“Nah, just grabbing something for a friend.”
“Cool, cool. Well, I better get home.” He glances over his shoulder. “I fell asleep at a friend’s last night.”
Avery needed some friends—one’s that aren’t still in high school. Hopefully he found someone. I say goodbye and continue down the path to Summer’s trailer. Ms. Barnes gave me a key to maintain the unit while she was gone. I rarely come by, maybe once every few weeks to check on things, but with Anita and Bobby nearby it hasn’t been a worry.
I unlock the door and step inside the trailer. I’ve been here enough with Summer to have a vague idea of where to find her clothes. I walk to the tiny bedroom and bend down to the cabinets. I find a familiar-looking shirt and some shorts I’ve seen her wear. The underwear drawer is already partially open and again, I pick a pair I’ve seen. When I stand, I glance at the floral-patterned bedspread and frown. In the middle of the pillows is a bunch of yellow daisies, torn to shreds.
“What the hell?” I mutter, realizing I missed it the first time because of the pattern of the quilt. I glance around the room but nothing else seems out of place. I gather the clothes and leave them on the kitchen table and walk through the rest of the trailer. In the bathroom is a small window left partially open. The screen is cut. Shit. It was probably an animal. I slide the window closed and secure it with the latch, making sure it’s locked, then go back to the bedroom to clean up the mess on the bed, checking for any other disturbance. I don’t see any and there’s no evidence of an animal still in the house. Summer keeps her food secure in the cabinets. The flowers were probably the only thing they could find.
In the kitchen I find two old grocery bags. In one I put Summer’s clothes. In the other, the flower mess. I’ll come back later to fix the screen.
I’m securing the door when I hear a car roll up on the gravel. A woman, dressed way nicer than any of the local residents or even tourists, steps out of the driver’s side. She smiles when she sees me.
“Hi, I’m Shay, is Summer here?”
It clicks that this must be the reporter she’s been spending time with. “Sorry, no. I just came by to get something for her.”
“Oh, bummer. I tried calling her this morning and she didn’t answer.”
“She’s with a friend of ours who isn’t feeling well. Spent the night there so she may still be asleep.”
“Oh.” She looks a little lost but focuses her gaze back at me. “So, you’re one of her friends?”
“Yeah, I’m Pete.”
She offers her hand. I take it. “Nice to meet you, Pete. How long have you known Summer and her family?”
“I’ve known Summer and her mom for about a year. The rest of her family, my whole life.”
“What did you think about them coming here to investigate Donald Gaskins?”
I shrug. “I didn’t think much about it, but it’s cool to see them have so much success. I know they worked hard on the book.”
“Did you have any idea about Julia’s past with Gaskins?”
I shake my head.
Footsteps on the gravel catch my attention and I glance down the path toward the parking lot. Avery’s standing with his hands shoved in his pockets. His cool eyes sweep over me and the bags I’m carrying.
“Are you talking about Donald Gaskins?” he asks Shay with a small, charming smile.
“I am,” she replies.
“I know all about him. And everything about Ms. Barnes’ book. I’ve read it five times.”
Shay looks at me and I say, “This is Avery Miller. He’s local, too.”
“You live here?” he asks.
“No, but my aunt has a trailer here.” He jerks his thumb vaguely behind him.
I hold up the bags. “I really need to get these over to Summer and head on to work myself.”
“Please tell Summer to call me,” she says.
“I will.”
I walk past Avery, who hasn’t moved, and say hello to Ms. Dorothy on the way back to my car. The trailer park is starting to move, which means I’m late. When I get back to my car I glance back at the path and see Shay still speaking with Avery. Maybe she’s found the person willing to talk about Gaskins and will give Summer a break. Whatever is going on, I leave them to it, quickly pulling out of the driveway to check on my friends.
