Page 29 of Forever Gone

Storage unit broken into.

Papers possibly stolen.

Moved without telling ex-husband.

Rented Montgomery cabin for three months.

The storage burglary might explain why Karen had chosen an isolated property, but it did not explain why she had been killed there within days of arriving. If the break-in and murder were connected, someone had followed her from Loyall or learned where she had gone. If they were separate, Karen had suffered two violations in quick succession, one inconvenient and one fatal.

Selena found Hannah Montgomery’s number in the notes and placed the call through the office phone.

A woman answered after five rings.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Montgomery?”

“Yes.”

“This is Special Agent Selena Raven with the FBI. It’s important I speak with you. Is this a good time?”

“Oh… Selena Raven…”

She obviously knew the name.

“It’s fine,” Hannah said. “I’ve been waiting to hear from someone. Is this about Karen Sloane?”

“Yes. I need to ask you some questions about her rental.”

Hannah’s breath moved close to the receiver. “I still can’t believe it. That cabin’s been in our family longer than I’ve been alive. Nothing like that has ever happened there.”

“When did Karen first contact you?”

“About three weeks ago. She sent me a message through the rental listing. Asked whether I’d consider a three-month lease instead of weekly bookings.”

“Did she say why she wanted the cabin?”

“She said she was recently divorced and needed somewhere quiet to work. I understood she was writing a book.”

“Did you meet her before she moved in?”

“No. We spoke twice on the phone and handled the paperwork by email. I mailed the key after the deposit cleared.”

Selena wrote the dates as Hannah provided them.

“Was anyone else interested in renting the cabin during that period?”

“A couple from Ohio asked about a week in October. I told them it wasn’t available. A man messaged about hunting season, but he wanted the whole property, not just the cabin.”

“Do you have names and contact information?”

“The booking site will. I can send you screenshots.”

“Please do. Did you think the people who inquired about the place knew Karen had rented it?”

The line buzzed before Hannah answered. “I wouldn’t think so. I only said it was already rented to them. I wouldn’t give out names or anything like that.”

Selena thought for a moment. “Did anyone contact you outside the listing? Anyone asking about Karen?”