Page 28 of So Dark

“I understand your meaning,” Faith assured her. “Besides being serious about survivalism, what else can you tell me about Kelly?”

Lisa chuckled. “Well… she was twenty-three. I think that sums it up nicely.”

Michael smiled slightly. “Expand on that anyway.”

She shrugged. “She was very pretty, and she knew it. She was very knowledgeable but also very naïve. Unfortunately, she didn’t know that. Between you and me, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that everyone in the group slept with her at one point. Except for me, of course.”

“Did anyone seem to be jealous?” Faith asked. “Anyone who might have felt betrayed by Kelly’s promiscuity?”

“Oh no. No, I don’t think anyone would have admitted to sleeping with her. I don’t know that anyone even did, I was just pointing out that she knew she was pretty.”

“Let’s confine ourselves to concrete statements from now on,” Faith requested. “Tell me about Jake Thornton.”

“Jake was a very moody man. He’s my age, forty-four, but he’s not a happy person. I think he took up survivalism to escape something in his past.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, he was just always so surly. Not angry, really. He would talk to people, he was just… well, surly.”

“Was there anyone in particular who annoyed him?”

“No, but Kelly definitely annoyed him the least.”

“But you don’t know if they were involved with each other?”

“I don’t know, but like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised. Kelly knew she could get it from anyone if she wanted it.”

“Were you jealous at all of the attention she received?”

Lisa laughed again. "Oh no. Very much no. Robert only has eyes for me. And I make very sure he doesn't need to go looking for anyone else. That's another aspect of survivalism that I think could really help people. Sex is still viewed as a taboo thing in our society, even between married couples sometimes. I don't understand it. Ilovesatisfying Robert. It’s so exciting to see his face change like it does when he—”

“We don’t need to hear about your private life with your husband,” Faith interrupted.

Turk made a coughing sound that Faith recognized as laughter. Sometimes, Faith thought he understood more than he let on.

Lisa shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m not ashamed of it.”

“Nor should you be,” Michael said. Faith gave him a fishy look, and he cleared his throat. “And Graham Nash?”

Lisa’s eyes widened in admiration. “Graham was the most committed of all of us for sure. And the least tied down. No family, no job, enough money to survive without working, enough skills to survive without money… He was, I think, only a half-step away from doing it.”

“Doing what?”

“It.”Lisa said. “Getting out of here. Going off the grid and just living as God intended us to.” Her eyes shone. “I really admired him. I’ll bet you anything that’s where he is right now. Somewhere out there in the wilderness living in a hut he’s built with his own hands, picking berries, fishing, hunting and just enjoying life far away from all of the distractions we’ve created for ourselves.”

Faith was very interested in Graham Nash. He fit the profile of someone who had reached the peak of survival skill and might need to up the ante to gain a thrill. “Do you have contact information for these individuals?” she asked Lisa.

Lisa chuckled. “I mean, I do, but it’s a tossup whether any of them will be available. Graham probably won’t.”

“You seem sure of that.”

She sighed. "Not sure. Just hopeful. I want to live vicariously through him. I could never give up, Robert, you understand. Not even to live my dream life." Her smile grew wistful. "Love is a wonderful thing. It catches hold of you and never lets you go. I thought my whole life that I'd end up like Graham and eventually live off the grid. Instead, I met Robert, and that became more important than anything. Don't tell him I said so, but I would even move to New York City if he asked me. God, I really love him."

“Good for you,” Faith said. She wasn’t really sure what to say, but that sounded all right.

“Thank you for your time, Lisa,” Michael said, handing her a card. “If you think of anything else, please give us a call.”

“Oh, for sure. It was nice talking with you. Have a safe drive, and I really hope you find whoever’s responsible for this.”

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