Chapter 34
I woke with the feeling that time was no longer on my side.
Not because the case had gone cold, but because it was heating up, and when that happened, people either talked or panicked.
Sometimes both. As I began getting ready for the day, a text message came through from Silas.
The scarf yielded no DNA evidence, but the hair caught in Anne’s locket was confirmed to be hers.
Today, I was intent on speaking with Aiden, to see what he had to say about the night of the bonfire.
His house sat farther inland than most, tucked behind a stand of eucalyptus trees that peeled and shed like they were trying to escape their own skins. The place suited him. It was private and defensive, perhaps even a little hostile.
I knocked, and when no one came to the door, I knocked again.
Still nothing.
I was about to head back to my car, when the door opened.
Aiden stood there with the same expression he’d had the last time I saw him, like he was annoyed that I existed. Today, he was dressed in a pair of stained jeans and a white tank top, even though it was mid-winter.
“You again,” he said. “What is it now?”
“I need to ask you about the bonfire,” I said. “And about Anne Fontaine.”
He snorted, stepping back. “Someone’s been getting people to talk.”
“What can I say? I am good at my job.”
“Looks like everyone’s decided to dredge up ancient history. Guess you better come in then.”
I stepped inside, taking in a faint smell of sawdust. There were no personal touches around the house, no warmth. It reminded me of a home someone lived in but never loved.
He motioned toward a chair but didn’t sit himself, choosing instead to lean against the counter with his arms crossed.
“Who’s been running their mouth?” He raised a finger. “Wait, lemme guess. Was it Wendy?”
“Among others.”
“What others?”
I hesitated, refusing to answer.
“Look,” he said. “If you want me to talk, you need to do a little talking yourself.”
“Fine. I’ve spoken with several people in your old friend circle. The most recent being Vaughn and Tilly.”
He rolled his eyes. “Figures. Let me guess. They painted me as the villain of the group.”
“They painted you as untrustworthy.”
He laughed. “That all? How generous. Bet they didn’t tell you I dated Tilly first.”
No, they did not.
“The affair makes a lot more sense to me now,” I said.
“Back then, when we were dating, I thought everything was fine between us. Next thing I know, she’s dropping me for that jerkoff.”
“Why?”
“Vaughn’s safe and predictable, like a spud with no toppings. And, honey, I have plenty of toppings to go around.”
Gross.
“How did the affair happen?” I asked.
He raised a brow. “How about we stop calling it an affair, like we were married or something, and call it what it was—sex.”
“Fine, how did you two end up having sex?”
“I’m better in the sack than him, for starters.
She came to me. Said something about being in love with Vaughn but still missing me.
I gave her the best of both worlds. For one night, anyway.
She felt so guilty over it, she wouldn’t agree to do it again.
Then she got pregnant and lost the kid, as I’m sure you know, since you seem to know everything else. You wanna know what I think?”
“I do.”
“I think she still has feelings for me, even now. Some people don’t forget their biggest mistake, if you know what I mean.”
His comment told me everything I needed to know about how he viewed himself.
“Let’s talk about Anne,” I said. “What do you remember about meeting her?”
He shrugged. “The missing girl? She was polite. Flirty. Talked to all of us.”
“All of you,” I repeated.
“Well, from what I can remember, she spent a lot of time with Vaughn and Gabriel,” he said.
Interesting.
“You’re sure it was those two?”
“As sure as I can be after a few beers,” he said. “But don’t get the wrong idea. I could hold my liquor back then. Still can.”
“I’m sure,” I said.
“Anne laughed a lot,” he continued. “Loud and pitchy. Seemed to like attention. Didn’t strike me as shy.”
Aiden’s description of her didn’t match Wendy’s.
Or Rosemary’s.
“Everything was going fine that night, and then Tilly couldn’t keep her trap shut,” he said. “Ruined the entire evening. Everything went to hell after that.”
“What did you do?”
“Sat back, watching everyone tear into each other. I did what I could to stay out of it. Someone had to keep things from getting worse.”
That was an interesting way to think of it.
“Would you say you stayed the longest?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’d say. Oh, and Anne was still there when Vaughn left the first time.”
“The first time?”
“He’d stormed off after Tilly’s confession because he couldn’t handle it. Tilly went after him. He came back later. Just him though, not Tilly.”
Vaughn and Tilly hadn’t mentioned that fact to me.
And Tilly had said they didn’t return.
Was she lying?
Or hadn’t she known that Vaughn went back?
“When did Vaughn return to the bonfire?” I asked.
“Later. After things had settled some. He’d broken things off with Tilly, and he wanted to keep drinking.”
“And you’re sure Anne was still there then?”
“I think so. At some point, she left.”
“Alone?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I don’t remember.”
“So, you remember her talking to Vaughn and Gabriel, but not who she left with at the end of the night.”
“That’s what I just said.”
“It seems a little convenient,” I said.
His posture stiffened. “You accusing me of something?”
“I’m saying it seems to me like you’re steering the story in the direction you want it to go.”
“Or maybe I’m the only one who’s being honest with you.”
“About what?”
“That Anne wasn’t some innocent little lamb the papers portrayed her to be back then,” he said.
There it was, at last.
The subtle shift.
Blame the victim.
Blur the edges.
Make her seem less like a victim and more like a person who deserved what happened to her.
“Did you offer Anne a ride?” I asked.
“No.”
“Did Gabriel?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Vaughn?”
He hesitated.
“Maybe,” he said. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Why?”
“My guess? After what went down, he needed to feel wanted that night.”
“One last thing,” I said. “How did you feel about Gabriel back then?”
He raised a brow. “He was an insecure little clown.”
“Did you trust him?”
Aiden laughed. “I never trust anyone who needs to be liked as much as he did.”
I nodded. “That’s all I need.”
“Good, you can see yourself out.”
As I walked back to my car, the pieces shifted again.
Aiden was shaping the truth until it fit the version of himself he wanted to believe. He remembered details when they benefited him. Lost them when they didn’t.
But one thing stood out.
Anne didn’t vanish into the night.
She stayed after the argument between Tilly and Vaughn.
She stayed after Vaughn left the first time.
She stayed after the group fractured.
And she must have left with someone.
Someone who made people feel safe, even when they weren’t.