I was at a loss; Adam had made some fairly strong arguments against Ami being the culprit. But if Ami didn’t do this, who did?
I thought about it and returned to the one other possibility—the guy Ron had dropped off in the parking lot that night, Could he have been the person who sent Helena’s mom the gold band. Did Adam think…?
“The student,” I exclaimed. “You’re thinking the mystery guy Ron dropped off dug up the body, aren’t you?”
“He’s the only one I can think of who may have known where the body was buried. Maybe Helena has been right all along.”
“So you think he followed Ron…or Ami?
Adam nodded. “I didn’t think so when Helena first put it out there, but now I do.” His eyes flashed to the grave. “It explains why Ami got this whole thing started, too. Someone knows where Ron’s body is, that’s why Ami thinks I’m in danger.”
“But you’re all in danger, Adam,” I corrected. “If that body is discovered—”
“Exactly, Maddy.” He gave me a look that told me that was his point. Ami had singled out Adam in order to get me to act. She knew I’d do anything to save the man I loved. And she was right.
“Oh,” I said, nodding in understanding. “But even if this mystery guy is behind all of this, why would he wait all these years?”
With his foot, Adam nudged at the shovel he’d dropped on the ground. Thinking, I supposed. “That’s what I can’t figure out. But there must be a reason.”
Who was this guy? What could he want? Why torment Helena’s mom? Why scare Helena? Why send Ami the bloody wallet? What was next? Who was next? Adam? Nate? This guy had Ron’s remains, for God’s sake. Imagining what he could have planned for these four people down the road made my blood run cold.
“Adam, we have to find this guy.”
“Yes, Maddy, we do.”
God, but how would we ever find him? Nobody even knew what he looked like. His face had been obscured by a hood in the heavy rain the night Ron had dropped him off in Bangor. This guy had absolute anonymity. And if he was the one sending sick mementos from Ron’s grave—the wedding band, the wallet—then he had no reason to ever stop.
If only someone had seen this guy, this supposed student…
“Oh, God…” I trailed off, recalling Ami’s words from my most recent visit to Willow Point. She had said she feared she was in danger, and that someone was going to kill her. Maybe her fears weren’t paranoid delusions after all.
Adam tucked back a wisp of hair that had fallen to my cheek. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
I told him how Ami had been heavily sedated during my most recent visit to the asylum, and that her nurse had said she’d taken a turn for the worse. I recounted how Ami had insisted she wasn’t safe. “She was really scared, Adam. She said ‘he’ was going to kill her.”
“Who’s ‘he’?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know. The nurse came in before she could tell me. But something is going on up there. What if this mystery guy has, I don’t know, some kind of access to her? What if the ‘he’ Ami fears is the one-time student?”
“I don’t know.” Adam frowned. “Willow Point is essentially a prison. How could this guy get to her?”
I thought it over. “Maybe whoever he is, he got a job up there. He could be a nurse, or even, God forbid, one of the doctors.”
Adam still appeared skeptical, but I was sure I was on to something. “If she’s seen this guy, then she can identify him. All I have to do is ask—”
“Hey, slow down,” he said, cutting me off. “You’re not going back up there.”
“Adam, I have to. It may be our only chance to identify the person who did this.” I flailed a hand to the empty grave.
Adam didn’t like it, I could tell. But he also knew I was right. Still, he threw out, “If someone has to go, I’ll go.”
“Please, you have to let me go,” I implored. “I don’t think she’ll even talk to you if you go. I wasn’t supposed to say anything to you, remember? You aren’t supposed to even know.”
We were stuck. I was the only one Ami would talk to, if she’d even talk. But I had to try. If Ami had not been lying—and it seemed she hadn’t—then the clock really was ticking. Who knew what this guy had planned. Maybe Ami could tell me?
“Please,” I whispered, tugging at the sleeve of Adam’s sweater.
With an audible sigh, he reluctantly agreed. “One more visit, Madeleine. That’s it. If she doesn’t tell you anything—or doesn’t know anything—then it’s over. We’ll figure out some other way. I don’t want you traipsing around up at Willow Point for some undetermined amount of time. Got it?”
I nodded vigorously, thrilled Adam was conceding. “Okay, one more visit.”
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, bending down to pick up the shovel that we hadn’t needed.
The trek back to the car seemed to take no time at all. I supposed we were both in a hurry to get out of the woods, and away from that empty grave. But I could feel the stress rolling off of Adam when he tossed the shovel to the ground next to the shed.
“It was leaned up against the building,” I said, concerned we’d be discovered if things weren’t put back exactly the same.
“Do you really think it fucking matters?” he snapped, while pressing his palm to the small of my back. “Come on, let’s go.”
I said nothing more. It was clear the events of the evening had finally caught up to the man. Once
