Page 49 of The Lake of Lost Girls

Mt. Randall Police Department Press Conference Regarding the disappearances of Tammy Estep and Phoebe Baker

January 15, 1999 10:15AM

“Good morning. My name is Sergeant Liam O’Neil with the Mt. Randall police department. I want to start by thanking everyone for being here and to thank the Mt. Randall Baptist Church for allowing us to use their facility. I’m going to provide you an update on the recent disappearances of two women who both attend Southern State University. I know there are a lot of rumors and speculation going around, and I wanted to make sure you have the facts to put these stories to bed. It’s true that on December 11 a missing person’s report was filed for Phoebe Baker from Leonard’s Creek, North Carolina, a freshman at Southern State University. She was last seen on December 6 by her roommate at Marion Hall on campus. My team has interviewed a number of her friends and acquaintances and have determined that, at this time, there is no evidence of foul play. It is highly probable Phoebe left of her own volition. Tammy Estep, a junior from Baltimore, Maryland, was last seen on November 12. It is important to note at this time that Tammy’s disappearance is not being treated as a missing person’s case, as neither her parents, nor anyone else, have formally made a report. It is believedthat, like Phoebe, Tammy voluntarily left the school—again, there is no indication of foul play. Despite the lack of evidence, we at the Mt. Randall Police Department are using a methodical and committed approach to locating both girls in order to put their family and friends at ease. Because of this, we feel there is no danger to the greater community. These appear to be isolated incidents. That means there’s no reason to believe a third party was involved at all, despite the talk going around to the contrary. The staff at Southern State University, particularly President Bradley Hamilton, have been working closely with our team to best support Phoebe’s family. If you have any information regarding either Tammy’s or Phoebe’s whereabouts, please contact the Mt. Randall Police Department. I will not be taking questions at this time. Thank you.”

CHAPTER10

LINDSEY

Present Day

I SAT ONmy bed watching my phone ring for the tenth time. And for the tenth time I ignored it.

Ignoredhim.

I wasn’t able to sleep last night. I had lain awake until the early hours staring at the pictures of Ryan and Jess. I had looked at them for so long that when I closed my eyes, the images were burned on the inside of my eyelids.

Ryan and Jess had been together.

I couldn’t come to terms with it. With what it meant for me.

Thankfully, today was my day off. I couldn’t imagine having to plaster a fake smile on my face and deal with guests and my staff while my mind was reeling.

I had been purposefully avoiding my parents all morning. I didn’t know what to say to them, so I chose to say nothing. Instead, I had sequestered myself in my room and thought of nothing else but Ryan. And Jess. And Ryan and Jess.

I needed someone to talk to. Someone who would understand. But I had no one. My isolation had never felt more pronounced.

I thought I could read people. I had always relied on my instincts. But he had duped me. How was that possible? I felt like an idiot who had been snowed by a good-looking man. Not just any man, either—my sister’s boyfriend.

No wonder Ryan had been so invested in the story. He had wanted to find out what happened to her. Had he been in love with her all this time? Had her disappearance shaped his life like it had shaped mine?

I wanted to be angry with him. And I was. But the dominant emotion was sadness. A little for me, and even for him as well.

My phone chimed again and I almost ignored it. But then I saw it was an alert for the new episode of theTen Seconds to Vanishpodcast. I had become almost scared to listen to it. Their endless chatter and inappropriate jokes angered me. While I appreciated them shining a light on these cold cases, I wished they could do so with a little more respect.

Despite my criticisms about their behavior, theywereuncovering a lot of information that was new to the investigation. And this week’s podcast claimed they had found out some interesting information regarding Jess’s boyfriend. But for once, I knew the scoop before hearing it from the hosts.

Because I now knew who the boyfriend was … Ryan.

“Linds!” Dad hollered up the stairs. “You’ve got a visitor.”

I got off the bed and headed toward the door. I had no idea who it was, but briefly wondered if I could tell Dad to send whoever it was away.

I sighed heavily as I made my way downstairs, already knowing I couldn’t do that. Dad was the type of man who thought you should face life, own up to your mistakes, take accountability. And he had raised me to never shy away from anything.

When I reached the middle of the stairs, I was shocked to see Ryan standing by the front door.

I wondered what Dad would do if he knew that the man in his home was Jess’s old boyfriend. That he had tracked me down and lied about who he was in order to gain my trust.Even after Jess disappeared, Dad had never been one of those shotgun you-can’t-date-my-daughter kind of fathers. He left me to make my own decisions, saying he trusted me to make the right choices. Though sometimes it felt more like a lack of interest than trust. For my emotional well-being, I made it a point to never study his back-seat parenting too closely.

Despite this, I knew he’d be more than a little pissed off with this situation. More because of Ryan’s connection to Jess than anything else.

I felt a violent clashing of emotions as I looked at Ryan. My body still responded at his nearness, yet it was at war with the devastating reality of who he was. His lies ripped away at my heart until all that was left was blood and pulp.

Both men turned to look up at me. My dad’s smile was preoccupied as always, as if he had mentally exited the room before he had physically left.

I didn’t want to look at Ryan, but I couldn’t help it. Like the first time we met, I felt pulled in. I drank him in until I became sick.

It wasn’t until that moment that our age difference became unmistakable. I had known he was quite a bit older than me, but seeing him standing next to my dad, it was blindingly obvious.

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