Andrew pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I get you wanting to clear Althea’s name. I’m just surprised you thought Summers would be willing to help. He’s certainly been no friend to the Moons over the years.”
“Maybe, but I had to start somewhere. And you’re right. He isn’t willing to help. He hung around just long enough to tell me I was wasting my time. Then he hurried off to some luncheon with the mayor.”
“Of course he did.”
“Why of course?”
“Summers has been counting the days until Cavanaugh either retires or dies. And last week it became official. The mayor’s packing it in, heading to North Carolina and the grandkids. Your chances were never good, but with an election looming you’ve got zero chance of getting help from Salem Creek’s finest.”
“Which brings me to the favor I mentioned.” She stepped away, wandering toward the window to peer out. “I asked to talk to the detective who headed up the case. Summers told me he left the force several years ago and moved away. He also claims no one knows where he went. But Evvie thinks you might.”
“Roger.”
Lizzy turned away from the window, suddenly hopeful. “Yes! Do you know how I can get in touch with him? An address or a phone number?”
Andrew scrubbed a hand through his hair, clearly weighing his response. “I have both, though I doubt he’d be thrilled with me for sharing either. He’s a private investigator now, works for his brother in Dover. I could give him a call, though, ask if he’d be willing to speak with you. He might not be. I have a hunch his memories of the Salem Creek PD are far from happy.”
“Call him. Please. I just want to ask a few questions, see if anything new comes up. It’ll probably come to nothing, but it’s worth a conversation.”
He studied her a moment, head tilted to one side, as if trying to work out a riddle. “I’m curious about something. Earlier, you said you never wanted to dig all this up. Now you’re talking about kicking over rocks and turning Salem Creek upside down. That’s quite a swing.”
“I know it is. And I wish I could explain it. The truth is I don’t know what happened. I was so angry when I left. So angry I swore I’d never set foot in this town again.”
“Yet here you are.”
She nodded. “Here I am.”
“It’s a long way from New York. In more ways than one.”
Lizzy shrugged, knowing her answer would sound ridiculous to someone like Andrew. Or anyone, really. “I feel safe in New York. I know that probably sounds strange, but it’s easier to be anonymous there, just another face in a crowd of millions, where everyone has a story, but no one has time to ask. I’m sure that makes no sense to you. You’ve never wanted to disappear, to just be invisible, but I have—and still do sometimes.”
“Well, I can tell you one thing for sure. The last thing you’ll be, once you start asking questions about those murders, is invisible.”
“I know that. But sometimes you have to come out of hiding, don’t you? To stand up for what’s right? I can’t help thinking that maybe if I hadn’t tried so hard to be invisible when the feeding frenzy started, it might have made a difference. Instead, I hid and just let it all happen.”
“Lizzy, you can’t blame yourself for what happened. This is Salem Creek. People don’t get murdered here; they die of boredom and old age. This town lost its mind when those girls turned up dead. They were afraid, and fear makes people do crazy things, sometimes shameful things. What happened to Althea was like a brush fire. It swallowed this town whole.”
“It certainly swallowed my grandmother.”
“And you.”
“Yes,” Lizzy said quietly. “And me.”
“You’re not afraid of reigniting it?”
“I am, actually. But not as afraid of leaving here knowing I didn’t even try to get to the truth. Althea deserves that, even if I am eight years too late.”
“I’ll call Roger in the morning. I can’t guarantee anything, but he’s a decent guy. He took the job seriously, but he and Summers were always butting heads. No one was surprised when he left to join his brother’s law firm as an investigator. He could be helpful, but like I said, I have no clue how he’ll respond. Given his history with Summers, he might want to steer clear.”
Lizzy nodded. Only a fool would want to wade back into such a grisly mess. “Thank you. No matter what he says, I appreciate your help. I’ll wait to hear from you.”
NINE
July 21
Lizzy’s stomach knotted as Andrew turned onto Dover Point Road. Roger Coleman had agreed to speak with her, but with two stipulations: Andrew would be present for the interview, and he would under no circumstances be expected to interact with Randall Summers. It seemed Andrew had been right about the friction between the detective and his ex-chief.
She wasn’t sure what her reaction would be to seeing the detective again. She wasn’t crazy about the idea of being face-to-face with the man who had knocked on their door with a search warrant in his pocket. But it was too late to back out now. They were pulling into a narrow drive lined with tall, wind-battered pines.
The lot was deep and shady, a pie-shaped parcel snugged up against the shore of Little Bay. The house was a small one, a single-story, slate-blue cape with crisp white shutters. In the side yard, a sailboat sat up on blocks, presumably in some stage of repair.
Lizzy left her purse on the seat and got out. She wasn’t prepared when Roger Coleman suddenly rose from an upended milk crate beside the
