Page 65 of The Summer Guests

“We have our sources,” said Ingrid.

“The first responders? Did they tell you?”

“It’s a small town. People talk. The girl was found wearing a purple Speedo, am I right?”

Jo glared at them. “Yes.”

“But when Luther Yount dropped her off at the boat ramp, the girl was wearing a dress.”

“According to Mr. Yount.”

“We believe him,” said Lloyd. “Why don’t you?”

“Because Mr. Yount hasn’t told the whole truth. He’s been hiding something.”

“But notthis. He said she was wearing a dress when he left her at Maiden Pond. The same dress that ended up in their washing machine. Six days later, the girl’s found in a ravine wearing a bathing suit. Did you find her shoes, by the way?”

Jo sighed. “One sandal. The other one’s probably somewhere in the ravine. We haven’t had a chance to go back for a more thorough search.”

“Oh, we’re already on that,” said Ingrid.

“What?”

“Our people are down there, looking.”

Our people.Meaning the other members of the Martini Club. “It’s a crime scene, Mrs. Slocum. You and your friends have no business being there.”

“We have no doubt itisa crime scene,” said Ingrid. “But back to the question, why does a girl in a bathing suit end up in a ravine that’s miles from the pond where she was last seen? You know, this changes everything.”

“Explain.”

“It gives us a completely different reason for the abduction. It explains why her backpack was left on Route One. Why her cell phone was planted in Farley Wade’s truck. Yes, it all makes sense now, unless ...” Ingrid paused. “Is there evidence of sexual assault?”

Jo stared at her, taken aback by the shocking change in subject. “The doctors are trying to save her life. They’re not in there collecting evidence!”

“Was the bathing suit intact?”

Jo swallowed back her anger at the questions. “Yes, her bathing suit was intact, but we don’t know if there was any sexual assault,” she said evenly. “We don’t even know how she ended up in the ravine.”

“She hasn’t been able to tell you anything?”

“She was unconscious when they found her. The doctors think she’s bleeding inside her skull, and that’s why they’re operating now, to relieve the pressure on her brain.” Jo glanced at the ER doors. “It’s a miracle she survived at all.”

“She is an athlete,” said Lloyd. “Young and fit. If anyone could survive this much trauma, it would be someone like her.”

“But in what condition?” said Ingrid. “She may not be able to tell us what happened.”

“And that’s why I need to get back to work,” said Jo.

Ingrid nodded. “So do we.”

Chapter 32

Maggie

She stood with Declan and Ben at the edge of the road, gazing across the valley at the cliff whose distinctive shape had given it the name Indian Head. With the afternoon sunlight slanting across the crags, it did indeed look like a face in profile, with a noble forehead and a prominent jaw. It was a striking landmark, worthy of a visit if one had the time, but this scenic overlook was nowhere near the coastal routes that most tourists traveled. Even at the height of summer, this was not a busy road, which made it a convenient location to dispose of a body. It would not require too much effort. Just stop at this turnout and pop open the trunk, and in under a minute, one could drag out the body and roll it over the edge of the lookout. Beneath it was a forty-foot ravine, with shrubbery so dense it would completely swallow the body. Anyone who later stopped here to admire the view would never see what was lying far below, hidden among the bushes. In days or weeks, the stench of the decaying corpse might waft up toward the road, but in the wild, dead things were everywhere, and who could distinguish between the smell of a dead deer and a dead girl? If not for the pair of hikers and their wayward dog, Zoe Conover would still be lying down there, never to be found, her remains known only to hungry scavengers that would strip away her flesh and scatter her bones.

“I should’ve brought the dog,” said Ben. “He’d enjoy a good long walk like this.”

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