Ramos’ theory had taken hold, and she couldn’t shake that he was onto something. He had ten years more experience than she, along with the fact that he’d worked a serial case about seven years ago. He’d had the privilege of working with a profiler fromthe Bureau. If he believed there was a chance that she had two different suspects, she’d give his opinion serious consideration.
Ramos' theory about Missy’s cell phone also nagged at Hadley. Sandy Richardson's best friend had mentioned her winning a brown teddy bear from a game at the festival, yet it was never found. Had she dropped it in the woods at night, it would have been difficult to spot among the dead leaves and debris. Yet the perp had taken time to find it and take it with him, leaving no trace of Sandy behind.
“Damn it, Ramos,” Hadley muttered as she unfolded the map across her lap. “You would throw a wrench into the case, wouldn’t you?”
She tried to concentrate on the five locations she'd circled in red. Each represented a depression in the land or an area obscured from view. The sun hung low in the western sky, and she maybe had an hour of daylight left.
She switched off the engine, unable to stop the padlocked shed behind the Hobbs’ barn from forming in her mind. The image had stuck with her. In rural communities like Whistlerun, people rarely bothered securing outbuildings with anything more than a simple latch. A padlock meant something worth protecting—or concealing.
The sudden silence pressed against her eardrums, broken only by the metallic ticks of the cooling engine. She was wasting daylight, and she could reassess on the drive home. In the meantime, she had enough time to cross at least three areas off her list.
She exited her vehicle, walked around to the back, and opened the rear hatch. She retrieved a heavy-duty flashlight from her emergency kit. She then pulled her cell phone from her pocket, shared her location with Ramos, and quickly texted him that she would call him at six o’clock.
The first site lay between two fenced fields, a shallow depression that could easily have been dismissed as natural erosion. Hadley approached it with measured steps, scanning the ground for any disturbance that didn't belong. Tall grass evenly spread out swayed gently in the breeze, revealing nothing beneath. She knelt, but there was nothing but dirt, rocks, and the occasional root.
Moving to the second location took fifteen minutes of careful navigation through undergrowth. She made a mental note to check for ticks in the shower tonight.
This particular spot, a clearing behind a stand of pine trees, offered more privacy. Again, Hadley conducted a methodical search, this time walking in expanding circles from the center point she'd marked. The ground here was harder, packed with pine needles, making it unlikely that anyone had dug here within the last year—or perhaps ever.
The sun dipped lower, blanketing an orange glow across the landscape. She’d forgotten how beautiful the fields could be in the fall. The grim purpose of her search had her ignoring nature’s splendor. She pressed on to the third location, an area near an old fence line where the land created a natural hollow.
As she approached, a crow took flight from a nearby tree, its harsh cry cutting through the stillness. The hollow appeared untouched, with vegetation growing evenly across its surface. No signs of digging, no unusual patterns in the plant growth. Nothing to suggest that bodies had been buried beneath.
Hadley checked the time. She could squeeze in one more site that had caught her interest. It would mean walking back to the SUV in the dark, but she always made sure her emergency bag was kept up-to-date. The batteries in the flashlight were fresh.
She finally reached the fourth location, a secluded spot behind some abandoned pieces of farm equipment. Shadows lengthened around her, turning familiar shapes into unnervingsilhouettes. She’d timed it a few minutes too short. Switching on her flashlight, she swept the beam across the ground.
The light caught on something reflective, but it was nothing more than a discarded beer can. She moved it aside with the toe of her boot, examining the faded label. The can was old.
The air had cooled considerably in the past five minutes, carrying with it the scent of damp soil and vegetation. Still nothing, though. No disturbed earth, no unlikely objects, nothing to suggest this spot harbored the remains of those young girls.
Darkness had now settled around her.
The fifth location, the most remote of her marked spots, would have to wait until tomorrow. Pushing through unfamiliar terrain in the dark was a risk she couldn't justify taking, especially alone.
As she began to retrace her steps, Hadley reviewed the possible scenarios. There was a good chance none of them would pan out. As Elijah mentioned the other day, these were people she’d known all her life. While the Dawkins hadn’t been close to the Hobbs, both families had resided in Whistlerun for decades.
Being away from it all for over a decade had given Hadley a new perspective, though. What did any of them really know about each other? A lot of farmers and families kept to themselves. While some drove into town for groceries or a beer at Gus’ place, others were more prone to only drive through to pick up their mail at the post office. A smile or a wave could just be masks for something more evil lurking underneath.
She kept her pace steady despite the growing unease settling between her shoulder blades. Why was it that darkness brought out one’s irrational thoughts? Bad things happened all the time during the day, yet logic still managed to go out the window after nightfall.
To push aside her growing uneasiness of being in the middle of nowhere by herself, she pulled her phone from her pocket. The screen's glow was harsh against the surrounding darkness. She pressed Ramos’ name and pressed the phone against her ear.
While she waited for him to answer, the moonlight became brighter. She peered up at the sky, relaxing somewhat now that the thin clouds overhead had made way for the moonlight.
“You meet theThreshing Manyet?”
“Very funny,” Hadley muttered, not willing to admit that his voice provided an unexpected comfort in the isolation of the fields. “Four of the five locations have been checked off the list. I’ll drive out here first thing tomorrow morning to check the fifth, before Allen Hobbs can rescind his wife’s permission.”
“You do realize that there are many other places to bury eight bodies on two hundred acres, right? And if Missy is still alive, none of those areas would even stand out to you.”
“Which is why I’m stopping in at the department on the way home. I’m going to—” Hadley caught herself from falling when she inadvertently stepped into a divot. “Damn it.”
“Everything okay?”
“Not watching where I’m going, apparently.” Hadley realized that she had carelessly quickened her pace. She intentionally slowed her stride so she wouldn’t end up twisting her ankle. “I’m fine. As I was saying, I’m going to borrow the department’s drone. Maybe I can pick up something that way.”
“I’m still at the station, so I can check it out for you.”
