This time, she took the lead as the terrain sloped downward. Bruno trotted alongside, clearly enjoying his time in the woods. Upon reaching the path, she hurried toward the bubbler. She scanned the area for something to use as a bowl.
“Here, let me.” Cam cupped his hands together. She pressed the button to activate the water fountain, filling his hands with water. He quickly lowered them for Bruno who eagerly lapped at the water even as some water slipped through Cam’s fingers.
“Good boy, Bruno.” She filled Cam’s palms again, and Bruno took another few laps at the water, before lifting his head and sniffing the air. She bent to take a drink, then stepped back so Cam could do the same.
“Next time we hike with backpacks and supplies,” he said.
“Next time?” She stared at him. “I’m not going on another hike like this.”
He grimaced and looked away. She realized he’d been dead serious about attempting to find more victims. She sighed as they walked along the riverfront, heading away from Lake Michigan to the small parking lot near the preserve. She gestured to the gently flowing water. “Do you think it’s deep enough for a car?”
“Yeah, it’s deep enough, especially for Skye’s yellow VW bug.” He stopped walking for a moment to stare down at the murky depths. “The better question is, will I find the car if I search using snorkeling gear?”
“You’re really going to look for it?” She didn’t try to hide her doubt. “What are the odds that you’ll actually find it?”
“Probably not good.” He shrugged. “But yeah, I’m going to try. The thing that keeps nagging at me is that nobody has bothered to look in the river for Skye’s car. The cops issued a BOLO assuming she was on the road somewhere. Now fourteen years have passed without anyone finding it.”
“You’re right.” She reached down to stroke Bruno’s fur. “Okay, if you think it’s worth it, we should head back to the car so we can stop at the store to get whatever you need.” She was a strong swimmer, same as Cam. They’d both worked as lifeguards after all. But she wasn’t eager to snorkel in the river to search for Skye’s car.
No matter how bright the yellow paint might have been, she was sure it was nothing but a pile of rust now. If the VW bug had been left submerged in the Grand River for all these years in the first place.
Skye’s car could have ended up in a salvage yard, stripped and sold for parts. That made more sense than driving it into the water.
“Okay, let’s take the road back. It’ll be quicker.” Cam looked more determined than ever.
She didn’t argue, following the path to the parking lot. As they struck out toward the road, she caught a glimpse of a police cruiser going by. She eyed the cop behind the wheel, wondering if he was headed into the preserve to help with the newly discovered dead body. The cop glanced at her but then looked away as he kept driving. Almost as if he didn’t want to be recognized.
“Was that Kyle Abernathy?” She followed the police car as it drove out of sight.
“I think so.” Cam was watching the car disappear in the distance too. “Interesting that so many of our former classmates had either stayed in town or returned to live here after graduation. And that at least a few of them had become cops.”
“Yeah, first Jackson Dupree and now Kyle Abernathy. I wonder how many others are still around?”
“I’d like to know if Dan Johnson is living in the area,” Cam said. “I wouldn’t put it past him to have grown more violent over the years.”
“We can ask around.” She glanced at Cam, remembering that day he’d confronted Dan Johnson, punching him in the gut when Dan tried to tell him to butt out. “I know we should keep an open mind, but it’s easier to imagine him doing something like this, more so than Jackson, Kyle, or any of our other classmates.”
“I agree.” Cam stepped closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as the low rumble of a car engine echoed around them. The vehicle crested the hill, then zoomed past. He didn’t drop his arm, his head turning to follow the car’s path. “Maybe staying on the road wasn’t the best idea. I don’t like how exposed we are.”
“We’ll be fine in broad daylight.” At least, she hoped so. Her thoughts returned to Dan Johnson. She glanced up at Cam’s profile. “What about checking in at the high school?”
“Why would that help?” Cam asked with a skeptical glance. “I doubt he’s a teacher, and I don’t know if the teachers report in that early anyway. School doesn’t start until after Labor Day.”
“Can’t hurt to ask.” She understood it was a long shot. “Although the lakefront might be a better choice.”
“Yeah, the lakefront is likely packed with people.” Cam seemed to warm to that idea. He dropped his arm, much to her acute disappointment. “We can check it out after we pick up the snorkeling gear.”
“Okay.” She liked knowing they had a plan. This wasn’t just about clearing Cam’s name. Not anymore.
They needed Detective Rueger to focus on finding the real killer, before he struck again.
Cam foughtthe urge to run all the way back to Evie’s mother’s house. If he were alone, he’d have already gotten back and headed out to pick up the items he needed. But he needed to protect Evie. He slowed his pace to make sure she could easily keep up.
Bruno trotted along the side of the road, lowering his muzzle to sniff at interesting scents along the way. Evie didn’t have him on leash, and Cam was impressed the large German shepherd didn’t stray too far from Evie’s side. The animal almost seemed to understand he needed to stay out of the road.
Despite being anxious to get back to the house, Cam was grateful to note they’d made good time. Bruno lifted his head and turned toward the house.
“Stay.” Evie’s tone was sharp. The dog immediately stopped and sat, looking up at her expectantly. She made a point of looking both ways, then nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
