Page 59 of The Souls of Lost Lake
24
Wayne Sanderson needed to be tarred and feathered. Wren pumped the brakes as she pulled her truck into the lot by the Rec Barn. Meghan had been weeping the entire way back to camp. Could she blame her? Wren wanted to swear, but she tempered her thoughts. The idea that Wayne could help shed light on who the mysterious Ava Coons lookalike in the park might be, well, they’d never actually gotten to that, had they?Dredge Lost Lake for bodies? Tell that to the search team!Not to the woman whose daughter was missing! And bringing up Trina from years ago? Tasteless.
Yet Wren was just as annoyed with herself as she was with Wayne. She didn’t know what she’d expected. What she’d hoped to gain by going there. In retrospect, all it had done was prove she was lacking in her judgment calls.
She startled when the pickup’s passenger door yanked open. Ben reached up for Meghan and, without a glance at Wren, whisked her away.
“Ben!” Wren shouted after him.
Eddie was beelining it for the truck and gave Ben’s arm a slap as he walked by. The kind ofI’m here for youguy slap that boded no good news.
“What happened?” Wren jumped from the truck and slammed the door. She rounded the hood.
A cry rent the air, and she saw Meghan collapse into Ben’s arms. Wren froze, her knees threatening to give out. She met Eddie’s eyes as he jogged toward her.
“Eddie?”
He grabbed her arms to help steady her.
“Tell me she’s okay,” Wren demanded of him. Eddie rubbed her upper arms.
“Let’s sit down.” Eddie steered her toward the side of the Rec Barn. They rounded the corner away from the crowd that was fast gathering and the ruckus of tears and conversation.
“Is it Jasmine?” Wren begged Eddie to tell her. “They found her?”
Eddie shook his head. “No. But they found another...” He swallowed hard. “You remember ten years ago? The girl who went missing?”
A pit formed in her stomach. Only moments before she’d been discussing her with Wayne Sanderson. “Trina Nesbitt?”
Eddie nodded. “They found her.”
“Trina?” Wren’s knees weakened. She leaned against the barn. Struggling to compose herself, she swiped the backs of her eyes with her bare arm.
Eddie’s hand on her arm did little to reassure her. “One of the volunteers on the search party found the remains. It wasn’t far from Lost Lake.”
“Then how do they know it’s Trina?” Wren hated the thrill of hope that shot through her that it wasn’t Jasmine. But if not Jasmine, it was another little girl—whose father hadnotwhisked her out of state in a child custody battle.
“They’ll need to examine the remains to know for sure.” Eddie squeezed her arm. “There wasn’t much left. It’s been ten years. They found a necklace, though. Trina’s name was engraved on it, and it matches the necklace she was wearing in the photo on the missing person flyer that was circulated at the time.”
Wren didn’t try to stop the burning tears as they trailed down her face. It was close—too close to what was happening now with Jasmine. And right after what Wayne had stated?
“At least it’s not Jasmine, but the entire search team is shook. Ben didn’t take it well at all. The police are shifting their emphasis and...” Eddie let his words hang as he watched her. “You okay?”
Apparently she wasn’t. Her knees gave out, and Eddie caught her. “Hey, hey.” He helped her slide down the wall to sit on the ground. Wren pulled her knees up to her chest and looked helplessly at her friend.
“Something’s not right—about any of this. Wayne—” Her voice caught.
“What about Wayne?” Eddie leaned forward. “Wayne Sanderson?”
Wren blathered the details of her visit with Wayne, and she didn’t even notice when Eddie had reached for her as he sat next to her. She realized she was talking into his shoulder, her words muffled against his shirt, when she got to the part where Wayne had suggested they dredge Lost Lake.
Eddie pulled back. “Did you tell this to the police?”
Wren cast a look of utter desperation at him. “I haven’t had the chance.” Her face crumpled, her eyes so flooded she could barely make out Eddie’s features. “We came back tothis! It’s as if Wayne isn’t nuts at all! Who is in these woods, Eddie? Who ishuntingpeople?” Wren was afraid. Every ounce of her soul was bleeding with the possibilities of more impending grief, but this time with Jasmine. And then there was the...
“Why ismyname on Redneck Harriet’s foot?” Wren blurted out the question they’d asked before. “Am I a target? Is someone watchingme? Ava Coons wrote our names onyourdoorstep. The doll shoe! Do people really disappear in these woods? Am I next?”
“Stop. Just stop,” Eddie interjected sternly. His hand ran across her cheek as he pushed back her hair and held her face with his palms. “Listen to me. You need to calm down.”
