Chapter 10 #2
"Like I fell down the stairs, broke my leg and hit my head. That's what the nurse said happened."
"You don't remember?"
"It's fuzzy," Tessa admitted, tucking her tangled blonde hair behind her ears as she gave me a sheepish look. "I think I had too much to drink yesterday."
"Your last text to me was practically incoherent. That's not like you, Tessa. What happened on your date? Why did you stay out so long?"
"I'm not completely sure. I'm having trouble remembering. Maybe because of my concussion." She gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Cassidy. I messed up." Regret filled her eyes. "I don't know how I'm going to help you now."
"I'm just sorry you got hurt. The most important thing is you're going to be okay. It just might take a while."
"That's what the doctor said. I can't go home for a few days. Something about wanting to make sure I don't get an infection."
"Which is good. And you'll get better pain meds in here."
"That is a positive," she said with a weary, pained smile.
"I don't want you to talk if it hurts. We can debrief later."
"I'm okay. They gave me some medication. It hasn’t completely worn off yet."
I didn't want to press her, but I needed more information. "Can you tell me anything about where you went yesterday?"
"Finn took me to lunch at his favorite place in Cork Harbor. It's about forty-five minutes north of Stonecross. I didn't know we were going so far away, but it was a pretty drive, and he was fun to talk to. He told me about his military days, his family, and growing up in Stonecross."
As her voice trailed off, I tried to gently bring her back on track. "Did you ask him about Natalie or Jessica, the women who disappeared after staying at the inn?"
"Yes, I did," she said with a somewhat triumphant gleam in her eyes as she recaptured that fact.
"Finn said he was bothered by those events, too.
He didn't like the way the sheriff shut down the investigations so quickly.
But he also understood why; the bad press could hurt the tourism, and the town needs tourists to survive. "
"I get that, but two women have vanished in the past year. Those women had lives, families. Don't they deserve justice?"
"I think I said something like that, too.
Finn said he didn't know what he could do about it.
The sheriff and Ellen are tight. He doesn't really like Ellen, but she's Sophie's employer, and his sister is determined to work at the inn until she makes enough money to leave Stonecross.
He said he even offered to loan her some money so she could leave now, but she wants to pay her own way, and he respects that. "
"So, you didn't really get much information."
"I was trying. Oh, wait a second." A light came into her eyes.
"That's why I went on the boat. When we were talking about Jessica, we ran into Finn's friend, Nathan, who was the one who found Jessica's abandoned boat.
Nathan offered to take us out on the water and show us where he'd found the boat. "
I frowned. "Weren't you at all concerned about going out on a boat with two men you didn't know?"
"Finn was nice. I didn't have a bad feeling about him. And Nathan seemed cool, too."
"It was a bad idea. And I don't understand how you got so drunk. What happened on the boat trip?"
"Nothing. It was beautiful out on the water." She paused. "That’s where things get fuzzy." She paused, an unhappy expression on her face. "I don't really remember what happened or what we talked about. I guess it's the concussion. I'm sorry, Cassidy."
"It's okay. You'll probably remember more once you're feeling better."
"I hope so. What's going on at the inn?"
"Not much. Ellen smelled the alcohol on your breath last night. I'm sure she's preparing a defense in case you want to sue her for falling down the stairs."
"I don't really remember that, either."
"Maybe that's just as well," I said with a sympathetic smile. "You don't need to stress out about any of this."
"I can't help it. How am I going to help you from this hospital bed?"
"Maybe we just stop."
"We can't do that. Morgan texted me earlier and said last night's podcast quadrupled our audience, and it's still getting listens today."
"I probably should have canceled it, but I rushed down here with you, and I forgot all about it, until it was too late."
"I'm glad it's out. And I know it's a lot to ask, but I think you should keep going—if you're willing, of course."
I didn't know if I was willing or not.
"I think Nathan might have said more about Jessica, but I can't remember. I just feel like there was something he said that I wanted to tell you…" She sighed. "Dammit. I hate this foggy feeling."
"Don’t fight it. You've been through a lot."
"You should talk to Finn. He was there. He'd remember what Nathan said."
"I don't know if we can trust Finn."
"Does he know what happened to me?"
"Yes. I contacted him to find out what happened. He said he didn't think you were that drunk, just tired. You apparently slept on the way back from your boat trip. He did express concern, and I texted him last night that you had made it through surgery."
"I think he's a good guy, Cassidy," Tessa said slowly.
"Well, I'm not convinced."
Tessa stared back at me. "You said I fell down the stairs. Do you think…is it possible that I was pushed?"
I sucked in a quick breath of air. "Do you think you were pushed?"
"I don't know. But I was thinking about the note we got. Someone wants us to leave, and now we're gone, or at least I am."
"I wondered about that, too, but it seems extreme, considering how little we actually know. We just have theories."
"Maybe our theories are a threat." Tessa let out a sigh. "Tell me what you did yesterday. Did you learn anything new?"
I told her about Ray, the bloody carpet, and my conversation with Tyler, and Tessa grew more amazed by the minute. "It sounds like Anna might be a victim, too."
"She might be," I said. "But I think I need to keep my focus on Natalie."
"Why? Anna just left. Her trail might be easier to follow."
"That's true. But I don't even know who Anna is. I have no last name. And it's possible Anna isn't even her first name. Ellen isn't going to tell me anything about her; that's for sure."
"Have you thought more about telling her who you really are? That could open things up."
"I can't tell her until I know she isn't a… God, I don't even want to say the word."
"Killer?" Tessa put in. "It's possible she's something else."
"Like what?”
"A trafficker. Think about it, Cassidy. There are no bodies.
Not Natalie, not Jessica, not Anna, and those are just the three women we know about in the past year.
Maybe they weren't killed. They could have been trafficked, and your grandmother or Ray is part of the operation, picking women who are alone and vulnerable. "
I nodded, just as depressed by that thought as any other. "If that's true, it's also horrible."
"The sheriff could be in on it," Tessa added. "Maybe he and Ellen are keeping each other's secrets."
"Or it's just Ray who's involved," I said, knowing that was a stretch, but I had this deep-rooted, misguided need to defend my grandmother for reasons I couldn't even verbalize.
"Maybe," Tessa said diplomatically, no conviction in her voice. "Either way, I don't think we can end our investigation here."
"No, we can't. We have too many questions. And there are real women's lives who might still be at stake. We have to keep going. I have to keep going."
"You're sure?"
"I am. I'm also hoping that your very public fall last night will keep me safe for a few days. If anything happens to me now, especially if it occurred at the inn, it would bring Ellen a ton of scrutiny. The podcast we just released would make her a prime suspect."
"I hope you're right."
"Anyway, there is a chance that Ellen might kick me out before I decide to leave, but until she does, I'm going to keep digging. And I won't be completely alone in my effort. Tyler seems to be an ally. I'll tell him about Nathan and see if he got the same information you did."
"You should talk to Finn, too."
"I will."
"Do you want me to call Finn from here? He might feel sorry for me and tell me more."
Seeing the strain in her eyes, I shook my head. "You need to rest today, Tessa. Give your brain and your body a chance to heal. If I need you to make calls later, I'll let you know."
Tessa gave me a weak smile. "Okay. I'm proud of you, Cassidy, but I'm also a little scared. I don't want you to feel pressure to stay."
"If I need to bail, I will. I'll see you later. Get some rest."
As I walked out of her room, I felt both determined and terrified. This was on me now. And I couldn't help but wonder if that had been the plan all along.