something you might want to look into.”
“I’m not entirely sure how that helps me. Unless you think they have something to do with Dakota’s death and Willow’s presumed abduction.”
“I don’t know anything. Best to throw everything up against the wall and see what sticks.”
“Spoken like a true amateur detective,” he said, weighing if he should say his piece. “I have something to tell you, Isla, and you might not like it.”
“Oh?”
“When I interviewed your daughter, she admitted some things.”
“Like what?”
“She didn’t go to Willow’s house just to hang out and watch movies. There were parties.”
She paused before answering. “I was afraid of that.”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this.”
“I heard as much but never suspected that Katie had been involved in that kind of thing. She’s a good kid. She’d never do any of that crazy stuff.”
“Are you forgetting that you were once a kid?”
“But Katie’s always been so . . . responsible. So good.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it wasn’t just alcohol those kids were using.”
“I can’t accept what you’re about to tell me.”
“Don’t be like those parents with their head in the sand,” Karl said.
“What proof do you have?”
“She all but admitted it to me. She’s deathly afraid that you’ll find out and think the worst of her.”
“Trust me, being deathly afraid will be the least of her worries if it’s true.”
“I know it’s not up to me, but I’m hoping you’ll not say anything to her. Not now, anyway. It might cause her to shut down and stop talking to me, and that’s the last thing we need at this stage in the investigation. Best to wait until she’s fully recovered from her injuries before you talk to her.”
“So you want me to keep quiet and pretend that nothing happened?”
“Yes.”
Silence on the other end of the line.
“Isla? Are you still there?”
“I should have never let her go over there. What the hell was I thinking?”
“You can’t second-guess yourself. This is a time in kids’ lives when they screw up and do stupid things. Let’s just hope she learned from her mistakes.”
“You never did any of that when you were her age.”
“My only drug was hiking and enjoying nature. Of course, that’s why I was such a nerd back in high school.” He laughed, although it was tinged with regret.
“You weren’t a total nerd. If I remember correctly, there was one cool girl who thought you were pretty special.”
“And she was a little crazy herself, if I recall.”
“Maybe she wasn’t so crazy, after all. Or maybe she was crazy for another reason.”
What did that mean? His pulse ticked a little faster. Crazy in love? Crazy to have left town for college, only to end up with Ray? Goddamned Ray!
“So you’ll check on that accusation leveled against Coach Hicks?”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Isla.”
“Why not? I thought you were supposed to check out every lead and be thorough.”
He hesitated, wondering if he should say anything.
“Karl? Are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“So are you going to do it?”
“Don’t think there’s a reason to.”
“Why not?”
“Can you keep a secret? I mean, you cannot tell a soul.”
“Of course.”
“Chip Hicks is gay.”
“Gay? Chip? Not possible!”
“It’s true, although I can’t tell you how I know.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Positive. This is a small town, Isla, which is why he stays in the closet. Not exactly the friendliest place for a gay man to live.”
“Chip Hicks? Really? I mean, Chip was a star baseball player.”
Karl laughed, as if being a star baseball player would disqualify someone from being gay. “That’s why they exonerated him so quickly.”
“Okay, then I guess that explains it. I won’t say a word.”
The line went dead, and yet he clutched the phone to his ear, longing, wanting to hear more of her voice. Now he felt like the crazy one—crazy after all these years to still be in love with a married woman with two kids.
He had things to do. He needed to find out if Bugger had been hanging out with Ray and behaving badly. It hadn’t escaped his notice that Ray had purchased a newer truck: a 2014 Chevy Silverado. Ray had claimed it was for his burgeoning seaweed business. Odds were that he had paid for it in cash. Karl wanted to see for himself if Ray was harvesting this so-called seaweed, and learn if this was a viable business or not. He needed to call Julian’s Manhattan school and find out if the rumors about him were true. And what