“All right,” Meredith said, excited by the prospect.She’d been with Wade the first time he’d visited the crime scene.She was invested in this case, and she wanted to help him solve it.“Where do they keep yearbooks?”
“Let’s find out.”
She let him open the library door for her and escort her to a worktable.Then he went in search of the reference librarian.Five minutes later he brought her a trio of heavy yearbooks dated from 1986–1988.He didn’t tell her why he’d chosen those years.
“If you find a good candidate, mark the page.”
Meredith grabbed a few pieces of scrap paper from a little box nearby.“What are you going to do?”
“I have to look at microfiche.Archives of theGazette.”
She nodded and waved him away.Feeling important, she started with 1986 and flipped to the sports team pages.Although the population of Lost Lake was mostly Hispanic, there were a number of tall, blond-haired athletes.She studied the basketball team and baseball team, varsity and junior varsity.She scanned the superlatives page, where she found the biggest flirts, and students most likely to do important things.She felt a twinge of sadness, because her high school experience hadn’t been anything like theirs.
She also felt a wave of homesickness for Plainview.Wade’s questions about her family reminded her of the siblings she’d left behind.Her younger sister, Amanda, had graduated two years ago.She’d been an excellent student, unlike Meredith.She’d earned a scholarship to Oklahoma State.Amanda had invited Meredith to her graduation ceremony.Although she’d planned to attend, Tripp had prevented her from going.
Meredith pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand.She marked a few pages in the ’86 yearbook and moved on.None of the students fit the description Wade had given.They weren’t quite tall enough, or their slack faces didn’t forecast bright futures.It was also difficult to judge the football team photos, as they posed in helmets.She switched to the ’87 yearbook, which yielded an immediate and startling result.
A photo of a senior boy on the football team made her gasp out loud.He wore a red uniform with the number ten on the front.He had a white helmet tucked under one strong arm.He appeared well over six feet tall, with sweaty blond hair and a cocky smile.He looked like a younger version of Wade Hendricks.
With one shaking finger, Meredith traced the caption underneath the photo.She sounded out several words, including the student’s last name.It was Pickett.
She leaped to her feet with the yearbook and went in search of Wade.She found him in a dark, cramped room, bent over a computer-like device that displayed blocks of text.The idea of scanning it for clues made her dizzy.He glanced up from the screen, rubbing his eyes as if it wasn’t a pleasant experience for him, either.
“Look,” she said, triumphant.
He studied the photo of the handsome, grinning boy.His expression indicated mild interest, rather than awe or astonishment.
Meredith realized that Wade didn’t see the resemblance.“He looks like you.”
“Okay,” he said, shrugging.
“And his last name isPickett.”
He frowned at her in confusion.“Pickett?”
“Remember Cordelia Pickett?The confused old lady who thought you were her long lost grandson?”
“Oh.Yeah.”
“She said it was a miracle that you finally came home.”
Wade stared up at her as understanding dawned.He jumped to feet, grasped her shoulders, and planted a kiss on her parted lips.“Meadows, you’re a genius!”
She laughed, delighted by his enthusiasm.
Wade removed the phone from his pocket to take a photo of the yearbook page.“Cameron Pickett.He fits the profile to aT.”Meredith waited as he entered the name into a search engine.After a minute of scrolling, he tucked the device back into his pocket.“I’ll have to run his name when I get back to the office.”
“What can we do today?”
“We can talk to Cordelia.”
Meredith followed him to the reference desk to return the materials.Then they rushed out the door, back into the hot day.Wade drove toward the neighborhood where they’d performed wellness checks after the tornado.
“If he lived in this area, he was close to the trail,” Wade said.
“It fits.”
“I wonder if he went missing, and they didn’t report it.”
