Page 16 of Tears on Her Grave

“We aren’t chasing down these people for a murder charge. We just want to know who was on the mountain that night and if anyone suspicious was hanging around.” Kane huffed out a sigh. “It’s a cold case and we don’t expect the murderer to be in the forest now, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop investigating their deaths. Cole and Abby deserve to have their killer brought to justice and we aim to do it.” His gaze became almost predatory. “No matter how long it takes.”

Jenna dragged her attention away from Kane’s face. It was obvious that he had the same impression as she had about Marissa. The woman was fidgeting in her chair, couldn’t look at them, and was thinking before she spoke, and the long pauses within the conversation were getting annoying. “Marissa, whatI would like you to do is just tell me everything you can recall about that night. What the weather was like is a good place to start. Did you go there with a special friend or did you go with a group of friends?”

“It was cold like it is most Halloweens. Mist was rising up from the river and spilling through the forest.” Marissa stared into space. “There were students everywhere, following each other up the trail and heading toward the river. Some were wearing Halloween costumes. Many were wearing masks of one sort or another. I remember the group of boys that were with us as we walked up the mountain. They are all about the same size and wearing their college jackets with identical Halloween masks, so no, I don’t know exactly who was there.”

“Yet you recognized Cole and Abby. How so?” Kane’s hard gaze was relentless. “What made him different from everyone else in the pack?”

“They were walking in front of me.” Marissa gripped her hands tight on the table, making her knuckles go white. “Cole was slightly smaller than some of the other boys on the football team and he wasn’t wearing a mask. He was holding Abby’s hand and carrying her backpack over one shoulder. Abby had a flashlight and was using it to show the way along the trail.” She chewed on her bottom lip as if she was trying to think up another lie. “We all ended up alongside the river. It was cold and very damp. The boys went about making a fire and the girls collected rocks to make a fire circle. We dragged some old stumps to the edge of the fire and sat around telling ghost stories and toasting marshmallows. As I said before, I recall seeing Abby whisper in Cole’s ear and then stand up. He followed her up the trail toward the Whispering Caves. They were consenting adults and what they did when they left the group is none of my business. I didn’t even have a thought about it. I just recall it happening. I didn’t watch out to see if they returned.”

Jenna made a few notes. “Who did you come to the forest with that night? Did you drive yourself or get a ride with someone?”

“I went with Josie Campbell. She used to be Grady back then.” Marissa lifted her head slowly and looked at Jenna. “I gave her a ride. My parents had supplied me with a truck for college. We were friends then and we still are now. I call her maybe once or twice a week but she’s always busy working.”

Nodding, Jenna made a couple more notes. “Did she happen to mention that we dropped by to speak to her?”

“Yes, it did come up in a conversation we had after we saw the news report about the deaths of Abby and Cole.” Marissa pressed a hand to her chest. “It was such a shock to find that they had died and been left in the mountains all this time. To think that I’ve hiked to the river many times since that night. Do you know where they were found? When I was speaking to Josie, she figured they must have gone down the mountain or walked along the river and maybe fallen in.”

“Nope.” Kane unfolded his arms and leaned on the table. “Somebody buried them in a cave. It must have been deep inside the mountain away from water because the bodies are mummified, which means they are exactly the same as when they were buried. At this point in time the medical examiner is going over every inch of their bodies looking for clues. Their clothes were intact. This is how they were so easily identified.”

“Oh, I see.” Marissa’s gaze hit the table again and she picked at her fingernails restlessly. “Well, I don’t have anything else to tell you. We sat around the fire after Cole and Abby left, listened to everyone telling ghost stories, waited until midnight, and then everyone just sort of drifted off. I walked down the mountain with Josie and we went home. Of course, we knew by the following Monday that Cole and Abby had gone missing. Search parties were organized, but the sheriff who came and spoke tous intimated that he believed they’d run away together. None of us thought that was true because Cole had gone into the draft and would have made a professional football team. That’s not something he would have run away from with Abby or anyone else.” She sighed. “After the search was called off, we sort of went back to normal. We all graduated and went about our lives. I’m sorry there’s not anything else I can tell you.”

“How often do you see the group of men that you were with that night?” Kane scrutinized her face. “They all live in town as far as I’m aware, so surely you’d run into them from time to time.”

“Me?” Marissa snorted a laugh. “No, not all of them. Most of them have gone their separate ways. I’m a tax agent and Clint Wasser is a client, but none of the others have contacted me since graduation. I might nod to them in passing but they’re not close friends. I haven’t had too much luck when it comes to romance. In our group at college, I was just along for the ride. Josie got plenty of attention, but none of the boys were interested in me.”

Folding her notebook and pushing it inside her pocket along with her pen, Jenna stood. She handed a card to Marissa. “If you think of anything else, give me a call. It’s obvious you didn’t hear a noise or see any strangers hanging around, which puts the blame directly on the group of students that were on the mountain that night. Try and bring back that evening by going over what happened from the time you got dressed to the time you went home and see if you can recall any strange vehicles or people wandering around that evening. If you do remember anything at all, no matter how small, you can call me anytime.”

“I’ll give that some thought.” Marissa followed them down the passageway and stood staring at them as they put on their boots and slickers.

The moment Jenna stepped out onto the porch, the chain slid into position on the front door. It seemed that Marissa wasn’t taking any chances of an intruder getting into the house. As she jogged back to the Beast, she turned to Kane. “What do you make of her?”

“She’s hiding something.” Kane swung into the truck. “That story she told us is almost the same as Josie’s. As everyone’s memories are slightly different, I find that a little bit hard to believe.” He started the engine and turned the truck around before heading back along Main. “I figure that she’s spoken to Josie about our visit and they decided to get their stories straight. Another thing I find hard to believe is that college students who live in the same town are practically strangers after being close friends for many years in college and probably high school as well. Unless they all argued about something between themselves, it doesn’t make much sense.”

Running the interview through her mind, Jenna nodded. “Yeah, I kept in contact with many of my college buddies. I knew where they’d started work and where they were living. Many of us would get together and go out for coffee or drinks. Then there were the reunions—the five-year and the ten-year reunion—that these people would have attended, no doubt. You’re correct, maybe what’s keeping them apart is the fact they’re all involved in two murders.” She rubbed her hands together. “Now can we have lunch?”

“Not a problem.” Kane smiled at her.

Happiness surrounded Jenna like a warm hug when she walked inside Aunt Betty’s Café. The wonderful aromas of food cooking and freshly ground coffee made her stomach growl with appreciation. It had been a long time since breakfast and suddenly she understood exactly how Kane felt most of the time. Being ravenous was unusual for her, but of late she couldn’t seem to get enough food to fill her for more than a couple ofhours. She stared at the specials list—barbecue pork ribs with all the trimmings. It was something she’d usually have for dinner, but as the delicious smell crawled up her nostrils, she grinned at Wendy behind the counter. “I’ll have the ribs with all the trimmings, including the sweet corn. Peach pie and ice cream and a tall glass of milk.”

“I’ll have the same, but forget the milk. I’ll just have coffee.” Kane snorted a laugh behind her. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d come in here and order the entire specials menu.”

Removing her slicker as she strolled through the restaurant, Jenna glanced over one shoulder at him. “It’s not my fault. Our baby is obviously favoring you. Big feet and a voracious appetite are a clue I can’t ignore.” She hung her slicker over the back of the chair beside her and smiled at him. “At least now I can be sympathetic when your stomach growls with hunger. I know just how it feels.”

SIXTEEN

Why couldn’t the cops just leave it the heck alone? No one even mentions Cole and Abby anymore. We’d all forgotten about them long ago and now they have to rise up from the dead like avenging angels to cause problems for everyone. There’s only one person who can keep everyone under control, and that’s me. The problem is right now anything can happen, and I can’t trust anyone. The phone calls started happening the moment the sheriff and her deputy left Marissa’s home. They at least stuck to the rules on getting a call and passing on the information to another, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that Marissa is close to breaking and that can’t be allowed to happen. From the call I received from Lily, Marissa had divulged or acknowledged the fact that all of us guys were with those girls that night. From what Lily had mentioned, Marissa had tried to cover up who we were by saying we were all wearing Halloween masks. This was true, but she shouldn’t have agreed that we were all there on that evening. How much longer will it be before she starts divulging more details?

Nervousness had come down the line when Lily spoke to me. As a very outgoing woman who deals with people all day as a hairstylist, I’ve rarely seen her upset with anyone and yet shewas fuming when she called me. She figured that Marissa could have covered up our names by just saying it was a long time ago and she’d forgotten who was there, but no, she had to agree with the deputy when he read out a list of names. It’s obvious that Marissa is easily intimidated. Heck, when I was speaking to her out at the Old Mitcham Ranch, she was practically shaking in her boots. I could imagine Deputy Kane staring her down would have been enough to make her talk. This doesn’t mean that they have any evidence against us. Just saying we were there doesn’t make us guilty as there were many more people on the mountain that evening.

Things keep piling up against me and I need to take action to protect myself. Friendships might last a long time, but I can’t trust anyone right now. I noticed a newsflash on the TV at lunchtime saying that the medical examiner and the forensic anthropologist would be doing a media conference to discuss the bodies they found in the river. The broadcast mentioned that new clues had been uncovered. Right now, the group of us is in danger of being discovered, and Marissa is a loose cannon. As I stare out into the pouring rain, I slowly shake my head as I formulate a plan. Taking Marissa out is my only option of silencing her, but it will be a huge risk. I’ve kept my killing sprees out of Black Rock Falls since that night and settled into a life where people have no idea what I do for recreation. Living in a town renowned for hunting and coming back from a trip spattered in blood doesn’t raise an eyebrow, and oh boy, I’ve done that so many times now I’ve lost count.

That night in the mountains, I needed to kill so bad my hands were shaking, and then Abby and Cole headed my way. I didn’t choose them. The first person to walk by would have satisfied my need and doing two at once was an extra thrill, but hiding the bodies and explaining the blood to the others was a problem. Not for my folks. When I arrived home that night, I told my momI had fake blood all over from a Halloween prank and she made it vanish without a trace. I still recall the expressions on the faces of Lily and Marissa as I walked back into the camp blood-splattered and excited. You see, it’s very difficult to come down from a kill. My heart pounds so fast and my muscles quiver. I need time to walk around and become normal again.

I gathered them all together and even managed to shed a tear or two to show how terribly upset I was. How I’ve done the most terrible thing and I needed their help. The lies had come easily. I told them I’d decided to go and see if anyone had had the guts to go up to the Whispering Caves, but when I got there I heard someone cry out, but the sound was muffled. I ran into the cave and found Cole standing over Abby with an ax. There was blood everywhere and I attacked Cole and got the ax away from him, but he pulled a knife on me. I said Abby was still alive, and she was because I killed her last. I told them I heard Abby moan, and Cole turned to stab her in the chest. At this point I faked sobbing and leaned heavily on Marissa for a time.

When they asked what had happened, I recall looking at them one at a time and asking them what they would have done. They all said that I should have stopped him. When I told them that as he turned his back, I hit him with the ax and figured I’d killed him. Instead of being horrified, they all nodded in agreement. It didn’t take too much to convince them to come back up the mountain with me and bury them in the cave. We used the ax and our hands to dig the hole. Once we had them buried, I threw the ax into the river, along with the knife and Abby’s phone. We all washed up and then cleaned our camp. We headed down a different trail and then returned as if we just arrived and joined the others alongside the river. That evening was the last time I’d had a single thought about Abby and Cole. As we were all in it together, I had no worries that anyone would run to the cops.

I now have a dilemma. I have too many skeletons in the closet for the law to look at me. If they even suspect me and get my DNA, it won’t just be Abby and Cole. They will tie me into all the others across the state. I can’t allow this to happen. If my friends become my enemies, then the Whispering Caves Axman will need to strike again.

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