“Yes. That’s what I just said. Deputy Todd is a buffoon. I’ve spoken to him five times in the past four days, and all he will tell me is that it looks as if Zane fell off his paddleboard and drowned. Drowned! Zane is an excellent swimmer. Even if he’d fallen into the water, he’d have found a way to survive. And then there’s the fact that two other boys turned up missing at the same time. There is no way my brother simply fell off his paddleboard and drowned.”
I found I had to agree with Cora. Given the fact that three boys went missing in three days, it seemed much more likely they were abducted.
“Are you in town?” I asked, remembering that the sister had been away at college.
“I just got into town last night. It took me a couple days to arrange for travel from the east coast, but I’m here now, and I plan to stay until Zane is home safe. So will you take the case?”
I really wasn’t sure I’d have any more luck finding Zane, and hopefully, the others, than Deputy Todd had had. Cora wasn’t wrong when she called the man a buffoon, but I didn’t think he was naive enough to actually think that Zane had simply fallen and drowned, so chances were he’d just told Cora that to get her off his back.
“I’d like to speak to you in person before I commit to taking on the case. I can meet you in my office in an hour.”
“I’ll be there.” With that, she hung up.
I hurried back to the cottage and changed out of my shorts and into a pair of slacks and a summery top, pulled on a pair of sandals, checked to make sure the dogs had food and water, and then headed back to town. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but three missing fifteen-year-olds, all from the same high school and all the product of a recent personality change, left no doubt in my mind that the three disappearances were linked in some way.
Cora was early and waiting for me when I arrived. I ushered her into my office, offered her coffee, and took out my notepad and pen so I could jot down thoughts that came to me as we chatted. I asked her a few questions about herself to break the ice and then jumped into the subject at hand.
“Zane was last seen by your mother late Sunday afternoon. He left the house with his blue paddleboard after mentioning that he planned to meet up with friends. He never returned home that evening and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. His paddleboard was found floating in the bay Monday. Initially, it was assumed that he’d had an accident or possibly a run-in with sea life and was dead. Until the other boys turned up missing, that was a reasonable theory. Since that point, it’s been determined that both Kalen West and Trevor Wilson are also missing. This leads me to believe that the three boys have either been abducted or simply took off together of their own accord. At this point, I don’t have much of an opinion as to which theory might be the more accurate.” I looked directly at Cora. “I guess the first thing I’d like to ask you is whether or not you have an opinion as to what might be going on.”
She nodded. “I do have an opinion as to whether Zane was abducted or ran off.” She took a breath and adjusted her position as if settling in for a long explanation. “Zane is three years younger than I am. I think I might have mentioned that before. Given the age gap and the fact that I was a girl and he was a boy, we weren’t always super close growing up, but we did have a bond. A strong bond at times.” She hesitated and then continued. “You see, our father can be a brusque and rigid man. I know he’s considered to be a leader in the community, and I’m aware of the fact that most Gooseberry Bay citizens hold him in high esteem, but as a father, he’s a tough man to love.”
I quietly waited for her to continue.
“As the older sibling, I tried to smooth things over for Zane when I could. Our father is the sort of man who has very specific expectations for his son, and most of the time, when he was younger, Zane tried very hard to meet those expectations. Zane is an excellent athlete and a hard worker, so the majority of the time, he got on with Dad just fine, but no one can be perfect all the time, so there were times Zane failed, and our father made sure he was made aware of his displeasure.”
“Was your father physical with Zane?” I had to ask.
“No. Dad’s displeasure was communicated in the form of psychological torture. I can’t really explain it, but our father has a way of making you feel like a bug who deserves nothing more than to be squashed beneath his feet. Dad was that way with me as well, but as the only boy, Zane had it worse. I tried to be there for Zane when Dad came down on him.” She smiled. “Zane’s room is next to mine. When Zane was seven, he went into our father’s office looking for a toy he’d been unable to find. Dad has a strict rule that no one is to go into his office for any reason, but Zane really wanted this specific toy, so he snuck in, figuring he could look for the toy and then sneak back out before Dad noticed. Of course, our father notices everything, and he confronted Zane, who confessed to entering the room. Our father sentenced
