Page 11 of The Girl in the River

“I heard him say she was more beautiful than any flowers we carried,” Mrs. Hinton said with a note of wistfulness.

Ellie smiled at the image, just as the wind picked up again, knocking Pixie’s basket of rose petals over and scattering them across the lawn. Dusk had faded, the colors of the sunset disappearing as the gray sky grew more ominous. The quarter moon slithered through the clouds, beaming down on faces haunted by worry.

Thunder rumbled, and suddenly the blustery winds intensified, shaking trees and tearing the ribbon from the chairs. A few of them blew over and raindrops began to pelt the grass.

“Everyone inside!” the wedding coordinator shouted.

Ellie’s gaze met Shondra’s. “Keep them contained in the reception room.”

Shondra nodded and began to herd the guests inside. Lola ran up with Pixie clinging to her then followed the group. Ellie’s phone buzzed.

She waited until Mark and Liam were inside before answering. “Cord?”

“We found something,” Cord said in a deep voice. “Meet me at the river. And, El, you might want to come alone.”

Ellie’s heart hammered. If Cord wanted her to come alone, it couldn’t be good.

ELEVEN

Tucking her phone in the pocket of her sundress,Ellie walked briskly to the golf cart stand, waved over an attendant and flashed her shield. “Can you take me to the river?”

“Of course.”

She slid in the seat and held the bar as he sped onto the cement path that curved around the resort. Azaleas, pansies, and daffodils waved in the breeze, the impending scent of the storm blending with the sweet smell of the flowers. Unlike the dilapidated orphanage where her last case had taken place, beauty filled every corner of this property.

Except now dark gray clouds shrouded the beauty – and her friend was missing.

The driver spun around the path. With the storm, the golfers had packed up for the day and shadows hovered over the land. Thick woods rose all around and backed onto the river where the current ran fast and hard downstream.

A minute later, they reached the riverbank, and she spotted Cord waving at her. The golf cart driver pulled to a stop, and Ellie thanked him and hurried down the hill. Her feet sank into the wet grass and raindrops pelted her.

The sound of the river rippling echoed a few feet away.

Worry was etched into Cord’s face. “Something over there.” He pointed across the river to a downed tree.

Ellie’s breath caught as she spotted something indiscernible snagged onto a branch. “God. That could be fabric.”

Cord had already yanked off his jacket and tie and kicked off his shoes. “I was just about to go in and check it out.”

Thunder clapped and lightning grazed the tops of the mountain peaks in jagged streaks. “Be careful, Cord. The storm is getting worse.”

“I’ve got it.” Fierce determination flared on his face, then he handed Ellie his cell phone and dove into the river.

Ellie clenched her hands by her sides as she watched him swim to the other side. Cord was no gym rat, but he was strong, his strokes even and smooth, his muscular physique a testament to the fact that he spent most of his life outdoors.

The water bobbed up and down, and somewhere in the distance she heard a motorboat zipping downstream. She craned her neck to see who it was, but it was too far away.

Cord reached the tree and treaded water as he examined the netting caught on the branch.

A minute later, he shook his head and shouted, “Not good, El. We have a body.”

TWELVE

Ellie gritted her teeth. Dammit. Was it Mia?

Ellie paced up and down the river bank, scanning all directions, and spotted a canoe hidden between some pines about seventy-five feet away in the opposite direction of where Cord had come. Covering her head with her hand to ward off the worst of the rain, she jogged toward it, pushed the boat to the edge of the river and climbed in it. Thankful her father had taught her how to canoe, she lifted the paddles and rowed across the river.

The boat bounced and swayed, water splashing over the edge and soaking her bare feet. The current was so strong her muscles strained as she fought to keep from being swept downstream, and the wind whistled.

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