“Sounds like a plan,” Dean says. “If things are working out with that case before you go back, I might stay here with Xavier. We’ll just rent a car and I’ll keep digging until you can get back.”
With that settled, I climb in bed for the night. I don’t immediately fall asleep. I can’t stop thinking about what Dean said about Ava. I’m not here to coddle her, but I also don’t want to come across as being unreasonably hard on her.
It’s good to push her. For her to understand what she’s gotten herself into. If she can’t handle me, I don’t understand how she thinks she’s going to be able to handle the rest of the Bureau.
By the next evening, it still doesn’t feel as though we’re much closer to understanding Ashley or what might have happened to her. We are back in my hotel room and Dean is going over what he found during the day. He and Xavier spent hours driving around the entire area, comparing the images on social media with places they could locate.
They also showed the images to local business owners and even some kids they ran into, hoping somebody could point them in the right direction.
“We were able to find a few of them,” Dean says. “I took pictures of what they look like now. Some of them haven’t changed much at all, and other ones have been completely developed. There are some that I wasn’t able to identify.”
“Xavier, what do you think about Vivian and Allison? You were watching them during the statement from her mother. How did you feel about the way they were acting?” I ask.
“They were doing everything they were supposed to do,” he says.
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
“Five years ago,” he clarifies.
I pause. “What do you mean?”
“She disappeared five years ago. There hasn’t really been any more development into what happened to her. No one has found any evidence that she is dead, or that she’s been through torture. Nothing has really changed. But they were devastated,” he says.
“It can be hard when things are brought back up,” Dean offers. “Maybe they hadn’t thought much about it over the last few years, and it was just fresh to them.”
“They’re still young,” Xavier says. “This is still new in a lot of ways. And they lied about what they experienced the day she went missing. That doesn’t leave you. They’ve been carrying that with them all these years. But only now are they showing anything.”
“You think they were faking it?” I ask.
“I don’t think they are faking the emotion they’re showing. I only wonder what is behind that emotion. You said the two of them didn’t seem particularly emotional when they were showing you around the woods,” he says.
“Not overtly, no. I mean, they seemed a little sad. They teared up a bit. But they weren’t crying or resisting going back to those locations,” I say. “It didn’t look as if they were bothered being there at all. Even though Allison specifically mentioned she hadn’t been there since showing the police around.”
“What questions did they ask you?” he asks.
“None,” I say. “They didn’t want to know what our investigation has uncovered or if there’s a specific reason we were investigating her again.”
“Could they feel her there?” Xavier asks. “Did it seem as if they could still see her or they knew where she would be standing?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Look at when some of these pictures were taken,” Dean says. “A few of these were taken leading up to the day she went missing. Even though her parents said she hadn’t been doing anything because of the rain.”
“As far as I know,” I said.
“Then there’s nothing on the day she went missing.”
“But there’s one on the day after,” I say, noticing the details for the first time.
“What?” Dean asks.
“Look.” I point it out. ”This picture has a timestamp on it. As they all do. But this one shows it was taken and automatically uploaded the day after her friends noticed she was missing.”
“But what is it?” Dean asks. “You can’t even see where she is or what she’s taking a picture of.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. But we need to try to find that out,” I say.
He nods. ”I can have some guys look at it. See if they can enhance any of it and maybe figure out what it shows.”
“This tells me she didn’t look at her social media again after she was at the campground with Allison and Vivian. She would probably have deleted this picture,” I say.
“That’s something,” Dean says.
“Yeah,” I nod. “I don’t know what. But it’s something.”
My phone rings and I pick it up.
“Hello?”
“Emma?” Ava says.
I can’t help but roll my eyes.
“Yes, Ava,” I say.
“I was just wondering about the investigation. If anything significant came out? I couldn’t really follow along when the investigators were talking to you,” she asks.
“Ava, I am right in the middle of another investigation that is more pressing than what’s going on at the campground right now. I really can’t stop and go over all the details with you,” I say.
“Just wait,” Ava says as I start to end the call. “I’m supposed to be learning from you. I’m supposed to be involved in these investigations.”
“No,” I say. “You’re supposed to be shadowing me on the investigation that is being handled by the FBI. This is not your first case, Ava. And the investigation I’m doing with Dean has nothing to do with the Bureau.”
“I still might be able to help,” she says.
I hear another call coming in on the other line.
“I’m going to have to go,” I say. “I’m getting another call.”
“Emma, I know we didn’t get off to the best start. I’m not always great with people. And I came into this wanting to impress you.”
Dean answers his phone and I see his eyes get wide.
“It’s Eric,” he says. “He called me when he couldn’t get through to you.
