He pinched the bridge of his nose and motioned for us to follow him further down the gravel path, away from everyone else.
“He knows,” he said once we were out of earshot.
“About…”
“All of it.”
“You told him about Charlie?” I asked, shocked. I couldn’t imagine trying to explain a ghost to a federal agent, let alonethatfederal agent.
“He explained you’ve had a…surprise gueststaying with you at the lookout. I don’t believe Officer Morris to be a dishonest person, so I’ve chosen to accept what he’s told me until I confirm it for myself.”
“I also filled him in on what happened last night,” Tate said, going a bit red in the cheeks.
Agent Sunglasses smirked.
Ah. So he was the mysterious voice in the background when I called Tate.“Is that right? Youfilled him in?”
Sunglasses coughed, and Tate looked ready to turn me into another crime scene.I couldn’t decide if Charlie would’ve batted me upside the head or high-fived me for that one.
Probably both.
“So,”he continued, voice dripping with venom, “now that we’re alone, other than finding an unknown male staring at youthrough your windows last night, have you seen anything else odd in the last few days? And is there anything you’d like to add to your account of how you found the body?”
I clarified it wasbothCharlie and I who’d made the gruesome discovery, and reiterated that I hadn’t seen anything else out of the ordinary.
“Oh!” I said as we began to walk back toward the gravel lot. “I did see Bobby’s truck on this road yesterday. There’s a stretch farther into the park that’s visible from the tower. He would’ve had to come by this way; maybe he saw something?”
I’d completely forgotten about it after everything that happened when Tate showed up at the lookout.
Tate blinked.
“How do you know who it was?” Sunglasses asked.
“I saw the truck through my binoculars; it was the old Chevy he bought from Dad. It’s the only one like it in the area, unmistakable. And it?—”
I stopped, warring with myself on whether or not to share the next detail. Certainly, it was a coincidence. Nothing to get worked up over. I’d already given a DNA sample when Tate arrived, so they could rule me out. They’d ask Bobby a few questions, clear everything up, and rule him out, too.
Right?
“It’s what?” Sunglasses prompted.
“Um,he had an ATV in the bed of the truck.”
Tate grew very still, while Sunglasses waved me off. “Thanks for letting us know. We’ll give him a call.”
Now that I’d remembered, I couldn’t shake it from my mind. Whywas he out here in the first place? And what a coincidence, that it was the day before I found Janine’s body in averydiscoverable location—one that absolutely would’ve been searched when she first went missing.
Back in my truck and finally ready to depart, I weaved through the gravel lot, dodging the crammed government vehicles. Before I could leave, though, Tate broke away from what appeared to be a heated conversation with Sunglasses and motioned for me to stop and roll down my window.
“I spoke with my grandmother,” he said lowly, casting a look around for listening ears. “If Charlie can make it, she wants to meet him tonight.”
The rubber band squeezing around my chest doubled, then quadrupled. “Tonight?”
He nodded. “We’ve never found one of the victim’s bodies before, Reece. Why now? Why this one? Why here?” He shook his head. “Whether or not it’s the same guy or a copycat, this is big. It’s a lot harder to avoid being caught in 2025 than it was in 1986, especially now that we have more evidence to work with. You two should… prepare yourselves. If he can remember anything, we need to know now.”
“Okay,” I said, clearing my throat. “He’s resting, but should be back later. I’ll tell him.”
“Good. I’ll give you a call when we’re ready.”
