A man stepped out.
Tall, dark-haired, tie loosened at the collar, confidence in every step.
Micah frowned. “Wait. Is that?—”
Reid Calloway crossed the porch, headed toward the curb.
Toward a dark green vintage Jaguar.
The headlights swept across the street as he pulled away. For one brief second, the custom plate caught in the beam.
VERDICT.
Lila glanced down at the screen of her phone.
There he was. The District Attorney of Sylva. Walking out of Eleanor Harper’s house after dark.
Slowly, she smiled.
“Oh,” she said softly. “That’s beautiful.”
Micah glanced over. “You want me to post it?”
“No.” Lila slipped the phone into her pocket. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
Her eyes stayed on the taillights disappearing down the street.
“Because right now, it’s worth more than anyone knows.”
She glanced back at the white brick house.
“Good,” she said softly. “Now let’s see what happens when people start talking.”
6
Lila Grant — Vanished in the Valley Podcast
The courthouse sat above Main Street like a stage. White columns. Blue sky. One hundred and four steps rising from the square below.
“Frame it with the fountain,” Lila instructed. “Let the steps sit behind me.”
The livestream numbers were already higher than yesterday.
Vendors were setting up beneath the banners. Tents. Food trucks. Folding tables stacked with T-shirts and caps embroidered with:
VANISHED IN THE VALLEY
A booth near the corner advertised:
MYSTERY MOUNTAIN WALKING TOURS — 2 PM & 6 PM
Competition cameras hovered to the left. Rival podcast crews.
Good.
Lila smiled into the lens.
