“Is that what you think this is all about?” I snap. “Making myself look good?”
“It’s not about you looking good. It’s about finishing what you started, which is what you do. You don’t let go, and I don’t want that to cloud how you’re looking at this,” he says. “If you’re going to pursue this, I just want to make sure you know that I’m here to support you. And I just don’t want you to beat yourself up about it if it doesn’t work out.”
The tightness in my chest softens. “I know. Thank you. And I really do know this could be nothing. It’s just right now, I just can’t believe that. It’s easy for people to find out about the cases I’ve worked or the high-profile criminals I’ve brought down, then use that information to make themselves look involved or to taunt me. But, that’s not what’s going on here,” I say.
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“Remember, according to everyone else, nothing happened to Julia. There was no scandal. No news story. No moment of silence on campus,” I say.
“So?” Sam asks.
“So how would anybody find out about it? It must be somebody who went to school at the same time as we did and knew both of us and knew about my suspicions. Which wasn’t many people. Even those people wouldn’t know things like confirming a lunch date. Without any publicizing of the situation, there’s no way for an outsider to know about it. Which means this person really does.”
“Good point,” he admits. He reaches a hand out to touch mine. I look down at it and finally relent, letting him rub his thumb over my own.
“Sorry I blew up at you,” I say.
“No, you have nothing to apologize for. I’m sorry, too. I know how much this means to you, and I’m here every step of the way.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
The next morning, I’m awake only long enough to get my coffee before I go into the living room to the calendar. Sam follows after me and sits down in the chair beside the couch as I open the window in the calendar and take the piece of paper with the code out again. This time when I scan it, I don’t get the warning like yesterday.
Another virtual piece of stationery appears. This one has snowflakes around the edges and a deep drift of snow on the bottom of the page.
“Did it work?” Sam asks.
“Yeah,” I nod, turning my phone so he can see what I’m seeing. “It’s a letter to Santa.”
“The note yesterday said their friends were having trouble with their Christmas lists. I guess this is what it meant,” Sam notes.
I give a disbelieving shake of my head and shrug one shoulder as I read the letter.
Dear Santa,
It sure was cold out in that snow. It’s amazing how the trucks can get down such a narrow road. But that’s what snowplows are for. The drifts were so deep, I couldn’t resist. A coat would be nice this year, since I only have pieces of the other one. At least the angel looked nice. The perfect one.
Snow keeps a lot of secrets, just like you. Nobody knew I was there until they knew I wasn’t. But when? I’ll never tell.
You always knew when I was sleeping and when I was awake. But do you know where I am?
“That’s it?” Sam asks. “There’s nothing else? There’s no signature, no name, no instructions. There’s nothing. What are you supposed to do with that?”
“The first note says maybe I can help. They’re having trouble with their Christmas list. Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to help this person.”
“Help them how?” Sam asks. “You don’t even know who it is.”
I read through the note again. “Maybe that’s the point.”
“The point is helping somebody who you have no idea who they are?” he asks.
“Finding out who they are,” I say. “This is a real letter. Obviously. But maybe it actually does tell me who it’s from. If I can figure that out, then it might help me figure out what I’m supposed to do.”
“Alright,” he says. “Where do we start?”
“Okay, what jumped out at me immediately is the last part. It asks if he knows where they are. So, does that mean this is a missing person? I consider Julia a missing person, so maybe that’s what this is about. Someone who’s gone missing and needs to be found,” I say.
“That makes sense,” Sam nods. “But how do we figure out who the letters talking about? There are tens of thousands of missing people in the country. And that’s only counting the ones who’ve been reported. Like you said, Julia was never reported missing. Maybe this person wasn’t, either.”
“We have to try,” I tell him. “It’s the only thing we have to go on. Alright,” I let out a breath. “What can we pull out of the letter? What details are in there that might give us some insight?”
“It mentions it was cold. That there was snow,” he says. “So, that means we need to be looking for somebody who went missing during cold weather, but also somewhere where there was a considerable amount of snow at the time.”
“Hold on,” I say. I rush into my office and come back with a notebook and pen so I can write down everything we take away from the letter.
Cold season
Snowy area
Narrow road - back road? Rural? Truck w/ snowplow came through
Coat with pieces missing
Angel - nativity scene? Angel sign? Billboard? Church?
“This really stands out to me,” I tell Sam, pointing at the screen after I’ve written
