Page 27 of Little Buried Secrets

I tipped my head to the side and said, “This is Sebastian. He’s Margot’s ex-boyfriend. He recognized the shoe as one in a pair he bought for her when they were together.”

Silas acknowledged Sebastian with a nod and held the baggie up, staring inside.

“Huh,” he said. “It isn’t the type of shoe someone would forget, now, is it? Where was it found?”

“We were just about to make our way over to where the kid discovered it,” Foley said.

The six of us, which included Foley, Whitlock, Silas, Sebastian, Giovanni, and me, walked toward the boulder. Silas took photos, while Whitlock and Foley milled around, inspecting the area around it.

“There aren’t any visible tracks,” I said. “I already looked. I’m guessing if there were, the rain we’ve had this week has washed them all away.”

“Guessing so,” Foley said.

“There’s not much more to see here by the looks of it,” I said. “Not around the boulder anyway.”

Foley placed a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “I see your parents have arrived to collect you. You should join them.”

“Are you saying I can go home?”

“You can … after you go to the police department and answer a few questions. I’m only going to say this next part once: I want this kept quiet. If what’s been found gets out before I have a chance to get on top of it, I’ll know who to blame. We have a lot of ground to cover, and we need time to cover it. That goes for you and your parents. Understood?”

Sebastian nodded.

Once he was out of earshot, Whitlock nudged me. “What do you think? You believe the kid’s story? You think he was just out here, searching for the girl, and happened to stumble upon her shoe?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m not saying he’s guilty of murder or anything, but something doesn’t feel right. He could have planted the shoe for all we know.”

“Seems guilty, if you ask me,” Whitlock said. “I mean look at him. Reminds me of that old folk tale about Henny Penny. Has a look in his eyes, like any second now he expects an asteroid to hit, bringing the world to an end.”

If Sebastian cared for Margot like he said he did, part of his world had come to an end.

“Show me the piece of fabric you found,” Foley said.

“It’s over here,” I said.

We huddled around the strip of material, and Foley took his notebook out of his pocket and began reading the things he’d jotted down over the past couple days.

“Let me save you some time,” I said. “Margot was wearing a white sweater, brown pants, and pink-and-white tennis shoes the last time she was seen.”

“Mmm … what do we make of the piece of fabric?” Foley asked. “Is it an item unrelated to her disappearance, or could it have gotten torn off someone else’s clothes—someone who was with her the other night?”

It was more of a question he was asking himself than one he expected me to answer.

Silas clipped the branch off the tree and bagged and tagged the snippet of fabric.

“Doesn’t appear to have any stains on it of any kind—no blood,” Silas said. “Then again, there’s not much to it.”

Foley ran a hand along his chin. “What to do now ... I need to make some calls. I’d like to get a couple more officers out here to help us look around. Georgiana, I’d like you to remain, if you don’t have anything pressing.”

“I can stay,” I said. “I just need to eat something. You don’t want me fainting on you out here.”

“No, I do not.”

“I’ll go into town and return with food for everyone,” Giovanni said.

Foley tipped his head toward Giovanni. “Much appreciated. And hey, you’re welcome to join in the search when you return, if you like.”

“Of course. I’ll assist in any way I can.”

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