Chapter 35
Brianne looked surprised when she answered the door, seeing me standing on the front porch without warning, unlike our previous visit.
“Oh. Georgiana,” she said. “I didn’t expect … come in.”
The house was quiet today. No television. No radio. Just the faint tick of a clock somewhere down the hall.
“Is Gabriel home?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “He took the car into town. Talia’s out too.”
We walked into the kitchen, where a kettle sat cooling on the stove. Two mugs were already out, untouched. She motioned for me to sit, then took the chair across from me, folding her hands together like she was bracing herself for the reason for my visit.
“I’m guessing you didn’t come by just to check in,” she said.
“No,” I said. “I didn’t. I want to share a few more details about the case and the things that have come to light since I saw you last.”
She raised a brow. “Okay.”
“I know Anne Fontaine was at a bonfire with you and several of your friends right before she went missing. I also know you all agreed not to give the police that information after she disappeared.”
Brianne sighed and said, “You’re right. Aiden convinced us not to tell the police. He thought they’d try to blame one of us for her disappearance. It was a long time ago, though, and I guess I just don’t understand what Anne has to do with the reason why you’re here.”
“Audrey found Anne’s locket,” I continued. “And I believe that’s what led to her murder.”
“How so?”
“After she found it, she started asking questions, trying to figure out what had happened to her. Ask me, the person responsible for her murder knew Audrey was looking into Anne’s disappearance.”
“No one knows what happened to Anne. I don’t see why someone would kill Audrey over an idle curiosity for a missing woman. If the police couldn’t figure out what happened to her, Audrey wouldn’t have been able to either, not after all this time.”
“The police lacked evidence we now have. They never knew your friends were with her right before she went missing. Audrey knew the truth.”
“Who told her?”
I thought about whether I should tell her or not, but at this point, I thought it all deserved to be out in the open.
“Wendy,” I said.
“I am surprised Wendy kept it to herself for all this time. I always knew not telling the police was the wrong decision. I just didn’t want to be the only one who did and then have them question everyone else, and have them contradict my story.
Once one person talks, everything comes out.
And that night, it wasn’t just about Anne.
There were other things happening. Things people wanted to forget. ”
“Secrets,” I said.
“Yes.”
She fidgeted with the collar on her shirt, straightening it even though it was already straight.
Her nerves were getting the better of her.
That much was obvious.
Maybe she’d realized that even after all this time, they could all be in trouble for withholding information.
Or maybe she was nervous for a different reason.
“Tell me what you remember about the bonfire,” I said.
She leaned back, drumming her fingers over the table. “I remember the fire, the sound of the waves, and everyone laughing at first. Gabriel being Gabriel, telling jokes, keeping things light.”
“And Anne? What did you think of her?”
“She seemed a little overwhelmed with us at first, maybe. But she was nice and polite.”
“That’s not how Aiden described her,” I said.
Her brow furrowed. “What did he say?”
“He said Anne was flirty, and that she talked most to Gabriel and Vaughn that night.”
Brianne frowned. “I don’t remember that. I remember her laughing. I’m embarrassed to admit I threw up a few times, so I wasn’t around for everything. I spent part of the night away from everyone, sitting on the sand, trying not to pass out.”
“When was that?” I asked.
“After Tilly told everyone about the affair. Everything got loud and emotional, and I couldn’t handle it.”
“Do you remember Anne talking with Vaughn?”
Brianne hesitated.
“I do,” she said. “But it’s blurry. I remember them laughing together.”
“When?”
“I think it was later on, after Vaughn came back.”
Vaughn returning had now been confirmed by Brianne as well as Aiden, and I assumed the two of them hadn’t been in contact to get their stories straight.
“Did you see Anne leave?” I asked.
Brianne shook her head. “I left before she did.”
“With whom?” I asked.
“I’d told my mom we were having a bonfire that night. She knew how crazy those nights could get. She always told me I wouldn’t get in trouble for anything as long as I told her the truth, so at some point, she picked me up.”
Maybe Brianne’s mother could fill in the gaps of what happened that night.
“Does your mother still live in the area?” I asked.
She shook her head. “She died last year.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. We spent a lot of time together during the last year of her life. Made a lot of good memories.”
She went quiet, staring out the window as if reminiscing about old times.
“I don’t believe Audrey was killed by a stranger,” I said. “I believe she told the wrong person about what she’d found out, someone she thought she could trust.”
Brianne stared at the table, her shoulders slumping. “I keep thinking, if I’d gone to the police back then, maybe none of this would’ve happened.”
“Or maybe it would’ve happened sooner,” I said. “We can’t know that for sure.”
She nodded.
“I was hoping to talk to Talia,” I said. “Do you know when she’ll be back?”
“She’s down at the creek. Been going there a lot the past few days. Says it helps to clear her head. She says she feels closer to Audrey when she’s there. I’ll tell her you stopped by, and I’ll have her reach out to you.”
I said goodbye and stepped outside, the air feeling colder than when I arrived. I drove down the road and parked off to the side, hiding my car from view. Then I got out, hoping to find Talia.
I walked toward the creek feeling I was close to finding the truth, to discovering not just what happened to Audrey, but to Anne.
It was as if the truth was waiting to be discovered, just out of sight.