“She says right before she left.”
Ethan shakes his head. “Remember when I helped investigate her disappearance? I reached out to the marshal’s office for any supporting documentation. Something like that would’ve been pertinent to the case, or at least given us a clue. Dawson promised he’d share anything relevant, but he never mentioned her making a statement—and I definitely didn’t hear anything like that.”
“What else was strange about it?” Seth asks.
I bite my lip, thinking. “It didn’t sound natural. She said John Hillerman’s full name a lot. Way more than anyone ever should. And the tone was weird—sometimes too high, sometimes too low. Like she was answering questions that were cut out.”
“There were no other voices on the recording?” Ethan asks, frowning. “Not even Dawson’s?”
“No. Just hers.”
“Hmm. What was she saying on the recording?” Emily asks.
I flush. “I’d rather not repeat it.”
“Anyone else getting a strange feeling about this being more about John Hillerman?” Seth asks. “What do we actually know about that guy—besides him being a creep?”
“Married,” I say. “Two kids. His daughter, Josie, was a high school senior, like us. She’s the one who caught them in bed together and told the whole school.”
“He and his wife owned that thrift store downtown,” Emily says. “I used to shop there all the time.”
“He was also a town council member,” Cole adds. “Remember that internship I did in high school?”
“That’s right,” I say. “Sierra did mention he was a councilman.”
Emily has her phone out, scrolling. “The town council still has old meeting notes on its website. Looks like Hillerman was head of the budget committee.”
Ethan suddenly stands, his face a thundercloud.
“What’s up?” Emily asks.
“Humvee,” he bites out.
Cole gives a low, slow whistle. “You think?”
“Think what?” I ask.
“Oh—and get this!” Emily interrupts, her voicerising. “In March of that year, literally right after Sierra disappeared, Hillerman pushed to replace the town marshal and appoint Rick Dawson.”
Ethan starts pacing furiously. “That no-good, dirty cop… I’m going to—”
“Oh.” The realization hits me in the gut. “Dawson wasn’t going after Sierra,” I say slowly. “Not directly. He was using her—and the affair—to blackmail Hillerman.”
“Bingo,” Cole says.
“Bingo what? I don’t get it,” says Emily. “After that day at school and her disappearance, it was like everyone in town knew what had happened between the two of them by the end of the month. What did he have to blackmail him about?”
Ethan shakes his head roughly before resuming his pacing. “There are scarier things than public opinion based on rumors, Emily. What he did with Sierra was a crime—a felony. We’re talking sex offender registry, prison. And it looks like Dawson made it all go away for Hillerman, even though you know Mom reported it to the police. He got away with it scot-free.”
Cole shot an arm out to stop Ethan’s pacing, one of Cole’s pet peeves. “We don’t have proof,” he says. “Conjecture won’t get us far.”
“Ugh, that’s so frustrating!” Emily groans. “Well, we’re definitely not changing the trust conditions after this!”
All the air goes out of me. I can’t deal with this. I can’t help this helpless anger bubble up anymore. I stand.
“I’m sorry about the reviews. Give all my tours to Seth if you need to. I’ll let you know when I’m okay again.”
Seth follows me out into the hall. “Logan, wait. I need to talk to you.” He lets out a heavy breath. “I’m sorry I blamed you for… Listen, Emily’s right. We all make our own choices. And Imade mine. If I’m not happy with them, that’s on me. And yeah, I hate how it happened—with all of us thinking your girl had died, you wandering around the landscape, grief-stricken, mourning your lost love like some desert-mountain Heathcliff.”
