“What do you remember about that day?”
“I was grounded for fighting with my mother.”
Adriel led Pam to a table. “Tell me everything. You’ll feel better.”
“It’s funny. I’d forgotten until just now, but Bill was partly responsible for me getting into trouble. My best friend had this huge crush on him, and found out he and three of his buddies were planning a fishing trip up at the lake. Not that they’d have been doing any fishing. Everyone knew the only thing they ever pulled out of the water on those trips was another beer.”
Confusion beetled Adriel’s brows.
“Put the bottles in an old fishing trap and submerge it in the water. Keeps the beer cold.” Pam explained, “Anyway, Sylvia talked me into playing the sleepover game with our folks. I’d say I was staying at her house; she’d say she was staying at mine; and we’d hitch a ride up to the lake to crash the fishing trip.”
“I take it the ruse was ineffective.”
“My mother called Sylvia’s mother and we both got busted. Probably for the best anyway. Bill had a girlfriend, and, from what I heard, she was in trouble when he suddenly felt the lure of the rodeo. Might not have been true, though, since nine months came and went and there was no baby. Around this town, you can only believe half of what you hear and then you need to take that with a grain of salt.”
“How far away is the lake?”
“Ten minute drive over a dirt road, if the weather’s been dry. A little longer during rainy weather, or in spring when there are a lot of potholes. Why?”
“Just curious. Which direction is the lake? ”
Pam’s eyes widened. “It’s up past the cabin. You really did land here right out of the blue, didn’t you?”
“Something like that. Are all four of these men still living in the area?”
“Bill’s still here; Graham Brier went off to college and got a job at an Internet startup right before it went big. I think he lives in Seattle now. Levi Hartman went into the Army and got himself killed in Afghanistan, which leaves Damien Oliver, who moved back to town last fall. You’ve met him, he runs the garage at the end of the street—eats lunch here every day.”
Adriel filed the information away for future reference. She’d already spoken to Bill, and would make it a point to have a longer conversation with Damien. “I really am sorry for your loss.” Adriel knew how lame the words sounded.
Pam’s breath hitched, “Thirty years of not knowing he was right there the whole time. Two miles away from home. I thought it would feel different, you know? I thought finally learning what happened to him would be enough. I never expected to have to look at everyone I’ve known my whole life and wonder which one of them was the scumbag who killed my brother and didn’t have the guts to come forward.”
“Zack’s a good cop. He’ll get justice for Ben.”
“He’ll try, but he doesn’t have a history here. I’m going to figure it out on my own.” No one could be more devoted to solving the mystery than she would. Pam had no idea how invested Adriel was in securing Ben’s future.
“I’ll help.”
“What?” Pam seemed skeptical.
“People talk to me. Since I’m new here, they all want to tell me their version of what happened back then. Maybe if we compare everyone’s stories, we’ll learn something new. For instance, he asked me not to say anything, but Edward showed up at my place last night.”
“No.” Pam pulled out a rag to wipe down the table. “Wait, isn’t he bedridden?”
“Apparently not.” Adriel recounted the conversation, complete with her impression that Ed hadn’t been entirely truthful with her.
“If I’m right, the person who buried your brother has already killed again to keep his or her secret. Do you think it’s safe for you to pry into the past like that?”
From the look on Pam’s face, she hadn’t put it together.
“Ooh, you mean Lydia. I thought you had a theory about her being killed to stop the ditch.” Then it hit her, “Oh, you think whoever bashed her wanted to stop the ditch from going any further in order to keep Ben’s bones from coming to light.“
“The thought had occurred to me.” Adriel’s deadpan delivery made Pam lean back in her chair. She ran a hand through her disordered hair while it all fell into place. After a few moments of silence, she cast an enigmatic look at Adriel.
“You’re hiding something from me. If you knew this was a possibility two weeks ago, then you had to have inside information.” Watching Pam’s attitude go from friendly to distrustful caused Adriel’s stomach to drop into her shoes.
“There’s…it’s complicated.”
Saved by the tinkling bell, Adriel hurried to wait on Mrs. Donato, who managed to collar Pam and cluck over the gruesome discovery. Finally escaping to the kitchen, Pam gave Adriel a pointed look that clearly said this talk wasn’t over.
***
It came as no shock to Adriel when Pam burst through the cabin door ten minutes after Just Desserts closed for the day. She already had tea brewing—the loose type this time, not the kind in bags—and a pot of something called corn chowder on the stove. Having perused the many cookbooks left by Craig, it seemed the one recipe too easy for
