And realized he was seeing the distinct rounded shape of a VW bug. The metal was corroded and mostly rust colored, but there was still the faint tint of yellow shining beneath the mud, slime, and other algae that obliterated most of the car from view. He blinked, hoping he wasn’t imagining it.
Abruptly realizing he needed more air, he turned and kicked frantically to reach the surface. Removing the snorkel airway, he sucked in a deep breath. He wanted to give Evie the good news, but he needed to make sure. As much as he hated to admit it, the car could belong to anyone. For all he knew, there was more than one car that had been dropped into the river.
He took another deep breath, fit the snorkel mouthpiece into his mouth, and dove back down. The rounded shape looked even more like a car this time.
He went farther, putting his hand on the side of the vehicle. Then he searched for something he could use as an identifier.
The license plate was mostly rusted away and covered in green slime. He pushed the mud and grime aside until he could make out the initial letter K followed by the letter P. He stared in shock, remembering Skye’s license plate was KP1924. He’d seen it on the flyers posted around town after she’d gone missing.
There was no mistake. He’d found Skye’s car!
10
Waiting for Cam to finish searching the river was the hardest thing Evie had done since the night Bruno had brought her Skye’s bone. The process wasn’t nearly as quick as she’d expected. Cam’s head would clear the surface, he’d tread water for a while, then dive back down. Each time it seemed as if he stayed down longer.
Too long. Sure, Cam was a strong swimmer. They’d both passed the rigorous swimming test to become lifeguards. And to her eye, Cam had only gotten stronger after his stint in the army. But she couldn’t help but worry he’d push himself too far. Especially as he moved farther downstream from her location.
At one point, she kicked off her shoes, intending to jump into the river after him. But then she’d glimpse his head break through the surface for long moments before he went back down again.
Was this a wild-goose chase? She’d gone along with the plan to search for Skye’s car because she was desperate for find the evidence they needed to clear Cam’s name. Yet as she stood there, it occurred to her that if there was any trace evidence in the vehicle after all these years, it could very well belong to Cam.
He’d been in Skye’s car on a regular basis. As much or more than she had as Skye’s best friend. For all they knew, the killer had worn gloves the night he’d killed Skye and had made sure to limit his time in the car to the few seconds it took to get the vehicle to the edge of the river, then push it in.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe finding Skye’s car would only point the finger back at Cam.
Bruno abruptly lifted his head, sniffing the air intently. She frowned when she noticed the raised hackles on the back of his neck. Then Bruno growled low in his throat, disturbed by something or someone nearby.
Her apprehension spiked at Bruno’s reaction. She dropped to one knee to put her arm around the dog. “What is it, boy? What do you smell?”
Bruno’s answer was another low, rumbling growl.
Slowly rising to her feet, Evie scanned the area. A few people were strolling along the riverfront, none looking at all familiar. A jogger ran by, his T-shirt damp with sweat, but Bruno didn’t give him a second glance.
She inwardly debated allowing Bruno to track the scent. She’d promised Cam to wait here, and now that she’d noticed how long he stayed underwater, she was loath to leave him alone. If by some remote chance he needed rescuing, she intended to be there for him.
Had Bruno heard the police recovering Jasmine’s body? They’d left Rueger and Jackson hours ago. She’d have thought they’d be finished by now, but maybe not. She searched the woods but didn’t see anyone.
Finally, after what seemed like an eon, Bruno stopped growling and sat. Lifting one leg, he scratched himself behind the ear. Then he simply stood beside her as if nothing had happened.
“You can’t scare me like that,” she chided. “You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
Bruno cocked his head to the side as if considering that. Then he pushed his nose against her as if to apologize.
“Good boy.” She bent over to smooth her hand over his soft fur. “You’re a good boy.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she took a moment to reexamine the area around her. She still didn’t see anything that warranted Bruno’s growling. Maybe a wild animal had gotten too close. She knew coyotes, beavers, white-tailed deer, and other wildlife lived in the nature preserve. No reason to suspect Bruno had gotten a whiff of the killer.
Shaking off her fear, she turned to look back at the river. Her stomach tightened when she didn’t see Cam. Had he gone farther down the river, around the bend?
“Come, Bruno.” She moved down the path until she could see the water beyond. Still no sign of Cam. Swallowing hard, she wished he’d hurry up and either find the car or give up the search.
She lifted her gaze to the cloud-dotted sky overhead and prayed out loud. “Please, Lord Jesus, guide Cam in his search for the truth. And please, Lord, keep us safe in Your care. Amen.”
The prayer helped steady her nerves. She knew deep in her heart Cam wasn’t a killer, but she couldn’t deny the very real possibility that she was allowing her personal feelings for Cam cloud her judgment. She liked him more now than she had when they were in high school. The reassuring part of this nightmare was that she’d called him to let him know about discovering Skye’s remains. Because he cared about Skye, he’d come back to Grand Haven by his own volition.
Only to be labeled a killer.
She abruptly glimpsed Cam’s head popping up out of the water. She breathed a sigh of relief, even as he spun around to look in her direction. He lifted his arm, waving frantically, then started swimming toward her.
