“I will,” he says. “You have fun, too.”
Ash feels relieved and surprised. She’s annoyed with herself for also feeling unsettled. The plateau stretches out in front of her, and the formations of Eden rise past it, now almost alpenglow-pink in the sunrise.
Farther along the plateau, the dog has frozen in place. Both it and its owner are looking in the opposite direction from Ash, expressions intent. She turns to see what they do: the spot where the resort road joins the larger one. There, three police cars have turned off the main road and are heading up Sonnet’s drive. Ash lifts her phone.
Hey, she texts Caro.Looks like we don’t have to go to the police.
They’re here.
34
CARO
CARO PULLS UP SHORTby the main tent, heart racing. Even though she headed over as soon as she got Ash’s message, one of the police cars is already making its way back down the drive, away from the resort. Caro can’t tell if there’s anyone sitting in the back. Did they bring someone here? Are they taking someone away?What’s happened?
Ash appears from around the corner of the tent, tucking her phone into her pocket. “Any news?”
“Not yet,” Caro says as a Sonnet golf cart pulls up. The employee with the dark, sticking-up hair—Gareth—is driving, and Spencer’s inside. He unfolds his long legs and climbs out. He hasn’t shaved yet, and his eyes are shadowed with exhaustion. “Hey,” Spencer says when he sees Ash and Caro. “Did they call you in, too?”
“Who?” Ash asks.
“The police,” he says. “They want to talk to me.”
“Excuse us,” Gareth says. “I’m supposed to take Mr. Clayton to speak with them immediately.”
“They’re with me,” Spencer says. He looks at Caro. “If you want to be?”
Caro glances at Ash. The decision is instantaneous. “We do,” she says. They need to talk to the police as soon as they can, and learning anything extra can’t hurt. Plus, whatever the police are going to talk to Spencerabout can’t be good if they have to do it in person, and Caro wants to know what it is. For two seconds, she thinks,Is Spencer a suspect for something?and then she remembers,This is Spencer. Spencer Clayton, who I have known forever. There’s no way.
Right?
Gareth seems to decide that this whole situation is above his pay grade and that the police can handle it. “Okay,” he says. “Come on.”
The two officers waiting inside the staff tent are not the ones Caro and Ash met at the hospital yesterday. They introduce themselves as Officer Clark (male, middle-aged, fit, thinning brown hair) and Officer Flanigan (female, bleached blond, extremely tan, and very no-nonsense).
“We need to speak with Mr. Clayton,” Officer Clark says. His voice is sober.
“Is it about Tony?” Spencer rushes on before Officer Clark can answer. “I’d like Caro to be here while we talk. She and I have known each other since high school.” He glances at Ash. “It’s fine if Ash stays, too.” It’s clear he doesn’t want to be alone for whatever this is. He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple moving up and down in his throat.
The two officers look at one another. “All right,” says Officer Flanigan. She indicates that they should sit down on the couches where they sat with Page the day before. After a moment of uncertainty, Caro sits on a couch with Spencer and Ash sits on a chair by herself. Officers Clark and Flanigan take the other couch.
When everyone is seated, Officer Flanigan nods at Spencer. “I’m very sorry to tell you that we’ve found Anthony Jameson’s body. We reached out to his family for formal identification, which took place not long ago.”
Spencer closes his eyes. “Okay.” His face has gone very pale. Caro stands up, startling the others. “I’m going to get him some food.” Her voice brooks no argument, and she walks toward the staff fridge. Spencer’s phone begins vibrating on the table in front of him, and he opens hiseyes. Kevin’s face comes up on the screen. “That’s Tony’s brother,” he says. “Kevin. My friend. The one who was with us in the Underground. Does he know?”
“Yes,” Officer Flanigan says. “He’s been at the police station. We just came from there.”
“Where was he?” Spencer asks. “Tony, I mean?” Caro sits back down. In the staff kitchenette she found a fluorescent-colored sports drink and a pack of peanuts. She sets them on the battered coffee table in front of Spencer. He grabs the bottle but doesn’t open it or take a drink.
“Mr. Jameson’s body surfaced near a farm lower in the canyon,” Officer Flanigan says. “We have a few pictures.” She holds up her phone but doesn’t offer it to Spencer. “I should warn you that they’re distressing for the obvious reason that he is deceased, and because his body was naked when they found it.”
Spencer’s expression is shocked. “What doesthatmean?”
“We think it was likely the force of the water,” Officer Clark says. “The SAR team has seen it happen before. He was wearing clothing when you last saw him, I assume?”
“Yes,” Spencer says. Now he does twist the top from the bottle and takes a drink, swallowing once, twice, three times. Caro nods encouragingly. “We were all sleeping, so he wasn’t in full hiking gear or anything. Shorts, underwear, probably.” Spencer pauses. “He threw on his shoes before we left the tent. We all did.”
“Remind us what time that was,” Officer Clark says.
