a friendship with Bobby for the sake of her girls. I imagine his death will upset her.”

I sat back in my chair. I really wasn’t sure what to make of any of this.

“Do you think Bobby’s death is related to the second look you and Cass are making into the Austin Brady disappearance?” Naomi asked.

“I don’t know,” I answered. “The timing makes it seem that they are related, but Cass pointed out that it’s too early to jump on that bandwagon to the exclusion of all others. I didn’t know Bobby at all. I was seven when Austin disappeared. I vaguely remember it because all the adults were talking about it. Austin, Bobby, and the others, except for Toby, went to middle school while I was just getting started in elementary school. Toby Wallis was a year ahead of me, and I knew who he was, but I didn’t know him well until we got much older. High school, actually. As an adult, I was living away from Foxtail Lake until this past fall, so I really don’t know the history.”

“Bobby was a popular guy,” Naomi said. “He worked for a local contractor and seemed to do okay for himself. After he and Tamara divorced, he could be found at one of the local pubs most evenings. He seemed to hang out at Jack’s Place the most,” she referred to a local bar. “Many of the other men in town who work in the construction trade hang out there as well.”

“Any known enemies?” I asked.

“He did like to gamble and drink, and that’s never a good combination,” Hope said.

“Hope makes a good point,” Naomi admitted. “If Bobby was killed for a reason not having to do with what he knew about Austin’s death, he was probably killed over a poker game. Either he was caught cheating, or he lost big and then couldn’t make good with what he owed.”

“There was that accident this past fall,” Hope said.

“Accident?” I asked.

“One of the guys who worked with Bobby fell off a ladder,” Naomi explained. “Now, Jimmy’s paralyzed from the waist down. He insists that his fall was Bobby’s fault since the ground beneath the ladder was uneven, and Bobby was supposed to be holding the ladder steady. Bobby swore he was holding the ladder, but that Jimmy lost his balance and fell to the left, taking the ladder with him. At one point, I heard that Jimmy was going to sue Bobby, but then he realized that since Bobby didn’t have any money, there wasn’t anything to sue for, so he dropped the whole thing. But Hope is right, Jimmy is still pretty darn mad and has made threats about payback on numerous occasions.”

“Is he able to get around?” I asked.

“Actually, he gets around pretty well,” Naomi said. “He has a car which has been outfitted with hand controls and a travel wheelchair that is light and easy to manipulate. He can get himself in and out of the chair, and he’s able to get the chair in and out of his car, so he hasn’t lost a beat in some ways, although he can no longer do construction.”

“Do you think he’d shoot Bobby?” I asked.

Naomi shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. He is hanging onto a lot of anger, and he knows his way around a gun. Before the accident, he used to go hunting all the time.”

“Does Cass know about the situation between Jimmy and Bobby?” I asked.

“He knows,” both women answered.

“Cass is a good cop. I’m sure he’s already considered everything we’ve discussed,” Naomi said. “I’m sure he’ll talk to Jimmy and Tamara. Cass has spent his share of time at Jack’s Place as well, so he’ll know to talk with Alex about what might have been going on in Bobby’s life.”

“Alex?” I asked.

“She’s a bartender at Jack’s. Basically, she’s one of the guys and tends to know what’s going on with all the regulars. If Bobby was into something, she’ll know about it.”

“Wait,” I said. “Are you talking about that pretty redhead who looks like she just walked off the cover of Playboy Magazine?”

“Sounds about right,” Naomi said.

“Cass introduced me to her a couple months ago. She showed up at a restaurant where we were dining. He told me her name was Alex, but he didn’t mention that she was a bartender. Honestly, I assumed she was a model or possibly a movie star vacationing in the area.”

“Not a model, but not just a bartender,” Hope said. “Alex is doing online classes to get her MBA. I think she’s hoping to either buy Jack’s when he’s ready to retire or start her own bar if he won’t sell to her.”

“Good for her,” I said. “So, the guys who hang out there tend to talk to her?”

Hope nodded. “Alex is this really unique combination of ambitious businesswoman, girl next door, and every guy’s fantasy. She’s not only beautiful, but she’s smart and knows what she wants. She can hang with the guys as well as anyone. She’s known for her ability to toss an ax or down a few shots with the bar’s clientele. She’s won the annual dart tournament three years in a row, and she isn’t afraid to spew four-letter words around like candy, which the guys seem to appreciate.”

“The guys not only know and like her, but they trust and respect her. If they had something they wanted to get off their chest, they’d talk to her,” Naomi said.

“And Cass knows her well?” I asked.

“Sure. They used to date,” Naomi informed me.

Suddenly, my admiration for the woman turned an ugly shade of green, which really wasn’t fair since I’d made it clear to Cass that we could never be more than friends.

“So about the Austin Brady case,” I said, deciding to change the subject mostly because I figured that Cass would be all over the Bobby Brighton shooting and wouldn’t need my help, but also because thoughts of Cass with the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen wasn’t sitting quite right with me. “Cass and I spoke to Toby Wallis this morning.” I then took a few minutes to fill them in on the conversation. “The fact that Toby mentioned that Bobby seemed frightened a couple times seems even more important now given the newest development.”

“So, do you think he knew something about Austin’s disappearance?” Naomi asked. “Something he’d been sworn to keep to himself, but now that you were looking into things, someone out there was afraid he’d spill after all these years.”

“It fits the situation. Six boys go camping, but only five make it out alive. The body of the sixth is never found, so no one knows for sure what happened to him, but foul play seems to be a logical explanation. The five surviving boys all swear they don’t know a thing, but what are the odds they were lying? Maybe they were lying to protect someone, or maybe they were lying because the person who asked them to lie swore to hurt them if they didn’t. The boys are scared, but they figure they can’t do anything to help Austin at that point, so they decide to clam up so as not to become the next victim.”

“It’s a decent theory, but can you prove any of it?” Naomi asked.

“No. It’s really just a story I’m telling myself. But it does seem odd that no one knows anything. I’d find the stories the boys told to be more believable if they weren’t so similar.”

“Callie makes a good point,” Hope said. “I read through the witness statements, and the interviews given by the remaining boys were so similar as to seem rehearsed. The only one that was different was Toby Wallis’s statement. If something happened and the older boys all decided to cover it up, I don’t think he knew the truth.”

I sat forward slightly. “Okay, so Josh, Bobby, Colin, and Larry were all in on the secret. Whatever happened occurred when Toby wasn’t around, so they all agreed not to bring him in on whatever was going on. I guess we should assume at this point that Austin was dead; otherwise, it seems the boys would have tried to help him rather than covering up whatever happened. The four survivors sharing the secret take some time to get their story straight before going into town to get help, so even though they were interviewed separately, they all had the same script from which to answer any questions that were asked. Toby said that Bobby seemed to be the most fearful after Austin went missing, so maybe he was the weak link. The friend the others dreaded might rat them out. But he didn’t. He managed to keep it together, and the others thought they were safe. Well, at least Colin and Larry might have thought that since Josh died a long time ago.”

“And then you start asking questions, and maybe Bobby started to sweat again. Maybe he even said something to one of the other two about the guilt he’d lived with and how it had affected his life,” Hope said. “I suppose the others might have thought that he was a real risk, so either Colin or Larry shot him.”

“Do either of you know Colin or Larry?” I asked.

“Larry moved a long time ago, so no,” Hope said. “I know the name, but I really don’t know him.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Naomi agreed.

“And Colin?” I asked.

“Yeah, I know Colin,” Hope said. “He seems like an okay sort of guy. He’s married to a woman named Babs, and he works down at the lumber mill. He’s actually a foreman of some sort. I think he does okay. He and Babs live in a nice house, and they both drive nice vehicles.”

“Does he seem like the sort of person who would shoot someone in cold blood to protect a secret?” I asked.

“No. But I suppose that before anyone can determine whether or not someone would kill to protect a secret, you’d really need to know what the secret was and what the fallout would be to his current life.”

Hope was right. It would be hard to know if someone would kill without really knowing or understanding why. I wasn’t sure how Bobby’s death was going to affect Cass’s ability to help me out with the Austin Brady case for my story, but I did realize that Austin Brady’s disappearance was the case I’d been assigned by my boss, so it would be best if I stayed focused on that.

Chapter 7

Monday

I hadn’t seen or talked to Cass at all yesterday. He’d texted to let me know he was knee-deep in interviews relating to the shooting and would call me today. I was sorry he missed the cookout the rest of us had enjoyed last evening, but I did understand that he had a job to do. It sounded like he had a lot of leads to work through. Hope, Naomi, and I had only identified a few motives which would have been easy enough to check out, so chances were that Cass had information that we didn’t, which led to his long list.

My list of chores for today consisted of a trip to the newspaper to meet with Dex and to turn in the articles I had ready for him to have formatted. I also wanted to speak to him about both Bobby’s death and the progress I’d made on the Austin Brady case. I remembered that Dex had known the boys in question and had even planned to go along on the camping trip until his father had put an end to it. I supposed if anyone would have an opinion about what might have happened, other than the boys involved, of course, it would be him.

After I met with Dex, I planned to go to the wellness center and have my first workout. There were a lot of options to choose from, but I was really out of shape and wanted to start out slow. I hoped as time progressed, I’d begin to feel more like the self I seemed to have left behind after the accident.

Monday was also my day to pick Paisley up from school and give her a piano lesson. I was really hoping to connect with Cass at some point today as well.

“Busy day ahead?” Gracie asked when I went down for coffee.

“The busiest. I wanted to tell you both,” I said, including Tom, “that I had the best time last night. It was really special to share an evening in the yard by the lake with the people I love the most.”

“It was a special evening.” Gracie agreed. “And the first of many.”

“I loved the steaks, but let’s try ribs next time,” I suggested, smiling at Gracie. “You have always made the best ribs.”

“I think ribs would be a great choice for our second cookout. It seemed as if Ethel had a nice time last night,” Gracie referred to Paisley’s grandmother. “She seems to be doing better.”

“I agree. I know we take her food all the time, but it might be nice to invite her over more often,” I said. “Paisley practically lives here between the sewing and piano lessons, so I imagine Ethel gets lonely.”

“I agree,” Gracie said. “I’ll invite her to dinner one evening this week. So how is your article on the Austin Brady case going?”

“Slowly, but I feel like I’m gaining a better understanding of what went on. Cass has been helping me with the interviews and research, but with Bobby Brighton’s death, I’m not sure he’ll have time to continue to commit to the project.”

“I guess a current murder would take precedence over a long-ago missing persons case,” Gracie agreed.

I looked at Tom. “I’ve learned that Bobby hung out at Jack’s Place. I know you pop in there from time to time. Did you know Bobby?”

“Sure. Not that we hung out together or anything, but I know who he is, or I guess I should say who he was. It seems to me that he was one of those bar patrons who spent a bit too much time chasing the bottom of the bottle if you know what I mean.”

“I do. Has he always been that way?”

Tom slowly bobbed his head. “Bobby seemed to be the sort who might have demons he needed to keep at bay. Sometimes he was fine, even for long periods of time, but then something would happen to wake those demons, and he’d be back to the bottle.”

“Do you think his demons had anything to do with Austin’s disappearance?” I wondered.

“Perhaps. It seems like that would be a hard thing for a kid to deal with.”

“He wasn’t the only camper to make it back to town. Toby seems to be okay. I don’t really know the others.”

“Some folks deal with stress better than others,” Tom pointed out.

I supposed that was true. Maybe Bobby wasn’t the sort to do well with stress of any kind, and maybe he would have been that way even without the trauma of losing a friend.

Once I finished my coffee, I got ready and headed into town. I hoped Dex liked the articles I’d written about the new health and fitness center in town, as well as the upcoming spaghetti dinner and raffle. They were short human interest stories, but at this point in my career, I’d take whatever I could get. I was sure he’d put Brock on the Bobby Brighton murder, as he should since Brock was the newspaper’s lead reporter, but I still had the Austin Brady case, which I hoped would open the door to other investigative pieces.

“Morning, Dex,” I said as I sat down at the desk across from him. “Did you get the two human interest pieces I submitted this morning?”

“I did, and they both look fine.”

“I haven’t had a chance to use my membership at the new health spa yet, but I plan to go a couple times this week, so I’ll write a follow up for next week. The list of classes is impressive. I guess it’s the quality of the instructor that will make the difference between an enjoyable and unbearable class, however. Once I have a chance to try a few out, I’ll offer my opinion.”

He leaned back in his desk chair, crossing his arms across his chest in a familiar move. “Sounds good. How’s the Austin Brady story going?”

“It’s going. I guess you heard about Bobby.”

He nodded. “I did. I’d been worried about Bobby for a while. I really hoped he’d figure it out and pull himself together before things ended the way they did.”

“Do you think that Bobby was shot due to a decision he made or an action he’d taken in the past year or so?”

“Don’t you? It makes sense that whatever Bobby was engaged in that made someone angry enough to shoot him, must have been a recent action.”

“Perhaps. Especially given the fact that according to the few folks I’ve spoken to about things, Bobby seemed to have made a lot of enemies lately. It did occur to me, however, that Bobby being shot could be the result of our digging around in the Austin Brady case.”

Dex frowned. “Why would looking into the Austin Brady case result in Bobby’s death all these years later?”

I folded my hands on the desk. “When Cass and I spoke to Toby on Saturday, he said that he remembers Bobby acting frightened after Austin went missing. Toby said that as far as he knew, Bobby never indicated to anyone that he knew anything specific about Austin’s disappearance, but he did say that Bobby wasn’t himself.”

“Bobby was always the weak link in the group,” Dex admitted. “Josh and Colin were both in eighth grade that spring. They were pretty full of themselves since they were getting ready to go into high school the next fall. Bobby, Larry, Austin, and I were in seventh grade, and I seem to remember that Toby was in first or possibly second grade. Toby wasn’t one of the gang, and as has been mentioned in the past, he was only with the group because Josh’s mother made him bring him along.”

“So Josh and Colin acted like the leaders of the pack.” I assumed.

“They did. Josh was a nice kid who took his leadership role mostly seriously, while Colin simply wanted to push us younger kids around. Colin had a tough home life. His father was a drunk, and the whole situation was dysfunctional. The poor kid was going through something that year. An identity crisis perhaps. I know he was pushing back hard, which caused him to make some bad choices.”

“What sort of bad choices?” I asked.

Dex drummed his fingers on the desk. “He started smoking tobacco and pot, and he seemed to always have a bottle of something alcoholic in his backpack, even at school. There has been talk that the older boys had been drinking and smoking weed Friday. If that’s true, and I have no reason to think it’s not, you can bet it was Colin who brought it.”

“Josh was older and therefore a leader, but he was basically a nice kid, and Colin was also older, but sort of messed up and tended to bring deviant behavior to the group. What did Austin, Larry, and Bobby bring to the party?”

“Austin was a rebel of sorts. He was only in the seventh grade, so he didn’t possess a natural leadership position based on age the way Josh and Colin did, but he had a really strong personality, and there was no way he was going to let the older kids tell him what to do. Colin and Austin were going at each other all the time by that spring. I guess you could say they were friends as they’d always been, but they’d been involved in several physical altercations with each other leading up to the campout. In fact, I think Colin went on that camping trip with a brand new shiner, courtesy of Austin.”

“Do you remember what they fought about?”

“Anything and everything. The two had always butted heads, that was a fact, but it seemed things got worse around Valentine’s Day when they both asked the same girl to the dance. The girl went with Austin, which really made Colin mad. After that, every little thing seemed to lead to a boxing match.”

“Do you think they might have fought on that campout, and something happened to Austin? Something awful that the others agreed to cover up.”

A look of shock crossed Dex’s face. “God, I hope not.”

“What about Larry? What was he like?”

“He was the quiet sort. He liked to read a lot, and was smarter than the rest of us, although, like Colin, he had a tricky home life. His folks moved him around a lot. I know he had a hard time making friends. He’d only been in Foxtail Lake about six months at the time of the camping trip, and moved again before the year was out.”

“I understand he lives in Steamboat Springs now.”

“I hadn’t heard. I didn’t stay in touch with him after he left.”

“Okay.” I crossed my arms on the desk. “Tell me about Bobby.”

“Bobby was a scrawny kid. He was a good head shorter than the rest of us. He could be scrappy, and he did tend to get into trouble at times, but Bobby was the tenderhearted sort who wore his emotions on his sleeve. He had a hard time as he grew older, but as a kid, he was the one who would stop to help an injured bird or bring home a stray puppy.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Okay. Let me make sure I have this right. Josh and Colin were older, and therefore the natural leaders of the group. Josh was a nice kid who took his leadership role seriously, while Colin was a bit of a screw-up.”

“Basically, yes.”

“Larry was the smart one, although also the newest to the group, and the least integrated with the others, Austin was a rebel of sorts who liked to go head to head with Colin, and Bobby was the sweet tenderhearted one.”

“Sounds like you nailed it.”

“What about you? What sort of role did you play in the group?”

“I didn’t go on the trip, so it really doesn’t matter.”

I smiled. “I know, but humor me. Who was Dex Heatherton when he was twelve?”

“I was sort of vanilla. I went to school, kept my nose clean, made good grades, and rarely got into trouble. My parents were well known in the community, and if I even thought about smoking a cigarette or taking a drink, they somehow found out about it. Keep in mind that of all the boys in the group, I was the only one whose parents forbid them from going on that campout. I guess you could say that I was raised on a short leash.” He looked around his office. “I guess it worked out okay.”

I nodded. “It totally worked out okay. If something did happen to Austin on that campout, and the others all vowed to cover it up, your parents saved you from a lifetime of living with that secret by forbidding you to cut class and go along.”

Dex frowned once again. “Do you really think Bobby was shot because of something he knew?”

I shrugged. “I really have no idea. It’s a story that fits for me, but Cass is looking into all sorts of angles. Maybe he’ll have an update for us by the end of the day.”

Chapter 8

After I left the newspaper, I headed toward the new health club. I supposed I needed to settle on a descriptor for the dang place. Since I’d first been assigned the article, I’d been flipping around between gym, health club, wellness center, workout center, and spa. The words wellness center were in the name, so perhaps I’d settle on that.

A beautiful and perfectly fit woman named Ava met me at the front desk. Ava asked me about my membership, and I explained who I was and what sort of trial membership I’d been given. She asked if I’d had the tour, and I assured her I had. She assigned me a locker, gave me a key, and provided directions to the spin class I’d decided to start with. I figured I’d do the class, mess around with the weight machines a bit, take a sauna and maybe a dip in the Jacuzzi pool, and then shower and dress in time to pick Paisley up. What I didn’t know was that the spin class was an advanced class for those who were planning to take a virtual trip up the side of a freaking mountain.

By the time I finished the class, I could barely walk, so I headed straight for the pool where I tried to keep my tears at bay while my legs, butt, and back screamed for a good thirty minutes before they began to relax. I’m not sure how I managed to get showered and dressed in time to make the trip to Paisley’s school, but by sheer determination alone, I managed to get into the pick-up line just minutes later than I usually did.

“How was the spin class you told me you were going to try out?” Paisley asked after climbing into my car once I’d pulled to the front of the line.

“It was fun,” I lied, knowing that I’d probably never touch another bike. “I think I’m going to work with the machines next time so I can set the pace myself rather than trying to keep up with a class. It takes a while to get back into the groove of things when you haven’t worked out for as long as I have. How was school?”

“Boring. My teacher is getting us ready for state testing, but I already know everything she’s showing us. I asked her if I could read, but she wanted me to participate with the others. I can’t wait until state testing is done so we can get back to our normal routine.”

“Hang in there. This, too, will pass.”

“At least I had my piano lesson to look forward to.” Paisley rolled the passenger window down. “I’ve been practicing, and I think I might have finally figured out that middle part I was having so much trouble with.”

“That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to hear it. Anything else going on with you?”

She paused and appeared to be thinking about it. “My friend, Jolene, told me her uncle died this weekend. Someone shot him right in the head.”

I narrowed my gaze. “Was your friend’s uncle named Bobby?”

She nodded. “She told me Uncle Bobby was out with his friends but got tired so he left. When he got home, someone was waiting and just shot him dead.”

I wondered if that was what had really happened. Cass hadn’t filled me in at all at this point.

“The police came to his house,” Paisley continued. “I wonder if Cass was there.”

“I’m sure he was.” I hadn’t filled Paisley in on why Cass hadn’t joined us for the cookout last night. I’d just said he had to work when she asked where he was.

Paisley wrinkled her nose. “It would be gross to see someone who had been shot in the head. I bet there was blood everywhere. I probably would have barfed.”

“I’m sure there was a lot of blood, but I think that people who work in law enforcement get used to blood the same way doctors do. Once you see it often enough, you tend to lose your sensitivity to it.”

“I hope so. I do want to be a doctor, but I won’t be able to do a very good job if I barf every time I see blood.”

“Yeah,” I smiled. “I guess that would be a problem.”

“Do you barf when you see blood?” she asked.

“Not usually, but I guess it depends on the situation.” Luckily, we pulled into the drive at that point, and changing the subject, I asked, “Do you want a snack before we start our lesson?”

“Yes, please.”

I opened my car door and slipped out.

“How come you’re walking funny?” Paisley asked. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“No, I’m just sore from my workout.”

“My mom used to go to classes like that before she got sick. Sometimes she’d come home limping, and when I’d ask about it, she’d say she overdid it.”

I opened the front door and headed toward the kitchen, Paisley followed along behind. She tossed her backpack on the table and then sat down at the kitchen table.

“Did you eat your lunch today?” I asked as I stood in front of the refrigerator.

“Part of it.”

“Which part?” I wondered.

“The milk and the apple. The rest was gross.”

“Okay, so how about I make you a ham sandwich on Gracie’s homemade wheat bread, and then if you eat all of that, you can have a cookie.”

“Okay,” Paisley grinned. “Mustard, but no mayonnaise.”

“You got it. Cheese?”

“Yes, please.”

I set the sandwich and a glass of milk on the table in front of the ten-year-old. She dug in as if she hadn’t eaten in a week, but since she’d been here for the cookout last night, I knew she’d not only eaten but had, in fact, eaten quite a lot. “You must have a hollow leg.”

She looked down at her leg. “That’s what Grandma says, but I promise that it’s regular, not wooden.”

“Saying someone has a hollow leg is just an expression that means they eat a lot.”

“Oh. Are there any more chocolate chip cookies left?”

I opened the cookie jar. “As a matter of fact, there are. With or without nuts?”

“With, please.”

After Paisley finished her snack, we went up to the attic for our lesson. It was a beautiful day, so I opened the window to let some fresh air in. As Paisley played the tunes she’d been rehearsing for me, I stood at the window and looked out. After my accident, I really hadn’t wanted to come back here, but how different my life would have been if I hadn’t. I’d enjoyed my life in the city and loved my career as a pianist, but now that I’d had a chance to spend some time in Foxtail Lake, I knew that it was this town and the people who lived in it that owned my soul.

I watched as Aunt Gracie pulled into the drive. She waved to me and then gathered her groceries and headed toward the kitchen door. She joined us in the attic a short while later.

“That’s really beautiful, Paisley,” she greeted. “When I pulled up and heard the music, I thought Callie had the stereo on.”

She grinned. “Thanks. I’ve been practicing. Someday I’m going to be as good as Callie.”

“I’m sure you are, sweet thing, I’m sure you are. Are you still going to stay for dinner?” Gracie asked. “I’m making spaghetti.”

“I love spaghetti.” She grinned.

Gracie turned toward me. “How about you? Will you be here?”

“I don’t have any other plans. I am going to call Cass later and check in. If he doesn’t have plans for dinner, I might invite him.”

“I have plenty of sauce. Just let me know if he’ll be here before I put the noodles on. That boy can eat almost as much as our Paisley.”

Paisley grinned when Gracie called her our Paisley. I think it gave her a sense of security to be considered part of our family. I hoped that spending time with us would help compensate for the fact that other than her grandmother, who tended to drift between feeling okay and not doing well at all, she really had no one.

“Should we invite your grandma to dinner?” Gracie asked Paisley.

She nodded. “She told me she’s having a good spell and feels more like her old self, and my grandmother loves your spaghetti. You should call her.”

“I will. When you finish up here, you can help me with the salad,” Gracie said to Paisley.

Again with the grin. I had to admit the little imp really had wormed her way into my heart. I enjoyed relationships with a lot of different people, but the bond I felt I was beginning to form with Paisley was different. At times, I wondered if this was what it felt like to be a mother. Not that I’d ever know the answer to that particular question, but I supposed what I had with Paisley was about as close to a mother/daughter relationship as I was ever likely to have.

“Do you want to learn a new song today?” I asked after Paisley returned to the songs I’d already taught her.

“I would.”

“It’s a duet, so I’ll teach you one half, and I’ll play the other half. It’s an intermediate level song, so we’ll really have to practice to get the timing right. Once the two parts become one, it’s truly magical.”

Chapter 9

Cass and I headed out to the front porch after dinner. We sat on the swing and gazed out over the lake. It was light later in the evening as we approached the summer solstice, so Paisley played with Milo on the lawn, while Paisley’s grandma sat with Gracie in the living room. Tom, sweet guy that he was, offered to tackle the dishes.

“So, how was your day?” I asked, finally merging into the conversation I’d been dying to have since he arrived.

“Challenging. I spoke to a lot of people who each had a different take on what had most likely led to Bobby’s death, but in the end, none of the leads panned out, so I feel like I’m right back where I started.”

“What sort of leads? Did you talk to Jimmy?”

He nodded. “Bobby was at the bar on the day he died. It was only midafternoon, but according to Alex and others who were there yesterday afternoon, he was already pretty drunk. Everyone agreed that Bobby got a call, after which he left. He appears to have gone straight home. It also appears that someone was waiting for him. Based on the entry point of the wound and the location and position of the body, it appears he was shot in the forehead as soon as he walked in the door.”

“So someone probably called and asked him to come home, where they were waiting to kill him.”

“That was my first guess, but I pulled the phone records, and the call he received right before he left the bar was from his ex-wife. I spoke to her, and she told me that a friend of hers, who was also at the bar that afternoon, told her that Bobby was there and that he’d been drinking and looking for a poker game. Tamara told me that Bobby was way behind on his child support and that she called and told him to go home before he lost any more of the money he owed her. I guess he did as she asked. Or at least it appears that way.”

“Okay, so someone was in the house when he arrived. You said it wasn’t Jimmy. Why do you think that?”

“For one thing, the house has stairs leading up to the front door and no handicap access. Additionally, Jimmy was at a friend’s home, enjoying a BBQ when Bobby was shot. I’ve spoken to the friend and was able to verify his alibi.”

“Okay, so if not Jimmy and not the ex, then who?”

“I actually ended up having dinner with Alex last night. I needed to talk to her anyway, and by the time I got around to her, she was off, so we decided to have the steak dinner I was missing out on here while we chatted. She seemed to think that if Bobby was shot over something he did, I should talk to Garth Woodward.”

“Who’s Garth Woodward?” I asked, trying to extinguish the surge of jealousy I was experiencing after learning that Cass and his totally gorgeous ex-girlfriend had had dinner together.

“Garth owns a hunting and fishing lodge about twenty minutes out of town. He caters to groups looking for a real backwoods experience, and he charges an arm and a leg to provide that experience. Garth offers bear hunting excursions, among other things, and Bobby had a problem with that. They’d exchanged words on several occasions, and Bobby was even involved with a group that’s trying to make bear hunts illegal in the state.”

“Good for Bobby,” I said, feeling slightly ill at the thought of hunting a bear.

“When the snow melted and access to his lodge was made possible via the gravel road, someone started vandalizing Garth’s place. Garth was sure it was Bobby and had threatened legal action if he didn’t cease and desist. I spoke to Bobby about the situation even though the lodge is outside my jurisdiction, and he swore to me that, while he would have broken windows and spray-painted threatening messages all over the exterior of the wooden lodge if he’d thought of it, he hadn’t thought of it and therefore hadn’t done it.”

“Did you believe him?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Bobby was the sensitive sort. He was a bit of a mess when it came to managing his own life, but he was also the sort to care about all living things. I think like Bobby said, he might have spray painted the exterior of the lodge if he’d thought of it, but I don’t really see him as having the initiative to come up with such a complex plan. In my opinion, Bobby wasn’t the one who vandalized Garth’s property, but Garth seemed pretty convinced Bobby had been the guilty party and was out for payback.”

“So, do you think Garth killed him over a little graffiti?”

“It was more than just a little graffiti. There was significant damage to the lodge, which cost Garth more than ten grand to repair, and he was madder than I’ve ever seen him. Plus, he does have a gun, a lot of guns in fact, and he doesn’t seem squeamish about killing things. But a person? I’m just not sure. I did speak to him, and he, of course, denied killing Bobby, but he’s been staying out at the lodge, making the needed repairs, and since he isn’t open for the season yet, he was alone.”

“So, he has no alibi.”

“Exactly. Still, I think it would be a mistake to jump on the idea of Garth as the killer too soon.”

“I agree. Who else are you looking at?”

“I spoke to a handful of men Bobby played poker with. The idea that he might have been cheating or that he owed someone a lot of money but refused to pay up had crossed my mind. None of those interviews panned out. I plan to speak to Colin Woodford tomorrow. We’d planned to speak to him anyway regarding Austin Brady’s disappearance. Given the fact that I will also be questioning him about Bobby’s murder, it might be best if I do his interview alone.”

“I understand. What about Larry? Are we still planning to head to Steamboat Springs on Wednesday?”

“I’m afraid I’m probably out. I want to help you with your story, but figuring out who killed Bobby and bringing them to justice is my main priority at this point.”

“Do you suspect Larry of being involved in Bobby’s death?”

“No. I did some checking and found out he was in Denver all weekend. If you want to speak to him about Austin, I don’t see a problem with that.”

“Maybe Dex would want to go and talk to Larry with me. He did know the guy.”

“That might actually be a good idea. Maybe Larry will talk to Dex, whereas he might not have willingly spoken to you or me.”

“So, are you still planning to do your shift at the shelter tomorrow?” I asked.

“That’s the plan at this point, although I will need to play it by ear and see how my day goes. I called Naomi earlier and filled her in on the situation.”

“I’ll be there, so if you don’t make it, the dogs will still get played with.” I nodded to the lawn where Paisley and Milo were playing. “It appears that Milo is getting his playtime in this evening.”

Cass smiled. “He does seem to be having a wonderful time. He had a busy day today, helping me search Bobby’s home, yard, outbuildings, and car.”

“Did he find anything?”

“All sorts of things, but nothing that points to his killer. I did find a tube of lipstick shoved under the sofa. Since Bobby was single and male and I’ve never seen him wear lipstick, I’m assuming the lipstick belonged to a visitor. Of course, someone who was at the house months ago could have left it behind. Still, given the situation, I’m having it tested for DNA.”

“Do you think you’ll find a match?” I asked.

“Probably not, but I figure it doesn’t hurt to try.”

“Can you tell anything from the slug that was recovered from his body?”

“Not really. The shooter used a handgun, and the shot was fired from close range. If we had a gun to match it to, that would help quite a lot, but so far, we haven’t found the murder weapon, so we are assuming the killer took it with them.”

“And none of the neighbors saw anything? It was the middle of the afternoon.”

“The neighbor on the right was out of town, and the neighbor on the left was having dinner with his mother. There are three homes across the street that provide a good view of the front of the house. A single mom with three children occupies the house in the center of the three. The mother claimed to have been in the back of the house where her home office is located, trying to get caught up with paperwork for most of the afternoon. She did hear the shot and went to investigate, but didn’t see anything. I suspect the killer left through the back door. He or she probably hopped the fence and had a car waiting on the street behind Bobby’s house. The woman did call 911 to report the gunshot.”

“And the kids?” I asked.

“The oldest son is eight. He said he saw a man with a blue hat knock on Bobby’s door, maybe twenty or thirty minutes before he heard the shot. He said the man had dark hair and wore a light-colored shirt and jeans, but he never saw his face and really wasn’t paying all that much attention. The woman also has two daughters, who are three and five. The three-year-old was down for a nap, and the five-year-old was watching cartoons on the television in her office.”

“And what about the other two houses positioned with a good vantage point to see the front of the house?” I asked.

“The neighbor to the left is a single senior. He told me he was home alone watching television when he heard the shot. He didn’t see anything, but he also called 911 a few minutes after the woman who’d been working in her home office.”

“And the other neighbor?”

“Wasn’t home. I have men canvassing the neighborhood. I’m hoping that someone else saw the man with the blue hat. Of course, just because he knocked on the door, doesn’t mean he’s the killer, but I am interested in tracking the guy down and having a conversation with him.”

“I guess you still have a lot of follow up to do.”

He nodded. “I really do. I have phone records and bank statements to go over, and a long list of people to talk to.” He looked at his watch. “I appreciate dinner, but I really should go.”

“I understand. Maybe I’ll see you at the shelter tomorrow. If you can’t make it, call me.”

He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “I will. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Chapter 10

Wednesday

I hadn’t seen or heard from Cass at all yesterday. I knew he was busy with the Bobby Brighton murder case, but I had thought that if he wasn’t going to make it to the shelter, he would have called and let me know what was going on. He had called Naomi and let her know he was tied up, and he’d ask her to tell me, so I suppose that was something. Still, I had to wonder if there wasn’t something more going on than just being busy.

Dex and I were going to Steamboat Springs today to talk to Larry. Dex shared that Larry hadn’t sounded happy about the visit when he’d called to set it up, but he had agreed to meet us for lunch and share what he knew. Dex had arranged to pick me up at the house, and we were currently driving toward our destination.

“Is Cass making any headway with the Bobby Brighton case?” Dex asked.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t spoken to him since Monday. I know he had quite a few leads to follow up on, but I have no idea if any of them went anywhere. I thought I’d try to call him after we get back.”

“Now that you’re working full time at the newspaper, he may have decided that it isn’t a good idea to share things with you like he used to.”

I narrowed my gaze. “He knows I’m not going to print anything he doesn’t want to be printed. I know there are reporters in the world who feel that the story comes first no matter the cost, but I’m not one of them. If Cass told me something in confidence, I’d keep it in confidence. He knows that.”

“Perhaps.” He merged into the passing lane and sped up to pass a truck. “Still, he might be afraid that you’d mention something to Brock or me, and we’d run with it. I’m just saying you shouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t quite as open as he has been in the past. Do you remember the name of the street where we’re supposed to turn off the highway?”

I took out my phone, punched in the address of the restaurant Larry had suggested and put it into my maps app. “It looks like you’ll need to turn left in about two miles. After that, you’re going to take the second right.”

Larry was waiting for us in a booth in the back when we arrived. Once Larry and Dex greeted each other and Dex had introduced me to Larry, we ordered, and then I started in with the list of questions I’d prepared.

“I guess let’s just begin by you telling us what you remember from that campout,” I said.

He took a sip of his coffee. “Not a lot to tell. There was a group of us who decided to go to Logan Pond and do some fishing. Everything was fine until we woke up on Saturday, and Austin was missing.” He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I really thought he’d make it back.”

“Make it back from where?” I asked.

Larry hesitated.

“It’s important that you tell us everything you remember,” I said.

“Shouldn’t you be asking Colin these questions? He still lives in Foxtail Lake. I’m sure his memories will be sharper. I’d only lived there for a few months when Austin went missing, and I moved again not long after that. I barely knew those kids.”

I glanced at Dex.

“We do plan to talk to Colin, but we really want to know what you remember as well,” Dex said.

Larry blew out a loud breath. “Okay. I guess there’s no harm in telling what I know at this point.” He glanced back in my direction. “I’m not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but there was some serious partying going on that evening. Josh brought a bottle of tequila, and Colin brought weed. After Josh made that kid, Toby, go to bed, we broke out both and started smoking and drinking and telling ghost stories.”

“Go on,” I said.

He hesitated.

“If you know anything at all that might help us figure out what happened to Austin, you really do need to tell us,” I encouraged.

“It happened a really long time ago. It’s hard to remember what was said and done so many years later.”

I could tell he was holding something back, but I wasn’t sure what.

“Did you tell the investigating officer about the weed and alcohol?” I asked.

“No. I didn’t tell, and the other kids didn’t either. I know how that sounds. Looking at the situation through the eyes of an adult, I can see that knowing the mental state of everyone involved could have been important to the search, but at the time, I really wanted to fit in. Do you have any idea how hard it is to go to a new school every year? My parents moved around a lot, so when I found a group to hang out with, I made sure to act in such a way so they’d be happy to keep me around.”

“I guess I understand that,” I said. “It is hard when you move around a lot. And I understand that the group as a whole seemed to have agreed to keep the drinking and smoking weed to themselves.”

“Colin told us we would all go to juvy if we admitted to getting wasted, so we kept quiet.”

I wasn’t sure that was true, but I could see how Colin was able to convince everyone that it was. “So what happened after everyone started drinking and smoking weed?” I asked.

“Mostly, everyone just got really silly. There were a lot of bad jokes being passed around, and the content of our conversation isn’t one I’d want to repeat in front of a lady.” He paused for a moment and then continued. “There was this one thing that might not have been mentioned.”

“Go on,” I encouraged.

“I don’t know if anyone told you this, but Austin and Colin weren’t getting along. Colin was older than most of us by a year, and as the oldest, he expected to be the leader of the group, but Austin had the strongest personality, and there was constant friction between them. It got really bad when Austin and Colin asked the same girl to the Valentine Dance, and she ended up choosing Austin.”

I’d heard this before, but I sensed he was building up to something more, so I kept quiet and let him continue with his story.

“After the dance,” he continued, “Colin and Austin got into a fistfight, the first of many during the three months between the dance and the campout. And it wasn’t just the fights between them. They also started pranking each other.”

“Did one of them pull a prank on the other the night Austin disappeared?” I asked.

He lowered his head but didn’t answer.

“If something was going on, I’d really appreciate it if you’d tell us,” I coaxed. “We’re just trying to figure out what happened to Austin all those years ago.”

He looked up. “Can you go to jail for knowing something, but not telling what you know?”

I paused. “I guess that depends on the circumstances. Do you know something and are afraid of going to jail for not telling before this?”

“Maybe. Remember, I wanted those boys to like me. I had no one else. I was the new kid in town, and if I would have made someone like Colin mad, that would have been the end of it for me.”

I glanced at Dex.

“We aren’t law enforcement, and have no interest in causing you any trouble,” Dex assured him. “If you know something and tell us, we can keep your name out of it. You can be a confidential informant.”

Larry bit down on his lip but didn’t speak. He appeared to be thinking it over.

“We understand that it was a long time ago, and you were just a kid. You all were,” I added.

“What about the others?” Larry asked. “Could they go to jail for playing a prank on someone twenty-five years ago?”

“Austin is probably dead, Josh and Bobby are definitely dead, and I’m going to assume Toby wasn’t part of what happened. We’ve promised to keep your name out of things so that just leaves Colin. Was Colin the one who played the prank?” I asked.

Larry nodded. “Remember, this is all in confidence.”

“We understand and agree,” Dex assured him.

“Colin wanted to play a prank on Austin. There was this guy Colin knew who had drugs. Hard drugs, not just weed. The guy sold Colin a pill.”

“What sort of pill?” I asked.

“I don’t know for sure, but the guy said it would make Austin freak out. I guess the pill caused hallucinations. Colin took the pill, ground it up, and slipped it in Austin’s drink. After a while, Austin started hearing and seeing things. At first, it was funny, but then Austin got really scared. He was sure there was a monster of some sort after him, and he took off running into the dark woods. None of us ever saw him again.”

I put a hand to my mouth.

“Colin told us not to worry,” Larry continued. “He told us the pill would make Austin pass out, and then he’d be fine the next day. I was scared, and I could see that Bobby was as well, but eventually, Colin was able to convince us we were only going to make it worse by overreacting.”

“So, what did you do?” I asked.

“We all went to bed. The next morning, we waited for Austin to come back, but he didn’t, so we all went looking for him. When we couldn’t find him, Josh decided that we should go to town and get help. Bobby was really freaked out. He was crying and saying things about Colin killing Austin. He wanted to tell the cops what really happened, but Colin convinced us that we’d go to juvy. He assured us that Austin was just out in the woods somewhere and that the search team would find him. He told us that the best thing we could do was to tell the cops that none of us knew what had happened and to totally leave out the part about the alcohol, weed, and especially the pill Colin had bought.”

“But they never found him,” I pointed out.

He slowly shook his head. “No. They never did.”

“So why didn’t you tell then? After he wasn’t found?”

“It seemed too late by that point. We’d all already talked to the cops and the search and rescue team, and we’d all lied by that point. We all told the adults that Austin had simply disappeared, and we had no idea when or why he’d left the camp. Bobby waffled a bit, but Colin made sure he would keep quiet. The longer the lie was out there, the easier it was to convince ourselves that the lie was the truth.”

I guess that was common psychology. The longer you hang onto a lie, the more real it becomes until, at some point, you forget altogether that the truth you think you know started out as something you simply made up.

“So, what do you think happened to Austin?” I asked.

Larry shrugged. “I really have no idea. Yes, he was freaked out when he ran into the woods. He really did seem to think this huge bear, Bigfoot, monster, or whatever he saw was after him. But even if he would have run and hidden, he would eventually have come down from the trip Colin sent him on and found his way back. Even if he would have fallen and gotten hurt, he would have been found. Heck, even if he’d fallen and died, someone would have found his remains. The fact that he was simply gone never made sense.”

I had to admit that even with the help of a hallucinogen, it didn’t make any sense that neither Austin nor his remains were found.

“So, you really don’t have any idea what happened to Austin after he ran off?” I asked, mostly to clarify.

“I really have no idea what happened to Austin after he ran off.”

I glanced at Dex. His complexion had gone pale. I could see that this bit of news had affected him deeply. After a few minutes, Dex spoke up. “It sounds as if it was Colin who gave Austin the hallucinogen and made sure that everyone kept quiet. Bobby was shot this past Sunday. Do you think it’s possible that his conscience finally got to him and he’d decided to tell the authorities what really happened, so Colin shot him before he could give the secret away?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. When I heard what happened, that thought did cross my mind. I guess Colin has the most to lose since he was the one who actually drugged the guy. The rest of us simply didn’t tell anyone what we knew. Having said that, I want to assure you that I have no proof or evidence of any sort that Colin killed Bobby. I wouldn’t even know that Bobby was dead if Deputy Wylander hadn’t called me to ask me some questions and get my alibi.”

“I want to thank you for speaking to us today,” I said. “You really have been very helpful, and I promise to keep your name out of any article I write relating to the disappearance.”

“I appreciate that.”

Dex and I left shortly after. Initially, we drove in silence, but eventually, I asked the question on my mind. “What do you make of all that?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t believe that Colin gave Austin a hallucinogen without his consent. I mean, he was just a kid and probably did mean for it to be a funny prank. I doubt he had any idea what would happen. But still, that was a twist to the story I really hadn’t seen coming.”

“Something had to have happened to Austin after he ran off, but what? I agree with Larry that even if he’d suffered an accident due to his mental state, his remains would have eventually been found. How does someone simply vanish?”

“Good question.” He slowed down as he approached the car in front of him. “What are you going to tell Cass?”

“I’m going to tell him the truth. I won’t mention Larry’s name, but he’ll figure it out. I trust Cass. He’s not going to arrest Larry for keeping a childhood secret that he probably only agreed to keep due to peer pressure. I’m sure he’ll handle the situation with the care it deserves. I mean, he certainly can’t prove any of this. Even if he confronts Colin, all Colin has to do is insist that Larry is lying. No one is alive who can corroborate it. Josh and Bobby are dead, and based on what we’ve been told, Toby was never in the mix, and, of course, Austin is missing and probably dead.”

“Yeah,” Dex agreed. “Going at Colin head-on is not the way to the truth. Cass will need to prove Colin’s guilt another way. I really don’t think the guy is the sort to ever admit to wrongdoing, no matter how much pressure is applied.”

Chapter 11

Dex dropped me off back at the house, which I found empty. There was a note from Aunt Gracie saying that she wasn’t sure what time I’d be home, so she planned to pick Paisley up from school and take her to a town an hour to the east to pick up some fabric for their next project. I usually picked Paisley up on Wednesdays and gave her a piano lesson, but the trip to Steamboat Springs had taken longer than I’d anticipated, so I could see why she might have assumed I wasn’t going to make it back in time to fulfill my normal obligations.

Her note also said that she and Paisley would just grab dinner while they were out and that Tom had headed over to the lodge to spend time with friends, so I was on my own for the evening meal. I supposed that worked out just fine with me since I planned to call Cass and see if he wanted to get together. I had things to share with him, and I suspected he might have things to share with me.

I figured that Cass might be busy, so I simply texted him and let him know I had news, and he could call me at a convenient time. I then headed up to the attic with Alastair on my heels. I wanted to jot down a few notes for my article on Austin Brady while my conversation with Larry was still fresh in my mind. It was going to be tricky telling the story I had to tell without betraying Larry’s trust, but I was an intelligent woman. I was sure I could figure out a way.

I sat down at my desk and logged onto my computer. I opened the drawer of the desk to look for a pen while it was booting up. The tray that held my pens was empty. It seemed like I managed to misplace an inordinate number of pens. I looked at the cat who was forever knocking them off the desk and batting them around the room. “What did you do with my pens?”

“Meow.”

“Don’t meow me. I left two pens sitting on top of this pad when I last left the room, and now they aren’t anywhere in sight. I suspect that you might know something about that.”

“Meow.” Alastair trotted across the room. He squeezed into the opening where the intake for the old heater used to be before Aunt Gracie replaced the unit with a more efficient model. It was a small opening that barely looked large enough for the cat, but Alastair found a way to squeeze through.

After a moment, a pen slipped out from the opening and slid across the room. Alastair came trotting out behind it. I bent down and picked up the pen. And then it hit me. What if the reason the search and rescue team couldn’t find Austin was because he’d hidden somewhere that would have been accessible to a twelve-year-old but not an adult? I glanced at the magazine I’d left on my desk.

I took out my phone and texted Cass again. “I know I just texted and said to call me whenever, but I had a thought. Perhaps a relevant thought. Call me as soon as you can.”

Two minutes later, my phone rang.

“Hey, what’s up?” Cass asked.

“I just got back from my interview with Larry. He told me something in confidence, and I agreed to keep his name out of things. I want to share something with you, but it needs to be off the record.”

Cass hesitated.

“It’s nothing that you can prove anyway. At least not at this point. But it might explain what happened. If you want to act on what I tell you, you’ll need to promise me that Larry will be treated as a confidential informant.”

“Did he confess to anything that I might, at some point, want to prosecute him for?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Okay. Then I will promise to keep Larry’s name out of things and to treat him as a confidential informant. Up to a point, at least.”

“Okay,” I said. “I trust you to use discretion and do what is best for everyone involved. Larry was hesitant to talk after all these years, but it seems that one of the boys put a hallucinogen in Austin’s drink on the night of the campout. He started seeing and hearing things which caused him to run into the woods screaming, as a monster only he could see, seemed to him chase him away from the campfire.”

“What?”

“I’ll explain further when we have a chance to meet. The main thing I wanted to ask is if either the cops or the search and rescue squad searched the old mines in the area when they were looking for Austin.”

“I’m not sure. I can find out. Why do you think he might be in a mine? They’re cold and dark and pretty spooky.”

“Austin was running from a monster. What if he knew there was a mine entrance that was big enough for him to squeeze through, but not big enough for the monster that was chasing him? Maybe he knew where the mine entrance was located because he’d explored the area before and decided to hide there.”

“Okay. Say that’s what happened. Why didn’t he head back to camp when the drug wore off?” Cass asked.

“I don’t know. But I think we should look at the idea that Austin knew the best way to get away from the hallucination chasing him was to squeeze into a place where the hallucination couldn’t follow.”

“But it was a hallucination. It could follow him anywhere,” Cass pointed out.

“Maybe so, but the anonymous informant described the hallucination Austin was running from as a large bear, Bigfoot, or some sort of large monster. Austin didn’t know the image was only in his mind. To him, it was real. If I knew the location of a tiny hole leading into a mine or cave and Bigfoot was after me, I might think that was a good hiding place. Especially since it was dark. It’d be hard to find a new place to hide in the dark, so I’d head for a place I already knew about.”

Cass let out a breath. “Okay. I need to finish what I’m doing. How about if I pick you up in about an hour. We can have dinner and discuss your theory. If Austin did duck into a mine or cave, do you have any idea where that might be?”

I glanced at the magazine with the map of caves and mines in the area. “I have a good idea of where to start.”

After I hung up with Cass, I picked up the magazine, curled into the attic window seat, and studied the map. I found Logan Pond, and then I traced the underground systems near the pond. The major openings to the mines weren’t located all that close to the pond, but there were underground tunnels everywhere. Maybe Austin had found an air vent of some sort and slipped into the mine that way. Door size entrances would be easy to notice, and I would assume the search and rescue folks would have checked them out, but a small hole created to provide fresh air that might be tucked behind a rock outcropping or a screen of bushes might be just the sort of place an inquisitive twelve-year-old would find.

If Austin had managed to crawl into a small opening to the tunnel system that he might have found earlier in the day or even during a prior visit, why hadn’t he crawled out? The only thing I could come up with was that once he’d made his way into the mine, he’d either gotten trapped or injured himself and couldn’t crawl out. The whole thing was just so disturbing. I really did want to solve this case and figure out what happened to Austin Brady, but I hoped with every fiber of my being, that poor child hadn’t died all alone in a cold and dark mine he’d found his way into but couldn’t find his way out of.

Chapter 12

Cass picked me up just over an hour after I’d spoken to him. He’d already gone home and changed, so Milo wasn’t with him. He suggested a nearby steakhouse, which was fine with me. Although the restaurant served food that was good enough to be considered fine dining, it was really more of a casual, if somewhat expensive, option.

“So let’s start off by you filling me in on your conversation with Larry,” Cass jumped in after we’d ordered scampi with rice and vegetables.

“You mean my conversation with my anonymous informant,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, okay, if that’s how we need to play it. What exactly did this informant tell you about the night Austin disappeared?”

I filled him in on the details of the conversation Dex and I’d had with Larry, including the fact that Colin had slipped Austin a drug which had caused him to see things and that Colin had also threatened the other boys to keep their mouths shut about what went on or else.

“Seems like a big lie to keep given the situation,” Cass said.

“I agree. My informant agreed. He told Dex and me that in the beginning, he was certain that the police would find Austin, and everything would be okay, so he wasn’t overly worried about the lie. By the time he realized Austin would not be found, he felt it was too late to contradict the story he and the others had been telling everyone for days.”

“I guess you know that I spoke to Colin today,” Cass said. “He told me a much different story than the one Larry told you.”

“Oh. What did Colin have to say?”

“His story about what happened on the first day of the campout was very similar to the story Toby and Larry told. The one big difference is that while Larry said Colin slipped a hallucinogen into Austin’s drink, which caused him to run away from the campsite in terror, Colin said that he, Josh, and Austin were the last three up after everyone else had gone to bed. He said they were discussing the plan for the following day, and he and Austin had different ideas about how things should go. According to Colin, Josh sided with him, and Austin got mad and stormed off. He then said he and Josh went to bed at that point. He and Josh were sure that Austin would cool down and slip into his own tent once he did. Colin said he was as surprised as anyone was when they woke up, and Austin was gone. He shared that even then, he figured the guy was around somewhere, and they’d eventually find him, but they never did.”

“And you never picked up an odd vibe from Colin that he was lying at any point?” I asked.

Cass shrugged. “I won’t go that far. He was definitely lying about something. The question in my mind is which part of the story he was lying about.”

“What do you mean, which part?” I asked.

“It seems that everyone failed to mention the part about the older boys drinking and smoking weed. I suppose that might be the lying vibe I was picking up. There is also the part where Colin drugged Austin. If that did occur, he certainly didn’t admit it, so that might be the lie I was picking up. Then there was the fact that according to Larry, Austin ran away in terror, thinking a monster was after him, whereas Colin told me with a straight face that Austin simply got mad and took off in a huff. That might have been the lie I was picking up.”

“Or they are all lies, and you were picking up on that,” I pointed out.

“Perhaps. It’s a tricky situation mostly because Austin is missing and most likely dead, Josh and Bobby are definitely dead, Toby was too young to be part of what was going on, and Colin and Larry are telling very different stories. One of the two is obviously lying. Heck, maybe they’re both lying. Without some sort of proof one way or the other, all we really have is one witness’s word against the other.”

“How did the part of the interview with Colin relating to Bobby’s death go?” I asked.

Cass shrugged. “Colin said he hadn’t seen Bobby in years. He said that he never really got along with most of the kids in that group, but he was friends with Josh, who was friends with the others, so he hung out with them. He said after Josh was killed in the auto accident, he decided to move on to new friends and stopped hanging around with the others. Larry moved away, Toby was a lot younger, he had never liked Bobby, who he classified as weak and emotional, and, of course, Austin was gone. He did say he liked Dex okay, but Dex had other friends as well. Basically, he felt that the group as a whole broke up after Josh died.”

I supposed that made sense. There were a lot of groups where the glue that held them together really did come down to a single person within the group.

I turned my attention to something I felt was a bit more tangible at this point. “So back to my idea that Austin might have chosen to hide in a cave or mine that he’d previously located and knew would be a good hiding place from the monster chasing him.” I held up the map I’d brought to the restaurant with me from the magazine Alastair had found. “I really have no idea if we will find any small openings the search and rescue team might have missed in the area of Logan Pond, but it seems like it might be worth taking a look around.”

“I agree. I guess Milo and I can take some time tomorrow. I’ve sort of hit a dead-end in the Bobby Brighton murder case. I’m waiting for some test results on a few hairs and fibers I found at the crime scene. They probably won’t amount to much, but at this point, they’re all I have. Of course, if a new lead comes in, that will have to take precedence.”

“Of course. We can go out to the pond any time that works for you. We’ll bring the map and hike around and see what we can find.”

“Did you talk to Larry about Bobby’s death?” Cass asked.

I nodded. “He said that he hadn’t seen Bobby since he moved away from Foxtail Lake shortly after the campout where Austin disappeared. He was sorry to hear about his death, but he didn’t seem overly upset about what had occurred. Do you know if kidnapping was ever seriously considered in the disappearance of Austin Brady?” I asked.

“Based on the reports I’ve been able to dig up, it appears every angle was explored. The theory at the time was that whoever had been camping along the river had been hiding in the woods, watching the boys until one of them wandered off on their own, and they were able to nab him without the others noticing.”

“Are you suggesting the person camping by the river was a pedophile?”

“Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I am suggesting.”

I wrinkled my nose. This possibility was not one I wanted to consider. “So why Austin? Why not one of the others?”

“In this scenario, Austin was chosen randomly simply because he was the one who was the easiest to nab. The fact that no body or any sort of evidence of an assault was ever found made the theory hard to prove, plus they never did identify the camper by the river.”

I took a sip of my water. “When Dex assigned this story to me, I was excited to have a piece with some meat to focus my attention on. I guess I really didn’t stop to think how hard it would be to investigate what most likely resulted in the terrible death of a twelve-year-old.”

“I guess you can ask him to reassign the article to Brock.”

“No. I want to do it. I guess I just need to work on toughening up my emotions.”

The conversation paused as the waiter brought our food. We ate for a few minutes before picking up the conversation with a new topic.

“I ran into Tom at the hardware store,” Cass jumped in. “He told me he fixed up his fishing boat and that you’d asked him to get the old rowboat lake worthy as well.”

“Yes.” I nodded. “I ran into him while he was working on that old fishing boat of his, and it reminded me about the fun I had paddling around on the lake when I was a kid. I thought I’d teach Paisley how to row this summer.”

“You and I had a lot of fun on the lake. Do you remember that really dark night when we rowed out to the middle of the lake, put down some sleeping bags for comfort, and just laid there looking up at the stars?”

“There sure were a lot of them. It seemed like millions of tiny diamonds in the sky.”

“I’m sure there were more than millions.”

“I remember that you were really into astronomy, and knew the names of all the constellations,” I reminded Cass.

“Still do, although I have to admit it’s been a while since I’ve gone stargazing.”

“You and I should go. Soon. If the boat isn’t ready, we can go up to Lookout Point. I remember doing that with you when we got a bit older.”

Cass smiled and winked. “Yeah, we did.”

“To stargaze,” I clarified. “If you were doing something else up there, then it was with someone other than me.”

He didn’t answer, but he did grin, so I threw a green bean at his head.

“So, what time are you going to pick me up tomorrow?” I asked, deciding that I most definitely didn’t want to think about Cass and someone other than me up at Lookout Point.

“I’ll text you. I’ll probably go into the office first thing to check on things, so it could be as late as noon. I’ll just have to wait and see what I’m greeted with when I go in.”

“Do you think it’s even possible to figure out what happened to Austin Brady after all these years?”

Cass shrugged. “I don’t know. But I do know it doesn’t hurt to try.”

Chapter 13

Thursday

By the time Cass picked me up, it was close to lunchtime, so we grabbed sandwiches at the deli and then headed out to Logan Pond. Most years, there would still have been snow on the ground at this time of the year, but between our mild winter and warm spring, the only snow that remained were patches that could be found in crevices and under trees.

“So, where exactly did the boys set up their camp?” I asked Cass after we parked and got out to look around.

“According to the police report, the camp was set up in the southeast corner of the lake. There were six tents since each boy had his own. Someone had built a fire ring, and there were logs set around the ring to sit on while eating, telling ghost stories, or enjoying the fire.”

“Okay. Let’s head over to the southeast corner and start there. We can imagine it dark, and we can imagine Austin being terrified of whatever he was seeing. I guess we can imagine which direction he would have run in, but the reality is that if he was mentally impaired at the time, he really could have done anything.”

Cass, Milo, and I headed toward the southeast corner of the lake. We stood in the center of where the fire pit most likely would have been built and looked around.

“The pond is both in front of us and to the left since it sort of curves here, so Austin probably took off running either in that direction or that one.” I pointed first to the right and then behind me.

“The woods are pretty dense in this area. Either way he ran, he would have had to navigate the brush. If he kept going to the south, he would have eventually run into the river that feeds into the lake. If he continued to head east and then trailed north, he would have eventually hit the range of red rock mountains.”

I paused to consider this. “If my theory was that Austin eventually ran into whoever was camping along the river and that person or persons did something to him, I’d say we should look to the south of our current position. But since my theory has to do with caves or mines in the area, we’re much more likely to find them to the north and to the west once you navigate Logan Pond.” I took out my map and laid it on a large rock. “I think we’re here.” I pointed to a spot on the map. “It looks like the mine runs through this mountain, so the tunnel would most likely be found here along this ridge.” I ran my finger along the ridge. “I say we hike in that direction.” I pointed to a point in the distance.

“Lead the way. I’m going to let Milo wander freely as long as we keep him in sight. Maybe he’ll find the opening we’re looking for.”

The area where we’d chosen to search was made up of thick forest, rambling brooks and streams, and giant cliffs with sharp drop-offs. It was important to know where you were at all times. Cass and I had both visited the area often when we were children, and Cass had continued to fish here even after I left, so I figured that as long as we kept our location firmly in mind, we wouldn’t run the risk of getting lost.

“The shrubbery growing along the edge of the rocky mountain is going to make it hard to find an opening whether it’s natural or manmade,” I said.

“Finding anything is a long shot,” Cass agreed. “Where does your map say the mine entrance is?”

“On the other side of the mountain. There is no way Austin made it all the way over there. I’m hoping, however, that he knew of an air vent and slipped in that way.”

Cass stopped after we’d been walking for about an hour. “There’s an opening up on the wall of that rock face. It would be hard for anyone to get all the way up there in the dark. From here, it looks like a heck of a climb.”

“Yeah, I don’t think Austin would have headed there.” I looked at the map again. “It was dark. He may or may not have had a flashlight. If he saw a monster and ran, he wouldn’t have gone back to his tent for one, but he may have had one on his person if he’d been sitting around the campfire all night.”

“If he was as terrified as Larry said he was, he would have headed somewhere close. I bet if he did find an entrance to a cave or mine, it would have been within a quarter of a mile from the campsite.”

I unfolded the map and looked at it again. “Let’s look over here.” I pointed to a rocky area, not all that far from the pond. Like the area we were currently searching, there were tall cliffs created from layers of rock that had formed over the years, but the cliffs closest to the lake were less severe, and in my opinion, less likely to be home to a cave or mine system. Still, it made sense that Austin wouldn’t have run very far before looking for a place to hide.

Luckily, Cass had thought to bring a daypack with climbing gloves, a rope, water, granola bars, flashlights, and flares for both of us. I wasn’t sure we’d need all that he’d brought, but the gloves were going to come in handy once we decided to hike up onto the first of several ledges to take a look around. Since I wasn’t quite as stable on my feet as Cass, I found myself grabbing onto rocks and shrubs to balance myself as I made the short climb. Milo, of course, found his own way up and beat both Cass and me to the ledge we were heading for.

Once we’d made it to the destination we’d chosen, we both paused to look around.

“Look over there,” I pointed to a small opening in the face of the cliff.

Cass walked over to it and put his face down, so it was level with the opening. “I can feel air like it’s circulating through a cavern.” He took off his pack, took out his flashlight, and shone it inside. “It’s hard to say without going inside.”

“It looks too small to squeeze through.”

Cass stood up. “I brought a chipping tool. We can dig out the rock a bit more, and we should be able to squeeze through.”

Cass worked on the opening for about thirty minutes before it looked large enough to squeeze through. Just barely. He shone his flashlight inside and then stuck his head through. “There’s definitely an open space behind here. I can’t see how far down the floor is. Might be just a few feet, but it might be more.”

“So, do we go inside?” I asked.

“We, no. You wait here. If something happens, one of us should be out here to go for help. I’ll tie the rope around my waist. If something happens, you can pull me out.”

“I won’t be able to pull you out. I should go in. You have a lot better chance of pulling me out than the other way around.”

He looked uncertain.

“You know that’s the best plan,” I insisted.

“Okay. We’ll try it your way, but only because you are correct in the fact that I can support your weight, but you may not be able to support mine. I’m going to feed the rope in slowly. It’s a high-quality climbing rope, and I brought a harness, so you should be fine. If you can’t see what we came to see by the time you get to the end of the rope, I’m pulling you out and we’ll come back with better equipment and more supplies.”

“Okay. I’m not looking to be a hero. If I get to the end of the rope, I’ll head back.”

Cass attached the harness and the rope. He made sure my flashlight worked, and then he attached it to a line that was attached to my wrist. Once I was all geared up, he instructed me to climb through legs first. I went through on my belly, so I could control the rate of descent. The floor of the cavern was only about eight feet down from the opening, which was about three feet above my head. There was a ledge to my right that looked like it had been carved into the rock. I suspected that at least one kid or very small adult had found this opening and crawled through, only to have the need to carve the ledge to boost themselves out.

Once my feet were firmly planted, I turned on my flashlight and looked around.

“What do you see?” Cass called down to me from the opening.

“There are tunnels in both directions. They look to be tall enough to walk in, at least for a while. It’s really dark, and even with the flashlight, I can only see maybe ten feet in front of me, so it’s hard to tell.”

“You have about two hundred feet of rope. Go ahead and slowly walk in one direction or the other until the rope ends. Then come back to the center, and we’ll do the other side. Remember to look at what’s at your feet and what’s overhead before you take each step. There are likely steep drop-offs, and it’s impossible to know what sort of objects or rock formations might be hanging down from above.”

“Okay. I’ll take it slowly.”

And I did. One terrifying step at a time. Even with the flashlight, it was so dark. And cold. A lot colder than it was outside the mine. I heard something scampering in the dark and jumped. Luckily, I suppressed the scream that seemed to stick in my throat. The last thing I wanted to do was worry Cass, but this lurking around in the dark was not my idea of fun.

“Are you okay?” I heard Cass call from a distance.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I answered. “I’m just taking it slowly, as you suggested.”

“Remember, once you feel the rope pull indicating it is at the end, turn around and come back.”

“I will.”

I took a deep breath and continued, wondering why on earth I’d thought this was a good idea in the first place. When I was up top, it didn’t seem like a big deal to take a quick peek, but now that I was down here, all I could think about were cave-ins, spiders, bats, and cave monsters.

I continued to take each step slowly and deliberately, as Cass suggested. I couldn’t help but imagine spiders in my hair, so it was with a breath of relief that I turned around after coming to the end of the rope and heading back toward the opening where Cass was waiting for me.

“How are you doing?” he asked when I arrived.

“I’m fine,” I lied in an attempt to appear braver than I actually was. “It’s sort of spooky, and my imagination is going crazy even without a hallucinogen, but I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, head in the other direction. When you get back to the center, I’ll pull you up.”

“Okay. I’m going now.”

As I had before, I took one step and then another. Slowly. Methodically. I realized as I scooted along that a scared kid would most likely have not been as careful. When I came to a low hanging section of the ceiling, I wondered if Austin had hit his head on it while hurrying to escape the enemy who existed only in his imagination. When I stepped down only to find nothing but air, I screamed.

“Callie! Are you okay?” Cass called out.

“I’m fine.” Luckily, I’d been able to grab onto a ledge on the wall next to me and hadn’t fallen. “We’re out of floor, however. There’s a drop-off.”

“How deep?”

I shone my flashlight down into the dark cavern. “Deep. I can’t see the bottom.” I looked around. “Wait. There’s a ladder on the far wall.”

“A ladder?”

I nodded, even though there was no way he could see me. “A steel ladder that’s bolted to the rock. I guess whoever used to work this mine put it there. How much rope do I have left?”

“About half.”

“Okay. I’m going down. If I don’t reach the bottom before I reach the end of the rope, I’ll come back up.”

“Be careful. Who knows what’s down there.”

“I’ll go slowly. One rung at a time.”

I took a deep breath and scooted around the narrow ledge behind the hole until I could access the ladder. I took a deep breath, got into position, and started down. I could feel the weakness in my left hand. It was shaking and throbbing as I climbed down the ladder. Perhaps this hadn’t been a good idea after all. “Okay,” I called up. I wasn’t even sure Cass could still hear me since I was literally down in a hole. “I’m at the end of the rope. Hang on.” I clicked my flashlight on and shone it into the darkness. The floor was about twenty feet below my current location, which was about a hundred feet down the hole, which had widened considerably as I climbed down, and on the floor was a skeleton. I was pretty sure I’d just found Austin Brady.

Chapter 14

“Does Cass think the skeleton in the mine might actually belong to Austin Brady?” Tom asked me later that evening after Cass had dropped me back at the house.

“He isn’t sure. It seems to fit the story we’ve come up with, but there was no way to tell simply by looking at the bones. After Cass dropped me off, he was planning to go back to the mine. He has a team coming to remove the bones and any evidence they find.”

“How is a whole team going to get into the shaft if you could barely squeeze through?” Gracie asked.

I shrugged. “The passage I took to the left of where I entered was a good passage. Even an adult could walk erect. It makes sense that there’s a regular mine entrance somewhere. Maybe they’ll access the tunnel that way. The opening we found wasn’t put there as an entrance. I suspect it was originally an air vent, which is why it was small, but it makes sense to take the bones out that way, so I guess they’ll make the hole larger. Either that or they’ll just send one person with climbing experience in to gather the bones and whatever else they find.”

“Did you notice anything that could help identify the body?” Tom asked. “Clothes, perhaps.”

“No. It was dark, and all I could see were bones. They’ve been down there for a long time, and I heard all sorts of scampering around when I was down in the mine. I’m sure there are scavengers of some sort. Mice. Maybe rats or even larger animals who take refuge in the mine from the weather.”

“That poor boy. What a terrible way to die.” Gracie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

“It really is a tragedy whether the bones belong to Austin or some other child. I doubt the child survived the fall, so death would have come quickly, but if the body in the mine does belong to Austin and the story Larry told me is true, how awful that he spent his final moments in terror.”

“I’m surprised the search and rescue team didn’t think to look in the mine when the boy went missing,” Tom said.

“The entrance to the mine is on the other side of the mountain, miles and miles from where Austin disappeared. I’m sure it never occurred to them that he might have found another way in. Not only was the opening very small, but it was up on a ledge, and it was hidden behind shrubbery. If not for my idea that he might have accessed the mine to hide, there was no way I would have thought to look there.” I glanced at Alastair. “Actually, if not for Alastair and the magazine he knocked into my path, I would never have known about the mine, and without the map, I certainly would never have known the extent of the mine or the fact that shafts were running through that entire mountain.”

Gracie smiled at Alastair, who must have heard us talking about him since he jumped up onto her lap and began to purr.

Tom took a sip of his coffee. “So, I guess Cass is having the bones looked at by an expert.”

“I guess. He didn’t specify what the plan was once they retrieved them from the bottom of that pit, but I’m sure his first order of business will be to identify them. Of course, even if he can do that, I’m not sure where he goes from there. If Austin died from the fall, then I suppose Colin is liable to a point for giving him the hallucinogen, but if he won’t admit to doing that, it really is his word against Larry’s at this point.”

“Do you think any of the other boys knew what happened to Austin, assuming, of course, the bones in the mine belong to him?” Tom asked.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I doubt it. It seems that if Austin ran off and then ended up in the bottom of that shaft, there is no way the others would know what happened.”

“You said you suspected that Austin had been there before,” Tom reminded me.

“Yes. If he did head there, my assumption is that he’d been there at least once before. Probably more than once if he was able to find his way in the dark. Plus, there’s the little ledge that someone chiseled out to provide access back out of the small opening. Someone had been there before.”

“So you’re saying that Austin found this totally cool mine, and he never told any of his friends about it?” Tom asked. “That seems very unlikely.”

Tom was right. If Austin had found the tunnel in the mountain, he would have shown it to his friends. Even if none of the adults who responded to the missing child call knew about the opening to the mine located near Logan Pond, which would have provided them with a reason to look there, the other boys must have known, assuming, of course, Austin had found the mine as I suspected, at some point before he’d died. Had the boys known Austin’s fate and lied about it?

“It does seem as if Austin would have told the others if he’d found something as cool as access to a boarded-up mine.” I looked at Tom. “You’re absolutely right. The other boys must have known about the entrance, and one of them would have eventually thought to look there. If they did look in the mine and found Austin’s body, why wouldn’t they have said anything? His poor parents must have been frantic to find him.”

“Maybe there’s more to the story,” Aunt Gracie suggested. “Something that would cause all the boys to make a pact to never tell anyone what they knew.”

I supposed that might be the case as well, but what possible reason could the boys have had to keep such a huge secret when one of their friends was missing and the entire town was looking for him?

Chapter 15

Friday

Friday mornings meant a meeting with Dex to turn in my column for the following week, as well as any other assignments I’d worked on during the week. This week, in addition to my column, I had a second article about the spaghetti dinner and raffle to benefit cancer research, a second article about the new wellness center now that I’d actually taken one of their classes, a short human interest piece about the athlete of the month from the local high school, and an announcement that the Barfield Family had kittens in need of a new home.

The article I’d planned to write had to do with my journey to find the truth, but if the skeleton in the mine did turn out to be Austin Brady’s remains, then I’d need to switch gears and lead in with the big reveal. Unfortunately, there was a lot that was still unknown, and my column normally ran on Mondays, so I planned to talk things over with Dex. I supposed if I could get confirmation on the identity of the remains, I could write the article tomorrow, and Dex could have it formatted on Sunday.

As far as I knew, the only people who knew about the remains Cass and I had found were the police team who recovered the remains, the medical examiner, Tom and Gracie, and, of course, Alastair and me. Cass had wanted to keep the whole thing under wraps, but I needed to discuss it with Dex.

“Hey, Dex,” I said after sitting down across the desk from him. “I have news.”

“What sort of news?”

“We may have found Austin Brady’s remains.”

Dex’s mouth fell open. “What? Really?”

“Cass and I took a look around in the area closest to where the boys camped that spring. I’d found a magazine with a map of mines in the area, and was curious, so I brought it with me. It occurred to me that if Austin had been running for his life, he might have hidden in a location he knew about, where he was certain the large monster chasing him couldn’t get to him.”

“I don’t remember there being any mine entrances close to Logan Pond.”

“There aren’t,” I confirmed, “but the mine system runs all through the red rock mountain to the northeast of the camping spot. It occurred to me that even though the entrance to the mine is on the other side of the mountain, which is miles and miles from where the boys camped, there might have been another entrance. A smaller hole created as an air vent.”

His brows shot up. “And you found it?”

I nodded. “I climbed in yesterday while Cass held onto the rope I was tied to so I wouldn’t fall or get lost. I found a shaft that goes straight down more than a hundred feet. There was a ladder secured to one wall of the shaft, which I climbed down. I couldn’t get all the way down, but I made it far enough to see the bottom. When I shone my flashlight into the hole, I saw bones. Human bones. Child size bones.”

“Oh, God.”

“I don’t know for certain that the bones belong to Austin. Cass took a team out to the mine yesterday to retrieve what was there. I know he was going to attempt to have the bones identified. I’m not sure where he is in the process, so I don’t know if he’s been successful or not. I texted him earlier and asked him to call me when he could, but I haven’t heard from him.”

“So you think that when Austin began to hallucinate, he headed toward the mine he’d previously found, knowing it would be a good place to hide?”

“That’s my theory.”

“If that were true and he’d found the mine at some point in the past, he must have known about the mineshaft. Why wouldn’t he avoid it?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “He was having hallucinations. Who knows what he might have seen that could have caused him to run, forgetting all about the huge hole in front of him. He may have gotten turned around and thought he was heading in the other direction, which provided clear access and a wide path with high ceilings.”

Dex sat back in his chair. He looked pale. I was afraid he was going to pass out or have a heart attack or something, but after a moment, his color began to return. He still didn’t say anything, so I asked the question which was on my mind.

“I was talking about this with Tom and Gracie last night, and Tom pointed out that if Austin had found an opening to a mine and access to such a cool adventure, he would have mentioned it to his friends. Our theory is that Austin had been to the mine in the past. I know the two of you were friends. Did he ever mention the mine to you?”

He slowly shook his head. “He didn’t mention that he’d found an access point, but I did know he was interested in the mines in the area. He came across a magazine that had an article about the mines in Colorado as well as a map of the mine systems the previous fall. He was really interested in the subject, so Austin, Josh, and I hitched a ride around the mountain to where the original entrance to the mine is located. The entrance was fenced off, but we managed to get inside. Once we were inside, we found that there’d been a cave-in about fifty feet in, and access was impossible. I remember Josh and I were disappointed, but we took the whole thing with a grain of salt, Austin, however, was determined to find a way in and announced to Josh and me that he was going to keep looking. This was late fall, and the first big snow came not long after. I guess Austin must have continued his search once spring arrived, and the snow melted. It sounds like he was successful in his search, but if he did find the opening before that trip, he never mentioned it to me.”

“When I spoke to Toby, he mentioned that after they arrived, he and Larry went fishing, but Josh and Austin took off for a while. I wonder if the reason they took off was because Austin was showing Josh the mine entrance.”

“Maybe. Josh and Austin were close. In fact, the two of them were best friends, while the rest of us were just part of the gang. But if Austin did show Josh the opening, don’t you think Josh would have thought to look there when Austin went missing?” Dex asked.

“Maybe he did. Maybe he even climbed inside and found Austin dead.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell the police?” he asked.

“I don’t suppose we can ever know for certain why he did or didn’t tell what he knew if, in fact, he did know what had happened to Austin, but maybe he confronted Colin, and Colin threatened him, or maybe Colin managed to convince him that they’d all be in trouble if the adults found out what had happened. Unfortunately, Josh and Austin are both dead, so we can’t ask them, and it’s beginning to look as if Colin is the bad guy in this story, so I doubt he’ll talk. Bobby is dead, Larry was the new kid, and it sounds like he was mostly kept in the dark, and Toby was just a baby in the eyes of the others, so they wouldn’t have looped him in.”

“So how can we prove any of this?” Dex asked.

I slowly shook my head. “I really don’t know. The reality is that at this point, all we have is a pretty good story. We don’t even know that any of it is true. Larry said that Colin drugged Austin, but unless Colin confesses to doing so, we can’t prove that. Even if the bones are proven to belong to Austin, all Colin has to say is that Austin got mad about something, wandered off, and ended up in the bottom of a mineshaft. If he does decide to employ that strategy, his assertion that the whole thing was just some huge accident can never be proven otherwise.”

“If Colin drugging Austin did lead to his death, he should be held accountable, but keep in mind that the guy was thirteen,” Dex reminded me. “I’m sure he really did intend the whole thing to just be some big prank. As a group, we were big on pranks. I have to believe that Colin had no idea what would happen, and if he did get the others to lie for him, it was probably just because he was terrified.”

“Maybe. And maybe a thirteen-year-old’s liability in a case such as this would be limited. But what if he killed Bobby? Now. As an adult? What if Bobby decided he could no longer keep the secret, and Colin killed him to keep him quiet?”

Dex frowned. “Do you think that is what’s going on?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. I think it’s possible. But to be honest, I don’t know Colin, and the only thing I have to go on when it comes to judging his potential for violence is the opinion of others.” I laid a hand over Dex’s. “Don’t worry. Cass will figure this out. I guess all we can do is to cooperate when needed.”

“Let’s write the article identifying the bones as belonging to Austin, so we have it ready. I won’t print it until Cass can confirm this fact, and he gives me the okay to make the information public.”

I nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it together. The piece can be about searching for answers, and finally finding the truth of what happened to Austin Brady, but it can also be about his life. Who he was before he died. Why his life mattered.”

Dex smiled a sad little half-smile. “Okay. We’ll write it together. No matter how this turns out, I welcome the opportunity to remember a friend who left us much too soon.”

Chapter 16

After I finished chatting with Dex, I headed out to the bullpen where the desk I’d been assigned, but rarely used was located. I considered calling Toby. I knew he’d be interested in the fact that we may very well have found Austin’s bones, and of everyone involved, other than Dex, of course, he was the member of the old gang that I knew best. I did, however, hate to say anything to anyone without talking to Cass, so I called him instead.

“Any news?” I asked.

“The medical examiner is still working with the bones to confirm them as having belonged to Austin Brady, but he has confirmed that the bones belonged to a male child around twelve or thirteen who matches the approximate height of Austin. I’m hoping to have more by the end of the day.”

“I filled Dex in, but don’t worry, he and I both agree that we aren’t going to publish anything until you give us the green light to do so.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. I know I won’t be able to keep the bones a secret for long, but I did want to speak to both Larry and Colin again before word gets out.”

“What about Toby?” I asked. “I know he was so much younger and really didn’t know much, but he is our friend, and he was involved. I think he should hear about the discovery of the bones from us.”

Cass sighed. He sounded tired. “I agree. If you want to stop by my office, we can do a conference call.”

“I’m at the newspaper office. I can come now.”

“Now works fine.”

I grabbed a couple files I wanted to take home with me and headed toward my car. Cass’s office was just down the block, so it didn’t take long for me to make the journey. When I arrived at his office, he was already set up with a phone in the conference room. I let him dial and make the connection while I waited.

“Toby, it’s Cass Wylander,” he jumped right in when Toby answered.

“Cass. How are you? Do you have news?”

“I do. Callie is here as well.”

“Hey, Toby,” I called out in greeting.

“Hey, Callie. So what’s up? Did you find out what happened to Austin?”

“Perhaps,” Cass answered.

He then took a few minutes to share the information we’d gotten from Larry about Colin giving a hallucinogen to Austin as a prank, and the discovery of the bones in the mineshaft.

“Oh, man,” Toby sounded both shocked and choked up. “Poor Austin. I had no idea.” He paused and took a deep breath. “The older boys did seem to have a secret, given all the snickering going on, but no one said a thing about drugging the guy.”

“So, you didn’t notice anything strange going on that day?” I asked.

“Not really. Like I said before, after they sent me to my tent, the older boys all started drinking and smoking weed. If they were trying to hide that fact, they weren’t doing a very good job of it. There was a lot of yelling and laughing, and I knew they were all going to be hungover the next day, but never in a million years would I have imagined something like this.” He paused briefly and then continued. “I can’t believe no one told me what was going on. Even Josh kept it from me. He was a lot older than I was, and I know he considered me a pest, but he also watched out for me. Like a little brother.” He blew out a breath. “I just can’t believe he never once told me what had really happened.”

“Austin went missing when Josh was thirteen, and you were seven,” I pointed out. “Josh died when he was just seventeen. By that point, you were what, eleven. I suspect he didn’t tell you what had really happened because he was protecting you.”

“Yeah. I guess you might be right.” He groaned. “I still can’t believe Colin would do that to Austin. I know Colin and Austin had this rivalry going on, but drugging someone without their knowledge is really over the line.”

I couldn’t agree more.

“Now that you know Austin had most likely been drugged by Colin, which,” Cass reminded him, “was a fact provided by Larry and has not been confirmed at this point, does anything stand out to you about that night that you might not have previously thought important?”

He paused. Cass and I waited for him to gather his thoughts. Eventually, he spoke. “It is really odd to me that the guys knew what had happened to Austin, but no one really let on that anything might be wrong. As I told you before, everyone wandered out of their tent one by one the morning after this would have occurred. Of course, no one knew Austin was missing until he never came out of his tent. I think Josh went to check on him at one point, but now that I know what I know, it seems to me that someone should have checked on him before that.” He paused again. “Do you get what I’m saying? If no one had any reason to suspect there might be a problem with Austin, then not checking on him until well after everyone else had gotten up doesn’t seem odd, but if the others had seen Austin run into the woods with an imaginary monster on his tail, then it seems as if someone would have checked to make sure he’d made it back right away.”

“You make a good point,” I said. “It does seem odd that one of the guys didn’t check on him first thing.”

“Did Austin or anyone say or do anything which would indicate that he’d found an entrance to the mine beneath the mountain?” Cass asked.

“No. I don’t remember anything about a mine. But it does seem that Austin would have told someone. Probably Josh. I mean, finding a secret entrance to a mine that is otherwise blocked from entry would be too cool not to share.”

“Other than Josh, can you think of anyone he might have shared his secret with?” Cass asked.

“Maybe, Bobby. Austin didn’t get along with Colin, so I don’t see him sharing with him, and I know he didn’t share the news with me. Larry was new in town and sort of quiet, but I guess Austin liked him okay. He might have shared the information with him, but he equally might not have.”

“So once it was realized that Austin was really missing and not just sulking, it would most likely have been Josh who would have thought to look in the mine,” Cass said.

“What are you saying?” Toby asked.

“It just seems that anyone who knew that Austin had found the entrance to the mine would have eventually thought to look in the mine once he went missing. It sounds like out of all his friends, Austin would most likely have shared his secret with Josh.”

“If Josh looked in the cave for Austin, he must not have noticed him down in that hole. Otherwise, he would have said something,” Toby insisted.

Cass hesitated briefly and then continued. “It actually makes more sense to me that Josh, and whoever else, if anyone, who might have known about the mine, probably did find the body of Austin Brady and made a decision not to tell anyone what they’d found. If Josh knew about the mine but didn’t find Austin, he most likely would have told the search and rescue team about the mine as well. I mean, if he didn’t know Austin was dead and that he couldn’t be helped, don’t you think he would have done whatever he could to help find him?”

Toby didn’t reply.

“I know this is a lot to swallow,” Cass said. “I know how much Josh meant to you, and I’m sure it’s hard to accept the fact that Josh knew what happened to Austin, and made the decision to cover it up for some reason.”

“Colin must have threatened him,” Toby insisted. “Josh would never cover something like that up if he didn’t have a really good reason to. Colin was a jerk, but Josh was a good guy.”

“I believe you,” Cass said. “At this point, we don’t know anything for sure, so it’s important that you don’t discuss this with anyone until we’re able to put all the pieces together and take the appropriate action.”

“I understand. I appreciate you guys filling me in.”

“And we appreciate you sharing what you know. If you think of anything else, you can call me anytime,” Cass said.

“I will. I don’t suppose you have any more information relating to Bobby’s death? The idea that his death could be related to Austin’s has been on my mind ever since I found out about it.”

“I’m looking at the homicide from a bunch of different angles,” Cass said. “Bobby’s relationship with Austin is just one of them. The only people who went on that campout and are still alive are you, Colin, and Larry. You are, of course, in Montana, I was able to verify Larry’s alibi on the day Bobby died, and Colin appears to have an alibi, but I haven’t been able to confirm the specifics yet. It really does seem that Bobby may have been killed due to a motive having nothing to do with Austin Brady’s death.”

“But it is possible that Colin is the bad guy here?” Toby asked. “It’s possible that he threatened the others to keep them quiet about what really happened, and it’s possible he killed Bobby if it looked like Bobby might talk after all these years.”

“Yes, it is possible,” Cass admitted.

“Do you think it’s possible that Colin killed Josh?” Toby asked.

“Josh died in a vehicle accident,” Cass reminded him.

“He did die as the result of a vehicle accident, but a witness saw a white sedan run the vehicle he was driving off the road. The white sedan was never identified.”

I looked at Cass. He was frowning.

“Cass?” Toby said over the phone. “Are you still there?”

“I’m here. I guess I didn’t realize that another driver caused Josh’s accident. To be honest, I was just a kid at the time, and don’t actually remember a whole lot about it, except for the effect his death had on the community.”

“Pull the police report. You’ll see. Someone ran Josh off the road and killed him.”

After we hung up with Toby, I looked at Cass. “So, what do you make of that?”

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “But I find it hard to believe that something so horrific happened on a campout, that four years after the campout, one of the campers is intentionally run off the road, and then twenty-one years after that, a man is shot in his own home. The logical villain in this little drama is Colin, but keep in mind that he was just a kid when Austin went missing.”

“If not him, then who?” I asked. “As of this point, Austin, Josh, and Bobby are dead. Toby lives in Montana and has been gone from Foxtail Lake for quite some time, and Larry moved from the area before he even made it into high school. If someone did run Josh off the road, and that someone was one of the boys who were part of the fateful camping trip, it has to have been Colin.”

“But it seemed as if, while Austin and Colin didn’t get along, Austin and Colin were both tight with Josh. I just don’t see Colin killing Josh.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “That feels like a stretch for me as well. It seems like we’re missing a player. Someone who was around for everything that happened, but hasn’t been named.”

“Like who?” Cass asked.

“The seventh sandwich. We still don’t know who the seventh sandwich was meant for.”

“So there is this nameless, faceless someone lurking in the forest orchestrating everything that happened and no one at any point ever mentioned his presence or his name? That sounds unlikely.”

“The campsite by the river,” I reminded Cass. “It wasn’t far from the boy’s camp. Maybe some of the older kids had an even older friend who was lurking around. Maybe this friend sold Colin the pill to give to Austin. It could even have been this friend who grabbed Austin after he ran off and forced him into the mine.”

“And this friend. How did he get into the mine if he was larger than Austin, who most likely barely fit through the opening?” Cass asked.

“Maybe he didn’t go into the mine. Maybe he simply shoved Austin in and waited for him to fall.”

Cass put a hand over mine. “I appreciate you brainstorming with me, but there are so many holes in that theory that I’m not even going to point them all out.” He looked at his watch. “It’s almost time for your dog training shift at the shelter. Why don’t you go on ahead and I’ll try to meet you there for playtime. We can go to dinner after. Maybe talk things through a bit.”

I nodded. “Okay. That sounds like a good idea. Perhaps we need to take a step back and look at all the evidence logically. Maybe if we do, something will come to us. Something that isn’t riddled with holes that are too numerous to mention.”

Cass smiled. “I think that sounds like an excellent idea.”

Chapter 17

Naomi was working with Nala when I arrived, so I put my purse in the volunteer room and joined them. “How’s our girl doing today?” I asked.

“She’s doing really well. I’m very pleased with her progress in both the basic commands and scent training. I’ve already worked with her on scent today, but if you want to take over and work on the basics, that would be great.”

“Happy to.” I knelt down and ruffed Nala behind the ears.

“So do I dare ask how the Austin Brady story is coming along?” she asked.

“I actually have news.” I looked around. There were a few other trainers in the area. “It might be best if I came by your place after my shift. I think most of what we’ve found is still being kept under wraps.”

“Oh, I’m intrigued. And yes, do come by after your shift. You and Cass both if he makes it out. I’ll open a bottle of wine, and we can catch up.”

“Sounds good.”

Naomi turned to leave. “Oh, before I forget, we have two new arrivals I’d like for you and Cass to work with during your playtime. It’s a brother and sister, who, according to the man who dropped them off, are around nine-months-old. They’re very sweet, but also very timid. They seem to be afraid of the volunteers, afraid of the other dogs, afraid of everything. I’m hoping if you spend some time with them, they’ll begin to relax a bit.”

“I’d be happy to. What are their names?”

“Gus and Ginny.”

“Why were they surrendered?”

“The man who dropped them off told me that the dogs belonged to his neighbor, who up and moved and left them behind. They’ve been sitting on the porch of their old home for weeks. The neighbor was feeding them but said he can’t keep them. He finally decided they’d be better off with us and coaxed them into his car.”

“Poor things. Cass and I will make sure they know they are safe and loved here.”

“That’s what I’m hoping. They’re beautiful dogs. And young. I’m sure I can find them a wonderful home together, but first, I need for them to greet folks who stop to talk to them rather than shying away.”

“Maybe you can take them to your house for a few days,” I suggested.

“I’ll probably do that. I still have two other dogs in the house I’m trying to acclimate, so I’m not sure how that will go. But maybe. We’ll see how they do with the two of you.”

“Anything else?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. I think that should do it for today. I’ll talk to you in a couple hours.”

The training session with Nala went smoothly. The dog really was a sweetie, and while I was rooting for her to find her forever family, I was sure I’d miss her once she was gone. Gus and Ginny were as shy and timid as Naomi said they’d be, but after I sat down on the floor and let them come to me, they seemed to open up a bit. Until Cass arrived, at which time they both ran and hid, and we needed to start all over again.

“I feel bad for the new pups,” Cass said. “They’ve obviously been treated badly by a human at one point or another.”

“Probably their prior owner. What sort of person would just up and move and leave them behind?”

“I don’t know. I guess there are all sorts of people in the world.”

I rested my back against the wall since I was still sitting on the floor, hoping the dogs would come out of hiding and approach once again. Cass sat on the floor next to me.

“I spoke briefly with Naomi when I first arrived. She’s offering wine if we want to stop by the house when we’re done here.”

“I’m guessing she wants something,” Cass smiled.

“I think she wants to be looped in on the Austin Brady case. I didn’t want to talk to her in the training room since there were other trainers around, so I told her we’d stop by when we were done here.”

“I guess I wouldn’t mind a glass of wine.”

“Do you have anything new?” I asked.

“Not relating to the Austin Brady case,” he answered. “To be honest, the reason I’m late is because I had to break up a brawl at Jack’s Place.”

“Brawl?” I asked. “Who was brawling?”

“A bunch of the guys. I guess someone spilled the beans about the new development that’s being proposed north of town. Of course, once the topic was introduced, those in the immediate area took sides. About half the patrons thought the development would be good for the town and good for the local economy, and the other half felt the development would mean the end of Foxtail Lake and the way of life it represents.”

I held my breath as Ginny slinked out from behind the cabinet she was hiding behind and slowly walked over to me. “It sounds like this development is going to cause trouble before they even get started.”

“Development in the area is and has been a hot topic for years. There have been large companies who’ve tried to establish a foothold in the area in the past. So far, those who are against such large-scale development have managed to hold them off, but it seems you get rid of one developer, and another one appears. In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before someone manages to push through all the opposition and gets their foot in the door. Who knows, it might even be one of the three or four developers currently sniffing around.”

“I have to admit I’m torn,” I said. “On the one hand, I do love Foxtail Lake’s small-town feel, but on the other hand, a large resort will bring jobs as well as upscale offerings such as the new wellness center. I have a feeling if the resort on the north end of town doesn’t manage to get built, the life of the wellness center will be a short one.”

“I agree. And it is a complex issue with no easy answers. I just hope I can keep the pro-growth residents and the anti-growth residents from killing each other while the whole thing is worked out.”

“Maybe each side should choose a champion. Put them in the ring and let them duke it out, winner takes all.”

Cass laughed. “If only it was that easy.”

I began to stroke Ginny after she finally made her way onto my lap. Gus noticed the attention his sister was getting and appeared to be considering an appearance as well. Cass made cooing sounds to lure him out. I didn’t think that was going to work, but eventually, Gus approached him.”

“Where’s Milo today?” I asked.

“I was out near the house, so I dropped him off. I really didn’t want to take him to the bar, so it seemed like a better idea than just leaving him in the car while I went in to break things up.”

“Yeah, no telling how long that might have taken. Did anyone get hurt?”

“Other than a few black eyes, a bloody nose, and a bunch of bruised knuckles, I think everyone came out okay.”

Cass and I continued to chat about the proposed development until it was time to tuck the dogs in for the evening. Once we had, we made our way over to Naomi’s house.

“So tell me everything,” she jumped right in. “I simply cannot believe how this whole thing is unfolding.”

“Have you spoken to anyone about this other than the two of us and Hope?” Cass asked.

“Actually, after I got home this afternoon, I called and talked to Dex. He was careful about what he said, and I could tell he was holding back a bit, so after I hung up with him, I called and spoke with Toby.”

Cass blew out a breath. “I see. I hope you understand that we are trying to keep a lid on things until we can sort everything out. Not only are we researching Austin Brady’s disappearance, but now we have the added complication of Bobby Brighton’s death.”

“So, do you think they’re linked?” Naomi asked.

“Actually, I don’t think the two events are linked, but until I can prove what happened to Bobby, I need to consider the possibility that they are and proceed accordingly.”

“Why don’t you think Bobby’s death and Austin’s disappearance are related?” Naomi asked. “I heard either from Toby or Dex, at the moment I can’t remember which, that there was a possibility that Josh Underwood’s accident wasn’t an accident but intentionally caused, perhaps as a means of keeping him quiet.”

Cass’s lips tightened. “Yes, I heard that theory as well, so I pulled the original accident report and looked it over. It happened around ten o’clock on a beautiful spring evening. According to the report, a witness, who refused to leave a name, reported that he saw a white sedan come around the corner on the old prospector’s highway and veer into Josh’s lane. Josh overcorrected in an attempt to avoid a collision and ran off the road. Due to the sheer drop off, his car exploded on impact, and he died at the scene. I don’t think anyone suspected that the accident was anything other than an accident at the time. The white sedan didn’t stop, and the cop who investigated the accident noted that it was likely he’d been drinking. I’m using the term he in the general sense since we don’t even know if it was a man or woman driving the car and the only proof we have that the car even existed is an anonymous eyewitness statement, which isn’t a whole lot if you stop and think about it.”

“So, you think Josh’s accident really was an accident?” Naomi asked.

“I do. However, given the recent developments in Austin’s case and the death of Bobby Brighton, I am planning to at least entertain the idea that the crash could have been intentionally caused, but I really doubt that murder by automobile is how this will end up.”

“So, if you talked to Dex and Toby, they must have told you all about the mine?” I asked.

“Yes. They told me about the mine, and they told me about the hallucinogen. I still can’t believe Colin would do that.” She looked at Cass. “Are you going to arrest him?”

“No. Not yet, at least. All I have at this point is Larry’s word that the drugging even occurred. I plan to speak to Colin, but I want to get the report from the medical examiner as well as the lab’s report before I do. I’m not sure either will have any new information, but the last thing I want to do is scare Colin off if he is guilty before I have the proof I need to bring him in.”

“If he did do it, do you think he’ll go to jail?” Naomi asked.

Cass shrugged. “That isn’t up to me, but unless he actually did kill someone as part of the cover-up, probably not. He was just a kid pulling a prank. He couldn’t have known what would happen. And as for the cover-up, he was scared. Who amongst us hasn’t lied to an adult to cover up a mistake when we were twelve or thirteen? Having said that, I’d like to wait to speak to Colin about Austin’s death until I’ve solved Bobby’s murder. I’d really like to know for certain if they’re linked before I tip him off that I know about the drugs.”

Naomi took a sip of her wine. “I guess that makes sense. I won’t say a word about any of this, but you might want to bring Hope up to date. She’s actually done a lot of research of her own on the Austin Brady disappearance, and I know she’d like to be kept in the loop.”

“I’ll call her,” Cass promised.

“This whole situation is just so disturbing,” Naomi sighed. “I can’t help but think how terrified Austin must have been in those last moments.”

“It really was a terrible thing that was done to him,” Cass agreed.

“When I think about Colin and the man he is now, I have to wonder if perhaps he knew what sort of effect the drug would have on Austin. We’re all assuming that he really didn’t know, and what happened to Austin was just some huge accident, but was it?”

“You think Colin meant to hurt Austin?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t know him back then, but he does strike me now as being the sort who likes to have things go his way. If, as a teen, Austin was always challenging his right to control the group that had formed, I can see him doing something to squash Austin like the bug he probably considered him to be. I’m not saying he necessarily wanted to kill him, but putting the drug in his drink might have been more than just a joke gone wrong. It might have been retribution for the angst Austin had brought into his life.”

“I’ll keep that in mind when I speak to him,” Cass assured her.

Cass and I finished our wine and then said our goodbyes. We headed to a popular diner where we both ordered hot turkey sandwiches. I felt bad for Cass. He really did look exhausted. I was sure he had a million thoughts filtering through his mind. I figured it might be best to change the subject to something less angst-inducing, but for the life of me at that moment, I couldn’t think of a single low-key topic to introduce.

“While I was at Jack’s Place today, Alex told me about an arts and crafts event in town over Memorial Day weekend. She said there would be live music, wine and beer tasting, and all sorts of food trucks during the day, and then a barn dance and hayrides in the evening.”

“Sounds fun.”

“I know it’s a ways off, but she told me tickets for the dance are already on sale and moving quickly. I thought maybe you and I could go. Together,” he emphasized.

I paused. Together sounded like a date. I didn’t date. Well, actually, that wasn’t true. I’d dated in the past, but the men I’d dated were men I knew I would never fall in love with. I was about to make a statement about attending as friends when the beautiful redheaded Alex popped into my mind.

“Are you sure Alex didn’t bring up the dance because she wanted you to ask her?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I suppose that might have been her intent, but I’d rather take you. Alex and I are friends. That’s all.”

“You and I are friends,” I pointed out, wondering all the while why on earth I was practically pushing Cass into Alex’s arms.

“We are. So do you want to go?”

I smiled. “I do.”

He smiled back. “Okay, then. I’ll get the tickets tomorrow.”

Chapter 18

Saturday

Saturday was turning out to be a lazy relaxing day. It started with Alastair and me sleeping in until the sun was high in the sky, at which time we got up and headed downstairs for coffee and a lazy breakfast. After I cleaned up the kitchen, I headed upstairs to shower and dress, after which I joined Gracie and Tom in the garden.

“What a great day,” I said as I stood for a moment to appreciate the clear and sunny sky, blue lake, white ducks, and baby flowers just pushing through the soft earth.

“It really does feel like spring has arrived,” Gracie said. “I’m hoping to get the beds cleaned and weeded this week so they’ll be ready for the new flowers I plan to plant at the end of the month.”

“Are you going to do the barrels on the deck again?” I asked, remembering the containers overflowing with color that I’d enjoyed as a child.

“I do a different annual variety each year. It’s one of my favorite parts of the garden. That and the herb bed, of course. Any favorites you’d like to see included this year?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. I’m sure whatever you choose will be lovely.” I looked at Tom. “How is the fishing boat coming along?”

“It’s repaired and ready to launch. I need to pick up a can of gasoline for the little outboard engine, but I should have her ready to splash this week.”

“And the rowboat?” I added.

“Working on it. It should be ready to launch in a week or two.”

“I know Paisley is excited about learning to row, and I can’t wait to teach her. I have a lot of really fond memories of summers on the lake.”

“Where is Paisley?” Tom asked. “Didn’t she say she was coming over to help with the cleaning and weeding?”

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon,” Gracie answered. “I know she likes to be sure that her grandmother has been fed and has everything she needs before she comes over.”

“Maybe I’ll take a walk next door and see how she’s doing,” I offered. I figured a walk along the lake would be enjoyable, and if Paisley needed help with something, I’d be there to help.

“Sounds like a plan,” Gracie said. “Maybe you can invite Ethel to dinner while you’re there. We’re planning to BBQ those ribs you asked for.”

“I’ll ask her.” Ribs really were my favorite. I knew I, for one, was excited about the prospect of a meal on the lawn.

As I walked toward Paisley’s house, I’d let my mind wander. I’d actually spent quite a lot of time thinking about the fact that Cass had asked me out on a date. I could pretend it was a get together between friends, but I knew it was something more, and I knew he knew I knew it. As I was falling asleep last night, I let my mind wander to the inevitable kiss at the end of the date. I’d kissed Cass before. In fact, as a teen, I’d done a lot more with Cass than kiss, but as an adult, who was very aware of both my desires and my limitations, I’d never even let myself imagine where things might go with Cass if I allowed them to go anywhere.

When I’d lived in New York and had my career to focus on, my vow to remain single hadn’t seemed like a huge sacrifice. I’d dated from time to time when I had the time, which wasn’t often, but in all my time living in the city, I’d never met anyone I felt even remotely tempted to fall in love with. The Hollister family curse hadn’t been an issue, and I barely gave it a second thought. But now… now, I found myself on the verge of what might have been. Knowing I could never actually have what my heart desired was surely going to make me crazy if I didn’t put an end to it now.

Of course, one little date couldn’t hurt anything. Could it? Cass knew about the curse. He knew how I felt about the curse, and he knew we could never build a life together. At least not the sort of life other people who fell in love normally had with one another. We could be friends, and based on Gracie’s relationship with Tom, we could even spend time together, but taking that final step and actually vowing our love before family and friends, that was something I could never do with Cass or anyone else.

I picked a rock up and tossed it in the lake. I watched the ripples in the water fan outward, growing larger, with each ring less intense as the rings widened. It had been safe living my life in the large rings toward the edges. I’d gone everywhere and had had a lot of different experiences, but I really hadn’t been an integral part of anything. Now that I lived in a tight-knit family in a tight-knit community, I felt that center ring better represented my life. My influence with those around me was much more limited, but oh so much more intense and meaningful. I had people I loved and people who loved me. People I depended on as well as those who depended on me. Living in the center of my own ring of influence was a new experience for me. One I valued greatly, but also one that, at times, terrified me.

Perhaps, I decided as I stood at the edge of the lake, I was getting ahead of myself. Cass had asked me on a date. A single date to a community activity. Surely, one date wouldn’t cause a rift in my little ring. Surely, the curse wouldn’t kick in unless I actually married and bore children, an act I’d sworn never to do.

When I arrived at Paisley’s, I knocked on the door. She answered after only a few seconds.

“Callie. What are you doing here?” She looked delighted, yet surprised.

“I’m here to ask you and your grandmother if you would like to come to our place for a BBQ out on the lawn this evening. Gracie is doing ribs and slaw.”

She grinned. “I want to have ribs and slaw. I was going to come over and help with the garden anyway. Come in, and I’ll run upstairs and ask Grandma.”

“Is she feeling poorly today?”

She shrugged. “No worse than usual, but she has to manage her activities, so she doesn’t become too tired.”

It made me sad that Paisley was in a position that required her to be so mature for her age. Managing a grandmother’s activities and making sure she had a good breakfast to start the day was not the sort of thing a ten-year-old should have to worry about. Paisley didn’t seem to mind, and most of the time, she appeared to be a happy kid. I supposed that having so much responsibility as a child would help her to be successful as an adult.

By the time Paisley came back down to report that her grandmother would like to come for dinner if someone could come by with the car and pick her up since she didn’t feel like walking, Paisley said she was ready to come to our place and help with the weeding. As we walked along the lake together, I brought up the fact that Tom had the paddling boat just about ready to launch, which earned me the biggest grin I’d ever seen.

“It will be so fun to be out on the lake,” she said. “We can row around and look for fish.”

“Do you like to fish?” I asked.

“I don’t like to kill them, but I do like to look at them. And the ducks and geese as well. Soon, they will have babies to watch. I love this time of the year.”

“Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”

“Gracie said I could help her pick out the flowers for the deck. I can’t decide whether to pick yellow or red.”

“Maybe some of each,” I suggested. “It seems to me that yellow and red would go together just fine.”

“My friend, Jolene, is going to plant daisies in her yard. She told me they were her uncle’s favorite, so she is going to plant a whole bed full in his memory.”

“Are you talking about Uncle Bobby? The uncle who was shot?”

She nodded. “Jolene said they still haven’t found who shot him, but I think it was the guy Uncle Bobby had been trying to avoid because he owed him money.”

I narrowed my gaze. “How did Jolene know about the friend her uncle owed money to?” I asked.

“She told me that he came by the house when she was over at Bobby’s while her parents were in Vegas. She said he was really scary looking. Like one of the bad guys on TV. She said he had a tattoo of a snake on his neck and a gold tooth right there in the front where everyone could see it.”

I stopped walking, placing my hand on Paisley’s arm to slow her down. “Was Jolene there in the room when her Uncle Bobby was talking to this man?”

She nodded. “Jolene told me that she was in the living room watching a movie with Uncle Bobby when someone knocked on the door. Uncle Bobby went to answer it. He tried to close the door, but the man with the snake tattoo pushed his way inside. She stayed in the living room the whole time, but the room is open to the entry, so she saw and heard the whole thing. She said the guy wanted what was owed him. He didn’t say what was owed to him, but Jolene assumed money since her uncle liked to gamble. Jolene told me the man with the snake tattoo was really mad and really loud. It looked like he was going to hit Uncle Bobby, but then Bobby said something about his niece being there, and the man stopped. Jolene said he leaned in and said something in Bobby’s ear and then left. Jolene said she was really scared, but Uncle Bobby told her not to worry about it. He said he just needed to get something the guy wanted, and once he gave it to him, everything would be okay. After that, he took her out for ice cream.”

“And then?” I asked. “Did the guy come back?”

“No. She didn’t see him again. Uncle Bobby did ask her not to mention the visit to her parents. He told her if she did, her mom might not let her come to his house to visit anymore, and Jolene really liked to visit Uncle Bobby, so she kept quiet.”

“But she has a reason to think this man might have been the one to shoot him?”

“No. I didn’t say she thought that. I said, I thought that. I remember Jolene telling me about the man who came by Uncle Bobby’s and thought it might have been him that killed him.” She paused and looked out toward the lake. “I’ve been thinking about things. Wondering. I’m not sure why exactly, but ever since Jolene told me what happened to her uncle, I’ve been wondering who in our town would shoot a man in the head.”

“Does Jolene think the killer is the man with the tattoo as well?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Jolene is out of town, so I haven’t seen her all week. I guess her parents didn’t want her to be here until they find the person who shot Bobby.”

“I guess that makes sense. Did you tell anyone about the man with the snake tattoo? Cass, maybe?”

“No. I didn’t tell anyone. No one asked me.”

“Do you think Jolene told anyone?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I told you, I haven’t talked to her since the first day after the shooting. I guess something happened to make her parents worry, so they all left town and went to see the grandparents.”

I wasn’t sure how accurate Paisley’s timeline was, and I really had no idea if the fact that Bobby owed something to the man with the snake tattoo was important, but I did know I was going to call Cass once I got back to the house.

After making sure that Paisley was settled in with Gracie, I headed into the house and up to the attic. Alastair followed behind. Once I’d opened the window to let in some fresh air, I pulled out my cell and dialed Cass’s number.

“Good morning. It’s nice to hear from you this morning.”

“First thing before I forget, Gracie is grilling ribs tonight. You’re invited,” I jumped right in. “Second of all, I just picked Paisley up from her house, and she told me about a man with a snake tattoo who visited Bobby at some point before his death, looking for something Bobby owed him. I thought it might be important.”

“I’ve already spoken to Snake. Bobby lost a gold pocket watch worth about fifteen hundred dollars he inherited from his grandfather to Snake during a poker game, and Snake had come by the house to collect it. That’s the exchange that Jolene overheard.”

“The man’s name is Snake?”

“The man’s given name is Theodore Puddle, but he goes by Snake.”

Theodore Puddle? I supposed I’d go by a nickname as well. “So, you don’t think he killed Bobby?”

“I don’t. Snake is a scary-looking guy. It seems that is intentional on his part. He runs an illegal high stakes poker game in the area, and I suppose the image he projects like a man who means business helps with his ability to collect what is due him. I know he’s gotten into a few physical altercations in the past, but as far as I know, they’ve all been minor skirmishes to make a point. I have no reason to believe he’d kill anyone.”

“Were you able to verify his alibi?” I asked.

“Actually, I was. Snake was with a man who goes by the name Toad. He has a tattoo of a huge toad on his face. Anyway, while Toad isn’t normally the sort I’d consider to be a reliable alibi, I was able to confirm with Alex that Snake and Toad had stopped by the bar on the day Bobby died and didn’t leave until a half an hour after he did. If he did go straight home after leaving the bar, which I suspect, and if he was shot immediately after entering his home, as I also suspect, Snake couldn’t be the killer.”

Well, that was disappointing. It did seem that Paisley had a pretty decent theory. “Do you have any new theories since the last time we spoke? I feel like the case has hit a bit of a wall.”

“I have to admit this investigation isn’t coming together the way I’d hoped. I’ve spoken to most of the neighbors to the right, to the left, and across the street for five houses in each direction, and no one saw anything that will help. I also spoke to the man who lives on the street behind Bobby. They share a back fence. He mentioned a man with a blue cap in the area too, but he didn’t have any more information than that, other than to say he heard the shot too. Unless I can find someone who knows who the man in the blue hat was, I’m not sure that lead will help, but I am continuing my search, and there were a few neighbors who weren’t at home when I was by who I want to catch up with.”

“Did you find anything in Bobby’s phone or bank records?” I asked.

“No. They seem pretty routine. The bank records show his paycheck being deposited, but most weeks, Bobby took most of that out in cash, which I assume he drank and gambled away. There were some cash deposits, which might have resulted from those instances when he actually came away from a poker game a victor. I’m still trying to track down the source of those deposits, but several of them were for more than a grand. As far as outgoing money, there were a few checks for utilities and regular bills, but it did appear he was behind on all his obligations.”

“I guess his being behind with his child support is sort of how this all started,” I said. “If he hadn’t gotten the phone call from his ex-wife telling him to go home before he gambled away all his money, he wouldn’t have come through the door at the exact moment the person with the gun had been standing there waiting to shoot him.”

Cass paused. “You make a good point. I was able to verify that the ex-wife couldn’t have shot him, but I really hadn’t stopped to consider whether she still might have been involved in the whole thing. There were actually three people involved in the sequence of events that ensured that Bobby would die that afternoon. I’m not saying all three were intentionally involved, but it is an angle I hadn’t previously considered.”

“Three people?” I asked, trying to catch up with Cass’s train of thought.

“Bobby was at Jack’s Place where he’d been drinking and looking for a poker game on the day he was shot. If he had found a poker game, he wouldn’t have made it home until hours and hours after he actually did go home. If the person who shot him had already been inside the house when Bobby arrived, which I suspect, it seems unlikely they would have still been there hours and hours later if Bobby hadn’t come home early as he had.”

“So if the ex-wife hadn’t called Bobby and told him to go home, he wouldn’t have gone home when he did and quite possibly wouldn’t have been shot and killed by the intruder. At least not on that particular day.”

“Exactly. And when I spoke to Tamara, she said the reason she called Bobby and told him to go home was because someone she knew was at the bar and had called her to give her a heads up that Bobby was looking for a game.”

“And if that person hadn’t called her, she wouldn’t have called Bobby, who wouldn’t have gone home, and most likely wouldn’t have gotten shot,” I said, finally catching up to where the three people idea Cass was talking about came from. “Are you saying that all three were working together?”

“Not necessarily. And I’m not sure at this point that the goal was even to kill Bobby.” Cass hesitated and then continued. “There are a couple ways to look at this. Say the goal of the person who broke into Bobby’s home actually was to kill him. Say he went to Bobby’s to put a bullet in his head, but he wasn’t there. Maybe at this point, he suspected that Bobby might be at the bar, so he called someone he knew would be at the bar and asked if Bobby was there. Maybe this person confirmed he was at the bar, but the person at the house needed him to be home, so either the person at the bar or the person at the house called Bobby’s ex-wife and convinced her that she should call Bobby and persuade him to go home.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense in a really convoluted sort of way. The person at the bar and the ex-wife might have been unknowing and unwilling accomplices to the killer. You said there were two ways of looking at it.”

“If the person in Bobby’s house was there to steal something and not to kill Bobby, he wouldn’t necessarily have wanted Bobby to come home, but maybe the person who called the ex-wife is actually the one to want him dead, so he called Tamara and set a series of events in motion that would end with Bobby’s death. Of course, it’s just as likely that no one wanted him dead. The person who shot him could simply have been at the house to execute a burglary, but Bobby showed up early, and the burglar shot him when he realized he’d be caught.”

“It seems that unless we can actually establish a motive, it’s going to be hard to nail this down. The list of suspects who would actually want Bobby dead is going to be different from the list of suspects who might simply have known that Bobby was at the bar and used that information to break into his home to steal something. Did Bobby have anything worth stealing?” I asked.

“Not really. The watch Snake was after had some value, but I’m not sure anyone would break into his home in the middle of the day to steal that. His home has been searched, and nothing of real value was found.”

“What if the person who broke in was after something other than an item with a cash value?” I asked.

“Like what?”

“Maybe photos or a letter or something that Bobby could use to hold over someone else.”

“You think Bobby was blackmailing someone?” Cass asked.

“You did say there were cash deposits that couldn’t be verified. Sure, Bobby might have won at poker from time to time and deposited the money into his account, but poker winnings aren’t the only explanation.”

Cass paused. I could see he was thinking about things as a variety of emotions crossed his face. “Someone in the house looking for something related to a blackmail scheme actually makes a lot more sense than someone breaking into the home in the middle of the day to steal valuables from a man who didn’t have any,” Cass admitted.

“When Bobby came home early, the person who broke in was interrupted. Maybe he or she didn’t find what they were looking for. Maybe it’s still there to find.”

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take a look around. I’m assuming you want to come along.”

“I do. Do you want to pick me up?”

“I’ll be there in an hour.”

Chapter 19

There was still yellow police tape across both the front and back door of Bobby’s home. The crime scene guys had already finished doing their thing with fibers and prints and whatnot, but Cass shared that he had a gut feeling there was something more to find, so hadn’t released the house to the family yet. After Cass gave me gloves, he pulled on his own, and then he let us both in through the front door.

“So, any idea what we’re looking for?” I asked.

“No idea. But if our theory is correct and Bobby had some sort of evidence he was using to blackmail someone, he wouldn’t leave it just lying around. It would most likely be in a safe or perhaps a locked file cabinet. I guess let’s start in the room he used for an office of sorts.”

The room Cass referred to held a desk, bookshelf, file cabinet, sofa, television, and a couple tables. It looked like the room actually served as both an office and a den. Cass started by looking through the file cabinet, so I turned my attention to the desk. The drawers were unlocked, and most held items such as pens, pads of paper, old files, tax statements, and coupons. I didn’t see anything that would be worth killing the guy over.

The file cabinet held files, both current and quite old, so it took Cass a bit longer to go through everything than it had taken me.

I decided to turn my attention to the bookshelf. I wasn’t sure I’d find anything. Bobby hadn’t been much of a reader, and there were more magazines than books on the shelves. There were a few photo albums, which I did stop to thumb through. There were photos of family parties, both current and from Bobby’s childhood. There were school pictures and sports photos, both individual shots and team groupings. The photos seemed to be the normal sort of thing you’d find in most homes, so I doubted they’d provide anyone with much of a motive to kill a person, but based on an empty space on that shelf, it appeared one album was missing.

“I’m going to head into the bedroom to look around,” I said to Cass.

“Okay. I still have two drawers to go through here.”

I walked down the hallway and entered the bedroom. As to be expected of a bachelor pad, I found an unmade bed, clothes on the floor, a dresser with drawers hanging open, and a closet with shoes piled up in the center completely void of any sort of organizational system. Still, despite the mess, I didn’t see anything that would justify murdering a guy in cold blood. I shoved the clothes on hangers to the side. I’m not sure why. I guess I just watched a lot of cop shows. There was nothing on the wall behind the clothes, so I decided to search through the pockets of the jackets and pants that had pockets.

Again, I came up empty. Well, I came up empty until I came to a windbreaker that held a secret pocket inside the jacket. I’d had a waterproof jacket like this in the past. The pocket was small and designed to hold a key should you go running or hiking and needed to bring along your car or house key but didn’t want to carry it. I found a key inside the small interior pocket. I pulled it out and looked at it. “Okay,” I said. “What do you go to?”

I walked around the bedroom, but nothing that would require a key stood out, so I went back down the hallway to find Cass.

“That was good timing,” Cass said. “I’m just finishing up here.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Unfortunately, no. You?”

I held up the key.

“Where did you find that?” he asked.

“In the closet. In the pocket of a windbreaker. It might be a house key or car key that Bobby kept in the pocket for those times he went hiking or jogging, but I figure it could also be the key to something else. Something more important.”

“Any idea what?” Cass asked.

“No clue.”

He stepped forward and took the key from my hand. “It’s hard to tell what this might fit. I guess we can look around for something with a lock. We can try the locks on the exterior of the home first to eliminate that possibility. It doesn’t look like a car key. At least not an ignition key; maybe it’s a trunk key.”

“Is Bobby’s car here?”

“In the garage,” Cass verified.

We started with the house, trying all the doors before going into the garage. It took quite a bit of searching, but we eventually found that the key went to a toolbox. After removing some power tools, Cass pulled out a photo album that was at the bottom of the toolbox, which I suspected was the one that belonged in the empty space on the bookshelf.

“This has to be it,” I said.

Cass opened the cover and began to go through the pages. “I think we might just have found our missing link.”

Chapter 20

The photo Cass found was an image of a much younger Hugh Lewiston, sitting on a log near a campfire ring next to the river chatting with a much younger Colin Woodford. Based on Colin’s appearance, Cass and I suspected the photo was taken on the day Austin Brady went missing. There were other photos in Bobby’s album from the same day the photo by the river was taken. After studying the photo for a moment, we realized that Bobby might have captured more with his images that he could ever have imagined at the time.

“I remember Toby saying that after the camp was set up, everyone split up. Colin went off by himself, Austin and Josh went off together, Bobby took off with his camera, and Larry and Toby went fishing,” I said. “I suspect that during this window of time, Austin was showing Josh the mine, Colin was buying drugs from Hugh Lewiston, and Bobby was recording the whole thing with his camera.”

“That does seem like a good theory,” Cass agreed. “One of the photos clearly shows Hugh handing a small packet to Colin. There is also a photo of Colin handing a sandwich to Hugh. I guess we finally know where that seventh sandwich went.”

“We’ll never prove any of this if we can’t get Colin to talk.”

“I’ll get him to talk,” Cass promised.

Cass wanted to drop me at home, but I was finally able to convince him to let me listen in on his conversation with Colin if I promised to keep my mouth shut through the entire interview and to sustain from printing anything I overheard during the conversation in the newspaper without his express written consent. I wasn’t going to print anything that would hurt Cass’s case. I wasn’t that kind of reporter, and he knew it. Cass had made a few calls and had tracked Colin down at the bowling alley, which is where we headed.

After we arrived, Cass pulled Colin aside and asked to speak to him. Colin, who had been practicing by himself, agreed to take a break.

“What’s up?” he asked Cass.

“I have reason to believe that you gave a hallucinogenic to Austin Brady on the day he died, which caused him to run in fear and eventually hide in the mine where he died.”

Colin tried to appear cool. I could see the struggle in his expression. “And who might have told you this lie?”

Cass didn’t answer, but he did pass the photo of Hugh talking to Colin to the man he was speaking to.

Colin appeared shocked. “Hugh told you that? He told you what happened? Why would he do that?”

Cass had never said anything about Hugh telling him anything, but I could see that the photo had served his purpose. Colin jumped to the conclusion that Hugh had talked, and Cass didn’t correct him.

“Hugh is trying to make a deal by throwing me under the bus,” Colin spat. “He was the adult, I was the kid. If anyone is going to get a deal, it should be me.”

“Why don’t you tell me exactly what happened, and we’ll take it from there,” Cass suggested.

Colin blew out a hard breath. “Austin was a pain in my backside when we were kids. I was the oldest, the natural leader, but the kid seemed to make it his mission to counter everything I said with the opposite opinion. And it wasn’t just that. If I liked a girl, he liked the same girl. If I signed up for an afterschool activity, he’d sign up for the same activity. No matter what I did, he’d find a way to mess with me. After a while, I’d had enough and decided to fight back.”

“So, what happened on that campout?” Cass asked.

“Hugh was older than us. About fifteen years older. Everyone knew he sold drugs and that he wasn’t at all picky about who he sold them to. If you had money, he’d take you on as a customer. To be perfectly honest, I’d been buying weed from him for a year by then.”

He took a breath. Cass just waited. Eventually, Colin continued. “On the day in question, I went to see Hugh to buy some weed for our campout. I’d arranged ahead of time to meet Hugh by the river since he was trying to keep a low profile after almost being caught during a deal, and even offered to bring him something to eat. We got to talking after I arrived at the preset meeting location. I mentioned what a pain Austin was being, and he said that if I wanted to play a prank on the guy, he had the perfect way to do it. He told me that if I put this one little pill in Austin’s drink, it would mess with his head and get him to do all sorts of weird things. My plan was to use Bobby’s camera to capture him doing embarrassing things and then use the photos as leverage to get him to back off.”

“But it didn’t work out that way,” Cass prompted.

“No. I thought the pill would make Austin act silly. I thought it would make him run around naked, or act like a chimpanzee, or something like that, but instead, it made him see things. Terrible things that caused him to run into the woods in terror.” Colin’s voice caught. “We tried to find him after he ran off. We looked and looked, but we couldn’t find him anywhere. I was eventually able to convince the others that he would come back once he sobered up a bit. Of course, we never saw him again, so I guess that supposition was way off, but who knew the guy had found an abandoned mine.”

“Had Austin told you about the mine before that night?” Cass asked.

“No. Remember Austin and I didn’t get along. He would never have let me in on a cool secret like that.”

“Who would he have told?” Cass asked.

Colin answered. “If anyone other than Austin knew, I suspect it would have been Josh, but I swear he never said a thing about a mine.”

“Even after Austin went missing?” Cass asked.

“Even then. I swear I knew nothing about a mine until you found the bones at the bottom of that shaft.”

“Did you know Bobby had this photo?” Cass asked.

“I knew he took a bunch of photos on our campout, but I don’t remember ever seeing them after he had them developed. To tell you the truth, that campout is not one I particularly wanted to remember.”

“After the cops showed up and started asking questions, did you at any point tell the others to keep their mouths shut about what happened?” Cass asked.

Colin nodded. “In retrospect, maybe I should have told what I knew, but I was scared of going to juvy for putting drugs in Austin’s drink, and I was scared about what Hugh would do to me if his name came into the discussion. I decided that telling what had happened wasn’t going to help Austin, so I swore Bobby, Josh, and Larry to secrecy.”

“And Toby?” Cass asked.

“He went to bed early, so he didn’t know anything. I decided to keep it that way.”

“And the others all agreed to keep quiet about the drug you put in his drink?” Cass asked.

“Eventually. At first, they wanted to come clean with the cops, but then I told them what Hugh would do to them if they told, and they all agreed to my plan. I know Hugh is a respectable town council member now, but he was a real scary guy back then.”

“I need you to come down to the office with me so we can make all of this official,” Cass said.

“Am I going to jail?”

“Did you kill Bobby to keep him quiet?” Cass asked.

“Bobby? Why on earth would I kill Bobby? He kept the secret for twenty-five years. I had no reason to believe he wouldn’t continue to keep it.”

“So, he wasn’t blackmailing you?”

“For what? I mean, I guess he had this photo, but I sure as heck wouldn’t be willing to pay the guy to keep it under wraps. I can barely make my rent.”

“It appears he was blackmailing someone,” Cass said.

“Hugh.” Colin narrowed his gaze. “You haven’t actually spoken to Hugh yet. You tricked me into telling you all this.”

Cass stood up. He motioned for Colin to stand as well. “I never said I’d spoken to Hugh. You are the one who suggested I had. Now, we are going to walk out of here real nice like, so I don’t have to cuff you. We’ll chat some more, I’ll chat with Hugh, and then we can figure out what comes next.”

Cass wanted to take Colin to the station in his car, so I volunteered to call Gracie for a ride home. Cass promised to come by after he’d spoken to Hugh, and I promised to save him some ribs and slaw if he didn’t make it out to the house in time for our shared meal.

Chapter 21

Cass didn’t make it out to the house in time to eat with everyone else, but true to his word, he did come by, and true to my word, I did save him some ribs and slaw. I’d run Ethel and Paisley home just before dark, so it was only Tom, Gracie, and I when he arrived.

“So tell me everything,” I said as Gracie heated up the beans that she’d made to go with the ribs and slaw.

“If it’s okay with you, I’m exhausted and would prefer to share the condensed version.”

“Of course,” I said. “So, what happened? Did Hugh kill Bobby?”

“No. Hugh did not kill Bobby, but Bobby had been blackmailing him with the photo he had of Hugh selling drugs to Colin on the day Austin died. While it is true that the photo only shows Hugh handing a small package to Colin, after what happened, it wouldn’t be hard to convince the DA and a jury, if need be, that the packet contained drugs. Colin had already agreed to testify to everything that happened in exchange for leniency for his part in the whole fiasco, and Larry seemed to know quite a bit as well, and likewise was willing to tell what he knew.”

“Okay, wait,” I said. “Hugh didn’t kill Bobby?”

Cass shook his head. “What Hugh did do was hire a man named Xavier Vargas to break into Bobby’s house, locate the photo, and bring it to him. Hugh and Xavier were waiting for the right time to do this, so when Hugh saw Bobby at the bar on the day in question, he called Xavier and told him to go over there. At the time of the call, Bobby was drunk and looking for a poker game, so Hugh was pretty sure that the house would be empty for hours.”

“But then someone called Tamara and warned her that Bobby was drunk and looking for a game, and she then called Bobby and told him to go home.”

“Exactly. I spoke to Tamara and found out that a friend of hers named Darlene was at the bar with friends when she overheard Bobby asking about a poker game, so she called Tamara and warned her that Bobby was about to gamble away this week’s child support payment the way he’d gambled away the last few payments. She then called him and threatened to prevent him from seeing the kids if he didn’t go home right then, so he did. Hugh swears he tried to call Xavier and warn him to get out of the house, but he didn’t pick up. He thinks that when Bobby pulled up, Xavier panicked and went for his gun. When Bobby came in, he shot him.”

“Do you have Xavier in custody?”

“He lives in Denver, but the Denver PD picked him up and are currently questioning him. I suspect he’ll confess once he knows Hugh already threw him under the bus.”

“So I guess your case is closed. You know who killed Bobby and why, you know how Austin died and why, and you have pretty much nailed the coffin shut on Hugh’s bid for the senate.”

“I do wonder why Bobby decided to blackmail Hugh,” Gracie asked. “And when? He certainly hasn’t been blackmailing him for twenty-five years.”

“Bobby didn’t approach Hugh about the photo until after Hugh decided to run for senate. I guess at that point, Bobby rightfully realized that Hugh would pay to keep that particular skeleton in the closet. Not only had he been selling drugs to Colin, who was a minor at the time, but he’d been selling drugs to a lot of kids and continued to do so long after Austin died.”

“So is Colin going to jail?” Tom asked.

“I guess the fate of everyone involved is up to the DA and the justice system. I figure I’ve done my part and now it’s up to them.”

“And is it okay to run with the story?” I asked.

“Run away. But I’d do it soon if you want the exclusive now that the Denver PD has been looped in.”

“I’ll write it tonight. I’ll let Dex know to expect the story. He’ll want to run it on Monday. I guess my series won’t really work now, but I have a lot of background information, and the big reveal is going to be a doozy.”

Chapter 22

Saturday – Memorial Day Weekend

“I was hoping you’d be here.”

I turned around to find Hope with a man I was pretty sure I’d never met.

“This is Michael,” Hope introduced. “Michael, Callie.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I stuck out my hand.

“I’m heading to the bar. Ladies, can I bring you something?” Michael asked.

“Wine,” Hope answered. “White.”

He looked at me.

“Same. And thank you.”

After Michael walked away, Hope turned her attention back toward me. “So, where is Cass? I’m sure I saw him earlier.”

“He had to go outside to take a call. I can’t believe how crowded it is. And how loud.”

“The first barn dance of the season is always well attended,” Hope informed me. “As the season progresses, the attendance thins out a bit.”

“So, Michael…” I said, glancing at the bar. “Is he your…?” I let my sentence trail off.

“Friend,” Hope provided. “And I guess for tonight date. He’s an attorney in town who likes to read, so he comes into the library often. I heard Cass was able to close both the Bobby Brighton murder case and the Austin Brady missing persons case.”

I nodded. “Colin has been given community service for his part in Austin’s death. He might have gotten more, but he cooperated fully, and he was only thirteen when the drugging happened. Additionally, he was able to convince the judge that he really didn’t know what would happen. Hugh is currently in the county jail, awaiting sentencing. He was booted off the council and is no longer the acting mayor, but he eventually cooperated fully and confessed to the whole thing, which should earn him some leniency. And the man who actually killed Bobby, Xavier Vargas, is awaiting trial in Denver. At this point, I’d say that things are wrapped up nicely.”

“I would say so. I read your piece in the Foxtail News about Austin and the series of events that led to his death,” Hope said. “You did such a good job. You really have a way with words. I cried the entire time I was reading it, and I know others who had the same experience. It really was a tragedy.”

“It was,” I agreed. “When I agreed to take on the project, I really didn’t know how hard it would be to research and write about the death of a child.” I glanced up as Michael returned and handed me my wine. I smiled and accepted it. “I think I’m going to go and find Cass.” I looked at Hope. “Let’s get together next week. Maybe lunch or drinks after work.”

“I’ll call you,” she promised.

I said my goodbyes and headed toward the door leading outside. It had gotten really hot with so many people in the enclosed space. The fresh air felt good. Cass was just finishing his call when I spotted him in the distance. I walked in that direction. “Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Everything is fine. That was the DA in Denver, letting me know that Xavier’s trial has been moved up. I’ll need to go to Denver and be available during the trial, so he was just giving me a heads up.”

“I see. I’m surprised the guy didn’t just plead guilty and avoid the trial.”

“I think he’s hoping for a plea deal, and who knows, he may get one. At this point, it’s out of my hands. Do you want to go back inside?”

“Actually, I could use some fresh air. It’s pretty hot inside.” I tilted my head up toward the sky. “Besides, it’s simply gorgeous out here.”

“Seems like a good night for stargazing,” Cass said.

I smiled and looked in his direction. “It is the perfect night for stargazing.”

“I have a blanket in my trunk. Maybe we can head up to the point, and I can see how many of the constellations I can remember.”

I wanted to say no. I wanted to remind Cass about the curse and how he might die if we fell in love, but at this moment, I couldn’t seem to work up the courage to do that. Instead, I leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. I pulled back just a bit and looked him in the eyes as I cradled his cheek with my hand. “I’d love to hear about the constellations.”

Next From Kathi Daley Books

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Preview Summerhouse Reunion

Sometimes life is about letting go. Letting go of the way things were supposed to have been. Letting go of unmet dreams and incomplete plans. Letting go of the anger that consumes you as you struggle to make sense of an unfinished life. I’d spent the last year denying the inevitable, negotiating for a different ending, screaming to the heavens that it wasn’t supposed to happen this way, and finally struggling to accept an ending that should never have been.

Letting go, I realized somewhere along the way, was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.

“It’s a beautiful day.” A woman with white hair walked up beside me as the spray from the rough sea misted my face.

“Yes.” I turned and smiled. The woman looked to be a few years older than my sixty-eight-year-old mother; unlike my mother, however, who simply could not or would not understand the grief that haunted my every waking moment, this woman looked at me with compassion and understanding. “It’s a little rougher than I like my ferry rides, but beautiful all the same. My name is Kelly. Kelly Green. I’m afraid I can’t immediately place you, but I feel like we’ve met.”

“We have met, although it has been a long time since we’ve seen each other. About twenty years, to be more specific.”

My brows shot upward. “Dottie Pemberton?”

The woman smiled and offered her hand.

“Wow.” I reached out and hugged the woman. “I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you. It’s just that…”

“It’s just that the fifty-two-year-old woman you remember looked a bit differently from the seventy-two-year-old woman standing before you today.”

“Yes.” I stepped back. “I mean, no. I mean, sure, your hair is different, and I guess we all have a few more laugh lines, but still …” I realized I was rambling, so I stopped and hugged the woman again. “How are you?”

“I’m as well as can be expected. I was sorry to hear about Kayla.”

My smile faded just a bit. The death of my twin sister and best friend still hurt almost more than I could bear. I’d tried to do as others seemed to want and hide my pain, but no matter how hard I tried, the simplest thing—a song, a scent, a memory—would remind me just how much I’d lost, and the grief would return in a wave that would envelop me and then cast me into a sea of darkness once again.

“I guess it must have been extrahard with her in a coma for so long not knowing how things would work out in the end,” Dottie added after a moment.

She had no idea. In reality, Kayla had died a year ago, when a distracted driver had slammed into the car she was driving, but while everyone assured me that her mind was gone, her body had lived on, and as long as she clung to life, I’d clung to hope. Then, two months ago, her distraught husband decided to pull the plug and let her go peacefully, and I knew that my life would never be the same.

“How have you been holding up?” Dottie asked. She looked concerned, which I suppose was understandable, because I hadn’t said a word since the moment she’d brought up Kayla’s name. “I do understand how difficult something like this can be. I suppose it is even possible to lose ourselves in our grief.”

I cringed as I remembered the random acts of craziness that had been brought on by my overwhelming grief. “It has been hard,” I finally said. “But I’m hanging in there. Some days are harder than others. Some days it doesn’t seem real. But I guess you might understand that. I heard your Harold passed away as well.”

“Yes. Three years ago. He was the love of my life, and I miss him every day.”

I squeezed her hand. “I’m so very sorry. Sometimes I think Kayla’s death would have been easier to deal with if she’d lived a good, long life before passing. Forty-two is much too young. She had so many things yet to do. She had a husband and two daughters who needed her, and she had me, who probably needed her most of all. But then I stop and ask myself if her passing would have been easier if she’d been seventy or eighty or a hundred, and I can’t help but be faced with the truth—when you lose half of your heart, it is going to hurt no matter how long you’ve had together on this earth.”

“It is true that losing someone you love is never easy. How are her husband and daughters holding up?”

I thought about the husband and daughters left behind. “It’s been hard, but the girls are in college now and live busy lives. The accident did occur a year ago, so I guess you could say they’ve had time to adjust. Mark was a mess in the beginning, but he seems to have moved on. He’s even dating.” I exhaled slowly. “Truth be told, I’m really the only one who hasn’t been able to let go. Everyone says I should. Everyone says the time for grieving has passed. But losing Kayla feels like losing half my soul.”

Dottie smiled in understanding but didn’t respond. She turned to watch a pair of dolphins who’d decided to race the ferry, or at least it seemed as if that was what they were doing. I took a moment to rein in my emotions. They still felt so raw, and I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that a huge cosmic mix-up had occurred and Kayla wasn’t meant to die. Not only was she much too young, as I’d pointed out to whatever celestial body might be listening, but in dying, she’d broken a promise, and Kayla was the sort to take any promise she made quite seriously.

A small black bird landed on the railing not far from where I was still standing next to Dottie. I closed my eyes as I let my mind transport me back in time. I felt the tension fade just a bit as the years fell away and I conjured up a happier time. I thought about the two little girls who’d looked just the same. Two little girls who were not only sisters but best friends and soulmates as well. I remembered the promise made by those little girls, and I grieved for the hope that had been shattered when that promise was ultimately broken.

When Kayla and I were kids, I guess around six or seven, a friend of ours lost both her parents in an airplane accident. The tragedy was too great for either of us to really understand, and I remember that we’d both had nightmares for weeks. The content of our dreams was somewhat different, but the subtext was much the same. We both dreamed of a dramatic event that would rip us from the life we loved, only to be thrust into an empty space, where we’d find ourselves lost and alone.

One night, long after we were supposed to be asleep, Kayla came into my room and climbed into my bed. She was shaking and crying, so I held her close while she shared the depths of the terror she’d been feeling since our friend had been orphaned. I’d been feeling it as well, but I wanted to comfort my sister, so I reminded her that no matter what happened, even if our parents died and we were left alone in the world, we’d always have each other. That reminder seemed to help both of us, so we’d made a pact to always be there for the other, no matter what. We’d even promised to die on the same day so neither of us would ever have to be alone. As absurd as that might sound, I think there might be a tiny part of me that was angry at Kayla for not upholding her part of the promise.

“So, what brings you to Shipwreck Island after all these years?” Dottie asked after a while.

I tucked a lock of long blond hair that had blown across my face behind my ear before answering. “Carrie Davidson invited me. I guess she had the idea of getting the whole gang together for a long-overdue reunion.”

“So Quinn and Nora are coming as well?”

I nodded. “They are. Carrie rented the summerhouse my family used to own for five weeks.”

“Five weeks. That’s quite the vacation.”

“I’m not sure I’ll stay for the entire period, but I did promise to show up and see how it went. Honestly, I may not have made the effort at all, but this year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the summer Peggy went missing, and Carrie wanted to do something to commemorate the role she played in our lives.” I turned slightly as a seagull landed on the railing beside me, chasing away the small black bird that had occupied the space. “It’s not that I don’t want to remember her; it’s more that I’m afraid my already raw emotions aren’t going to be able to endure yet another reminder of what has been lost.”

“I remember you were close.”

“The closest. She was like a sister to us, and we never really had the chance to say goodbye. Given the fact that she simply disappeared and no one ever knew what had happened, her family never did hold a funeral. I guess they never gave up hope that she’d find her way back to them.”

Dottie didn’t respond, but I could tell that I had her full attention.

“Carrie thought it would be nice to have a small ceremony,” I continued. “Nothing formal. I think it will be just the four of us.”

“I guess it’s been quite a while since the four of you have been on the island at the same time.”

I nodded. “I was here for Carrie and Carl’s fifteenth anniversary party almost five years ago, but Kayla was on a cruise with her husband, so she didn’t make it, and Quinn was overseas doing a story, so she didn’t make it either. Kayla and I came for our birthday when we turned thirty, but Nora was in Europe and Quinn was in Africa, so I think the last time we were all on the island together was for Carl and Carrie’s wedding. Wow, I had no idea it had been almost twenty years since we’d all been together.” Where had the time gone? “Of course, now that Kayla is gone, I guess we can never all be together again.”

My heart tightened as I thought of the six little girls who lived different lives but reunited each and every year when our families returned to their summer homes. Carrie’s family lived on the island year round, but Quinn, Nora, Peggy, and Kayla and I lived elsewhere during the school year. I remembered how much I’d looked forward to summering on the island. Those summers were some of the best times of my life.

“I ran into Carrie at the market a few months ago. She’s lost a lot of weight,” Dottie informed me, changing the subject, which was very much appreciated given my fragile emotional state. “I’d wondered if she might be ill, but her mother told me that Carl had filed for divorce and Carrie wasn’t dealing with things all that well. I guess I don’t blame her. I can’t imagine having the man you loved and planned to spend your life with decide that he preferred to spend his life with someone else.”

“It has been difficult for her,” I agreed. “I’ve chatted with her on the phone on a regular basis since Carl left, and she just seems so lost. I suppose it’s even worse when Jessica is away at college and poor Carrie has found herself living in that big, old house all alone. I suggested to her that she should sell the house and buy something smaller, but I think there has been a part of her that’s held on to the hope that Carl would come to his senses and return one day. Of course, now that the divorce is finalized, I guess she doesn’t even have that to hang on to.”

“I don’t know Carl well, but based on what I do know, I think Carrie might just be better off without him. I’d noticed him noticing other women for years.”

I hated to admit it, but I’d noticed the same thing almost since the day the two married. “I couldn’t agree more,” I voiced. “Carrie really is better off without Carl, although I would never say that to her. I think she is still at the point where she is totally focused on what she’s lost and is not of the mind to consider what she may have gained with Carl’s departure.”

Dottie shielded her eyes from the sun as the ferry turned toward the island. “I ran into Ryder just last week, and he said pretty much the same thing. Based on what I’ve heard from others on the island, he’s been her rock through this whole ordeal.”

I smiled at the memory of Carrie’s little brother. “Ryder always did have his sister’s back. Even though he was younger than her. Carrie told me he’s the mayor now.”

“Yes, and a darn good one he is. Much better than Mayor Hadley, may he rest in peace.”

I crossed my arms on the railing and looked out to sea. “I’m having a hard time picturing Ryder as mayor. When we were kids he was such a pest and always in trouble. In fact, I think he was voted most likely to end up in prison by his senior class.”

Dottie chuckled. “He does have a colorful past, and he still tools around town on that Harley of his, but in my opinion, he has done more to bring growth and prosperity to the island than any of his predecessors. The boy might wear his hair a bit too long, and I’m not overly fond of the leather jacket he seems so attached to, but Ryder has vision, and he’s a hard worker. He has a promising future ahead of him.”

“Has he kept his veterinary practice open?”

“He has. Being mayor in a small town like Hidden Harbor is more of an honorary title than a source of income, so all our mayors have day jobs. Ryder is still very committed to the animals he cares for, but now he is committed to the people of the island as well.”

I shook my head as I tried to picture Ryder West all grown up. I hadn’t run into him during my last two visits to the island, but I had seen him briefly at Carl and Carrie’s wedding almost twenty years before. Even then, he’d showed up in a leather vest and leather pants rather than the tux Carrie had picked out for him. Of course, he’d only been seventeen at the time, which meant he must by thirty-seven by now. I had to admit that most people matured quite a bit in the years between seventeen and thirty-seven.

“I guess you heard that Sheriff Renshaw retired after serving the community for forty years,” Dottie continued.

“No, I hadn’t heard,” I said, raising a brow. “I guess I should have expected as much. He must be well into his sixties now.”

“Sixty-nine. He first started working in law enforcement when he was just twenty-five and he retired two years ago. He was a good man and a good cop who has been missed, although Sam Stone has done an excellent job as well since he took over the role.”

“Sam Stone is the sheriff?” I had to admit I was even more surprised to hear that than I had been to hear that Ryder West was now the mayor. I seemed to remember that Sam was two years older than I, so I supposed he must be around forty-four by now. As a teen and young adult, he was very much a wild child, but as I’d already told myself once in the past five minutes, people did tend to change. “I think the last time I saw him was at Carl and Carrie’s wedding as well. I remember that he’d been traveling with a rock and roll band and was getting ready to head out on tour.”

“He did leave the island for almost a decade, but then he came back about ten years ago and joined the force as a deputy. He is a hard worker who is well-liked and highly regarded on the island, so when Renshaw decided to retire, he recommended Sam as his replacement. In my opinion, the lad has done an excellent job filling the very big shoes Renshaw left when he decided to move to Oklahoma.”

“Sheriff Renshaw moved to Oklahoma?”

She nodded. “I guess he has kin there.”

I looped my arm through Dottie’s. “You know, when I boarded this ferry, I had very mixed emotions about returning to Shipwreck Island and Hidden Harbor, but after chatting with you about the people I left behind, I find that I am very much looking forward to becoming reacquainted with the men and women who were such a huge part of my life as a child.” I paused to remember the fun Kayla and I’d had every summer when we were children. The friends we’d made, the trips we’d taken, and the little skip we’d used to learn to sail.  “Does Old Man Brewster still run the marina?”

Dottie chuckled. “The old geezer is still policing the fishing boats, the same as he always has.”

“To be honest, I’m surprised he is even still alive. I seem to remember him being about a hundred when I was a kid.”

“Brew has lived his life in the sun, so he looked weathered and aged even when he wasn’t all that old. I think he is about eighty-five now. But he is a young eighty-five. Not only does he have the energy of a man half his age, but he is just as ornery as he ever was.”

I grabbed onto the railing as the ferry made a sharp turn. I could see the island in the distance and suspected we’d be docking within the next twenty minutes. “One of the things I really love about Shipwreck Island is the fact that, while many leave within a few years of moving there, those who stay tend to stay for the duration.”

“That’s true. We do have our share of old-timers. Of course, with the bump in tourism that we’ve seen in the last decade, the number of young families moving to the island has grown significantly as well. I guess you must have noticed all the new housing when you were here five summers ago.”

“Actually, my trip five years ago was a quick one. I came over on the ferry on Friday afternoon, attended the anniversary party Saturday, and then went home on Sunday. I didn’t have the time or opportunity to really look around.”

“Well, you’ll need to take the time during this visit. I think you will be surprised at the changes to both sides of the island in the last ten years.”

A voice came over the loudspeaker announcing that the ferry was preparing to dock.

“It’s been really good catching up with you, but it sounds like we should head down to the car deck. Let’s do lunch while I’m on the island,” I suggested.

“I’d like that very much.”

“Do you have a cell? I can text you my number.”

Dottie nodded. “I do have a cell, but I left it in the glove box of my car. If you text me your number, I’ll text you back, and we can arrange something.”

She recited her number, and I added her to my contacts and texted her my number right then and there. I knew from prior experience that if I didn’t do it now, I’d most likely forget all about it. We both decided to head down to the car deck, so we chatted as we climbed down the steep stairway to the lower level.

Once the ferry docked, I got in line and followed the cars onto Shipwreck Island. The island was surrounded by deep water that allowed for even the largest ships to pull right up to the docks that had been built in key locations over the years. Prior to the island being inhabited, the area had seen more than its share of shipwrecks. Based on what I remembered of local history, there had been more than one cargo ship heading up the coast that had failed to see the landmass in the fog and plowed right into it. Of course, now every ship had sonar and GPS and various other warning systems. Additionally, the island currently boasted six lighthouses, so it had been at least a century since the island had claimed any new victims.

There were two main towns on the island, which was conveniently located off the coast of Central California. Sea Haven was on the east side of the island and closest to the ferry terminal, while Hidden Harbor was on the west side and accessible only by sea or a narrow road that climbed up over the mountain at its center. Due to the small size of the island, the mountain acted as a natural barrier that tended to keep the two communities separate.

The drive up and over the mountain was gorgeous. The meadows were green and dotted with wildflowers, and the rivers ran full after the steady spring rain. When Kayla and I were children, our family lived in San Francisco, where our father worked as a business banker and our mother ran a charitable foundation. Both our parents worked a lot of hours, but every June, as soon as school let out, our parents would close up the house in Pacific Heights and we’d all pile into the van to make the trip to Shipwreck Island for the summer. Mom had a busy social life on the island, and Dad continued to work remotely, but the time we spent in the summerhouse as a family was priceless in my mind.

As I arrived at the summit of Sunset Mountain, I could see the town of Hidden Harbor tucked into the harbor for which it was named. Hidden Harbor was settled by rich families from the city, so although the area was remote, the town and the homes surrounding it reflected the opulent lifestyle of its upper-class residents. As I wound my way down the narrow mountain road, I found my anxiety level increasing with each passing mile.

I really was excited about seeing my friends, but the idea of staying in the same house where I’d spent summers with Kayla left me feeling agitated in a way I couldn’t quite explain. When Carrie had first invited me to the island, I assumed she was inviting me to stay with her in her own large home, but after I accepted the invite, she’d sprung it on me that she needed to get away from the walls she felt were closing in on her and had rented the same beachside home my family used to own. While she admitted to feeling better about the choice of location for our reunion, the thought of spending time in the home where I’d once been so happy almost caused me to hyperventilate.

I would admit, however, that the summer home my father designed was pretty awesome. Set on one of the nicest beaches on the island, the views were amazing from every window. When I’d lived there as a child, the home featured four bedrooms and five baths, but the investor who’d purchased the house from my mother after my father’s death had converted the huge suite on the third floor into two, still large but smaller suites.

The second floor of the home featured three bedrooms, all with private balconies overlooking the sea, while the first floor housed a huge kitchen, formal dining and living areas, family and game rooms, two bathrooms, an office, and laundry facilities.

The town of Hidden Harbor, often referred to as the village, was elegant but compact. The village was located behind the harbor, which made sense, I supposed, because rich men and women who docked their yachts in the harbor for a few days could simply walk into the small commercial area that featured upscale shopping, elegant restaurants, and eclectic bars.

I slowed as I approached the outskirts of the town. I knew I’d need to watch for a fork in the road. The village was to the left, while the summerhouse of my youth was to the right. I wasn’t entirely certain when Carrie planned to arrive, but it was a beautiful, sunny day, so I supposed if I got to the house first, I’d take a walk along the beach while I waited for her.

“It looks just the same,” I whispered to Kayla as I turned onto the coast road and headed north. “The white sand beach, the sapphire blue sea, the rolling waves, and the endless sky. All of it exactly as we remembered.”

My mother hated it when I talked to Kayla, insisting that I really did need to find a way to let her go, but I knew in my soul that I would never let go of this relationship, with the sister who shared my heart.

“I’m excited to see the gang, but I’m also terrified that I won’t be able to handle the memories created by staying in the same house where we lived as children. God, I wish you were here. I wish you could see what I see, and feel what I feel. I wish we could sit and chat late into the night the way we used to.”

I wiped a tear from my cheek and forcefully steered my thoughts toward something a bit less emotional. As I drove farther toward the north shore of the island, the empty space between the homes increased, giving the area a desolate feel. Many residents moving to the island wanted to be closer to town, which meant the farther from town you traveled, the more sparsely populated the beachfront property became. The house my family used to own was the last one on the coast road. I didn’t know if anyone had built on either side of it since I’d last visited, but when I was a child, the house stood alone along the northernmost point of the white sand beach.

After arriving at my destination, I stopped to consider the house. It had been a pale yellow when we’d lived there. Now it was sky blue. I liked it. The shutters had been painted a dark gray that contrasted nicely with the white trim, and there was a screened-in white porch. It looked as if someone had installed a new roof as well. The silver Mercedes in the drive informed me that Carrie had arrived. I wasn’t sure if I was happy or sad about that, but it was what it was, so I opened the door of my Porsche and stepped out into the drive.

“Kelly!” Carrie yelled as she ran out of the house and onto the drive. “I can’t believe you’re actually here.”

“I can’t believe it either.” I hugged her back.

She pulled away just a bit. “Let me look at you. It’s been so long, but you look just the same.”

I smiled. “I don’t know about that, but I will admit that I haven’t updated my look in ages.” I dug my fingernails into my hand to stop the tears pooling in the corners of my eyes. “You look fabulous as well, and so different. I guess you went the opposite route and changed everything.”

She laughed. “Divorce will do that to you. After Carl left I looked in the mirror and decided I wanted to change everything about myself. I lost thirty pounds, bleached my brown hair blond, cut it short, and even got blue contacts. Now when I look in the mirror, I no longer see the frumpy, outdated woman Carl couldn’t wait to replace, but a new woman he most definitely would have looked twice at had we not already been married.”

I supposed I understood why Carrie might want an entirely new look after her husband of twenty years dumped her for a younger woman, but when I looked in the mirror, I saw not only my old, familiar image but Kayla. I knew that I would cling to that for as long as I could and wouldn’t change a single thing about my look, no matter how outdated my long hair and simple style became.

“Grab your stuff and we can choose rooms,” Carrie said. “Personally, I think the two of us should settle into the two larger suites on the third floor. Initially, I felt greedy claiming one of the larger suites as my own, but then I remembered that I was the one who did all the planning for this event, so I deserved one of the larger suites.”

“I agree. You do deserve one of the larger suites.” I thought about my old bedroom on the second floor, and the Jack and Jill bathroom that connected my room to Kayla’s. Part of me wanted to stay in my old room, but another realized that taking a room on the newly remodeled third floor would be a lot easier on my emotions. “And I’ll take the second of the two third-floor suites, as you suggested. I always wished my bedroom rather than my parents was up there when I was a kid.”

After we stowed my luggage in the suite, we headed out onto the back deck that overlooked the sea. Carrie poured us each a glass of wine, which I welcomed after the emotional day I’d had to this point. It would be good to relax with old friends. Maybe by visiting the past I could begin to heal in the present.

“I’ve been struggling with what to say or not say about Kayla,” Carrie said once we’d settled in with our wine. “I’m sure you must be hurting, and part of me feels like it might be easiest for you if everyone just avoids bringing up her name, but Kayla was a huge part of all our lives and it feels unnatural not to bring her into the conversation.”

I reached over and grabbed Carrie’s hand. “It’s okay to talk about her. I can’t promise I won’t get teary when someone does, but she was part of the Summer Six in the past, and she will continue to be part of the Summer Six into the future.”

“Even if the Summer Six is now only four?” she asked about the six girls who had formed a club of sorts.

“Even if. We didn’t stop talking about Peggy even after she—”

After she what? I asked myself. After she ran away, after she was kidnapped, after she died? The not knowing was the worst part.

“After she was no longer a part of our lives,” Carrie supplied. “And yes, you are correct, we didn’t stop talking about her. In fact, in the beginning, we talked about her more than we ever had before. It’s just that …”

“It’s just that you are being sensitive of my feelings,” I provided. “And I appreciate that. But Kayla is gone, and that is something I need to learn to live with. Maybe if I talk about her enough, eventually it won’t hurt quite so much to do so.” Even as I said that, I knew it wasn’t true, but one could hope. “When are Nora and Quinn getting here?”

“Quinn is flying in from Paris and wasn’t sure about all the connections, so she didn’t have an ETA, though she said she’d be getting into San Francisco tomorrow, or possibly even the following day. I guess once she arrives she’ll make arrangements for the ferry over to the island.”

“So she probably won’t be here until Monday at least.”

“That would be my guess. You know how busy she is. I’m just grateful she agreed to take any time off at all.”

Diana Quinby, Quinn to everyone who knew her, was a foreign correspondent for United Press International and traveled extensively. Although I hadn’t seen her in years, I did chat with her on the phone every couple of months, and it seemed she lived an interesting life.

“And Nora?”

“Nora had to postpone her arrival and won’t make it to the island until next week as well,” Carrie continued. “I’m guessing Thursday, or even Friday.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?” Nora was married, with four grown children. She’d married her one true love, Matt Hargrove, right out of high school. Of all the couples I knew, they, it seemed, were the most perfectly suited.

“Shelby has been having some sort of issue with her college admissions packet, and Nora decided to make the trip out to Massachusetts to get it worked out in person. You know Nora; when it comes to those children of hers, a phone call won’t do.”

“I heard Shelby had been accepted to Harvard. That is really something. Nora must be over the moon with pride and happiness.”

Carrie gently nibbled on her lower lip in what seemed to be a nervous habit. “You would think that Nora would be ecstatic that not only has Shelby actually achieved her dream of going to Harvard but, now that she will be going off to college, Matt and Nora would finally have the house to themselves. But when I spoke to her, she didn’t seem happy. She seemed frantic and nervous and sort of sad.”

“Sad?”

“I get the empty nest thing,” Carrie shared. “I began to have all sorts of stress-related issues the moment Jessica started applying to colleges, and then, when she actually left the house where we’d raised her for the last time, I broke down and wept, despite the fact that I knew she’d be back for Christmas break. But I sensed something more than empty nest syndrome from Nora. Shelby is her youngest and she has said goodbye to three other children. Still, I suppose the last one to leave home is the hardest.”

“I guess we can talk to her to see what’s on her mind when she gets here,” I suggested.

“Yes, we can. I can’t wait until we are all together again.”

“I’m excited to see everyone, but sitting here relaxing with you is nice too,” I said. “I’d forgotten how blue the sea is along this stretch of beach.”

“It is something special,” she agreed. “I always did think this was the prettiest stretch of coastline on the island. I’ve even thought of buying one of the little cottages down the road after I sell my house.”

“You’re selling your house? That’s great. When I spoke to you last, you sounded like you weren’t ready to make the break.”

She nodded. “I used to love that house, but part of my new life, new me plan includes a new living space. I still want to be on the water, but I want something small that I can maintain with minimal effort. I haven’t definitely decided to move to this end of the island because there are advantages to being close to the village, but I have definitely decided to sell the house. Carl is having a fit about that, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t care. I got the house in the divorce settlement, so it is mine to do with as I please.”

I held up my glass in a toast. “Good for you. I love your new life, new you mantra. I think it is exactly the attitude you need to move past this and get on with whatever the future holds.”

Carrie clicked her glass with mine. “I was a total wreck for a long time, but I really do feel better with each day that passes. I actually feel excited to see what comes next for me.” Her phone buzzed. She looked at the caller ID. “It’s a text from Jessica, letting me know that she made it to France.”

“Jessica is in France?”

Carrie nodded. “I’d hoped she’d spend the summer here on the island, but she insisted that she’d made plans with a friend to tour Europe. I know it’s been hard on her since Carl and I split up, so I didn’t really blame her for not wanting to hang out in the war zone, but I sure do miss her. Now that Carl is no longer in my life, I feel sort of empty.”

“I’m sure that will get better with time.”

“I’m sure it will.” She smiled. “In fact, it already has. Since it is just the two of us tonight, should we head into the village to see if we can break some hearts?”

I laughed. “I don’t know about the breaking hearts part, but I’d love to have dinner in the village. Is Danello’s still there?”

“It is, and they still have the best Italian food you are going to get anywhere.”

“It’s been forever since I allowed myself that many carbs, but I’m game if you are.”

“Oh, I’m game.” Carrie stood up. “Just let me change and we’ll go.”

Books by Kathi Daley

Come for the murder, stay for the romance

The Inn at Holiday Bay:

Boxes in the Basement

Letters in the Library

Message in the Mantel

Answers in the Attic

Haunting in the Hallway

Pilgrim in the Parlor

Note in the Nutcracker

Blizzard in the Bay

Proof in the Photo

Gossip in the Garden – May 2020

A Cat in the Attic Mystery:

The Curse of Hollister House

The Mystery Before Christmas

The Case of the Cupid Caper

The Secret of Logan Pond

Reunion Trilogy — Island Reunion

Summerhouse Reunion – April 2020

Topsail Sunday’s – May 2020

Campfire Secrets – June 2020

Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:

Halloween Hijinks

The Trouble With Turkeys

Christmas Crazy

Cupid’s Curse

Big Bunny Bump-off

Beach Blanket Barbie

Maui Madness

Derby Divas

Haunted Hamlet

Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies

Christmas Cozy

Alaskan Alliance

Matrimony Meltdown

Soul Surrender

Heavenly Honeymoon

Hopscotch Homicide

Ghostly Graveyard

Santa Sleuth

Shamrock Shenanigans

Kitten Kaboodle

Costume Catastrophe

Candy Cane Caper

Holiday Hangover

Easter Escapade

Camp Carter

Trick or Treason

Reindeer Roundup

Hippity Hoppity Homicide

Firework Fiasco

Henderson House

Holiday Hostage

Lunacy Lake

Celtic Christmas

Dija Diva – Publishing 2020

Zimmerman Academy The New Normal

Zimmerman Academy New Beginnings

Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook

Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:

Romeow and Juliet

The Mad Catter

Grimm’s Furry Tail

Much Ado About Felines

Legend of Tabby Hollow

Cat of Christmas Past

A Tale of Two Tabbies

The Great Catsby

Count Catula

The Cat of Christmas Present

A Winter’s Tail

The Taming of the Tabby

Frankencat

The Cat of Christmas Future

Farewell to Felines

A Whisker in Time

The Catsgiving Feast

A Whale of a Tail

The Catnap Before Christmas

A Mew Beginning – Publishing 2020

A Tess and Tilly Mystery:

The Christmas Letter

The Valentine Mystery

The Mother’s Day Mishap

The Halloween House

The Thanksgiving Trip

The Saint Paddy’s Promise

The Halloween Haunting

The Christmas Clause

The Wedding Plan – Summer 2020

Rescue Alaska Mystery:

Finding Justice

Finding Answers

Finding Courage

Finding Christmas

Finding Shelter – Publishing 2020

The Hathaway Sisters:

Harper

Harlow

Hayden – Publishing 2020

Writers’ Retreat Mystery:

First Case

Second Look

Third Strike

Fourth Victim

Fifth Night

Sixth Cabin

Seventh Chapter

Eighth Witness

Ninth Grave

Haunting by the Sea:

Homecoming by the Sea

Secrets by the Sea

Missing by the Sea

Betrayal by the Sea

Thanksgiving by the Sea

Christmas by the Sea

Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery:

Pumpkins in Paradise

Snowmen in Paradise

Bikinis in Paradise

Christmas in Paradise

Puppies in Paradise

Halloween in Paradise

Treasure in Paradise

Fireworks in Paradise

Beaches in Paradise

Thanksgiving in Paradise

Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:

Murder at Dolphin Bay

Murder at Sunrise Beach

Murder at the Witching Hour

Murder at Christmas

Murder at Turtle Cove

Murder at Water’s Edge

Murder at Midnight

Murder at Pope Investigations

Seacliff High Mystery:

The Secret

The Curse

The Relic

The Conspiracy

The Grudge

The Shadow

The Haunting

Road to Christmas Romance:

Road to Christmas Past

USA Today best-selling author Kathi Daley lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spending time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than a hundred books in twelve series. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com

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