Page 31 of Forever Gone

“She asked whether the internet was reliable and whether the windows opened properly. I told her the router sometimes needed resetting and said I’d send Dale if anything gave her trouble.”

“Did she sound frightened or upset?”

Hannah’s voice filled with sadness. “No. She sounded excited.”

Selena tried not to feed that sadness. Experience told her that sometimes people clammed up or found it difficult to recall details when profound emotions took over.

“Hannah, did Karen ever mention anyone possibly visiting?”

“No.”

Now it was time to feed a little detail into the conversation. A tightrope to walk, as giving too much could always compromise the interviewee. “Did Gerry Tomes ever show up at the property or contact you about Karen?”

“Her ex-husband?”

She knew about him.

“Actually…” The line buzzed with anticipation. “Yes.”

“What did she tell you?” Selena asked.

Hannah paused before answering. “I never spoke to him. I wouldn’t have known him if he walked past me. But she did tell me that there had been some arguments post-divorce. Nothing specific, though. I don’t like getting too involved in my tenants’ lives.”

“Did Karen ask you to keep her location private?”

“Not in those words,” said Hannah. “She said she wanted somewhere quiet and out of the way, where she could be alone for a while. I took that to mean the divorce.”

Selena circled the sentence.

“Do you think she seemed scared of him?”

“I don’t know, Agent Raven,” she said. “I… I got the feeling she was just looking to the future more than running from something. More like he was an annoyance than anything else.”

This line of questioning was not bearing fruit. Selena scribbled down some more notes. “I see… Did you tell anyone else locally that Karen had rented the cabin? I mean by name?”

“No. Dale knew it was occupied, but not who the tenant was.”

The answers filled the page but did not move the case forward. No threatening renters. No known ex-husband at the cabin. No missing key. Nothing beyond a few people who knew the property was occupied.

Selena thought for a second. And that was when Hannah took the opportunity.

Hannah cleared her throat.

“Say, aren’t you Diane Raven’s sister?”

Selena paused. “Yes.”

“I thought I recognized the name. Diane and I were in Girl Scouts together. That must have been thirty years ago.”

“Probably closer to thirty-five.”

“Don’t say that. I’ve been avoiding the arithmetic.”

Selena smiled despite the fatigue pulling at her shoulders.

Hannah continued, “You came along a few times, didn’t you? I remember you sitting at the end of the table while we made those little woven key chains.”

“I didn’t stay long.”