Her heart squeezed in her chest. Had he found Skye’s VW bug? She walked back up the sidewalk to the rocky area where Cam had gone into the river. It was the best place for him to crawl back out. As she walked, with Bruno at her side, she was impressed at how Cam’s strong strokes cut cleanly through the water. Despite swimming against the current, he made good progress.
When he reached the large rocks lining the shore, he stripped off the snorkel gear and placed it in a crevasse between two boulders. Then his biceps bulged as he pulled himself out of the water. The rocks were slippery, more so now that he was wet, too, but a minute later, he’d made his way back up to the river’s edge.
“I. .. found.. . it,” he said between gasping breaths. “Skye’s car. I. . . found it.”
“Are you okay?” She frowned, noting he looked out of breath.
Cam nodded, sluicing water from his skin. “Fine. It took longer than I thought, but I found it.”
She was impressed that his hunch had been correct. “Incredible to think Skye’s yellow bug has been down in the river all this time.”
“I know.” He managed a grim smile, his eyes gleaming with relief. “I double-checked the license plate to confirm it’s her car. There’s no way Rueger can say it’s not.”
She put a hand on his arm, squeezing gently. “You did it, Cam. You were right, and you proved it.”
“Yeah.” His grin faded. “The car is in rough shape, though. I was hopeful the car would have key evidence, but seeing it now, I have my doubts. The water has done a number on it, both inside and out.” His brow furrowed. “I noticed one of the side windows was left open a few inches. Makes me wonder if the killer did that on purpose to make sure the car sank down to the murky bottom.”
She shivered despite the warmth of the sun. “I imagine you’re right. The car is smaller than most. I’m sure he was worried it would float long enough for someone to see it.”
“I thought the same thing.” He turned to look at the water. “If Rueger would have taken Skye’s disappearance seriously, he might have found it back then.”
“I know.” She couldn’t help but imagine the detective’s reaction when they informed the detective how they’d found Skye’s car. “I guess we should head to the police station to talk to him.”
“Yeah.” Cam didn’t move, appearing loath to do that. Catching her concerned gaze, he sighed. “Somehow, I get the feeling Rueger is going to make this look as if I found the car only because I’m the one who left it in the river.”
“That may be, but you can’t just sit on this.” She truly felt bad about what Cam was going through. “Hiding the truth about what you found today will only make things worse for you.”
“Oh yeah?” Cam shook his head, then looked back at the river, seemingly lost in thought. “I don’t know about that.”
She bit her lower lip, wondering if he was truly serious about keeping the news of Skye’s car a secret. This was something she hadn’t anticipated. It felt wrong, and she stared down at Bruno wondering if she’d have to head to the police station without him.
“Stop looking at me like I’m a stranger.” Cam’s low voice cut into her thoughts. “I know we need to talk to Rueger. It’s just that hearing him accuse me of being a killer isn’t high on my list of fun things to do.”
“We need to trust the process, Cam. We’ll force him to look at other suspects.” She stepped closer to him. “We’ll mention Dan’s domestic violence incident, his divorce and losing custody of his son. How Marcie’s husband, Rick Thomas, knew both Skye and Jasmine. Rueger would be an idiot not to consider other suspects now that Jasmine’s body has been found.”
“I love your positive attitude,” Cam said softly. “Okay, you’re right. Let’s go.” He took a step, then looked down at his dripping swim trunks. “I need to change first.”
“We have towels from the rental property in the car.” She hoped he didn’t notice her blush. “You can change in the SUV. I’ll stand guard with Bruno.”
He grinned. “No peeking.”
Her blush only burned hotter. “Smarty pants.”
Evie stood with her back to the car, with Bruno beside her as Cam changed. Bruno lifted his nose again, sniffing intently. Then he growled, just like he had earlier while Cam was searching the river.
“Now what?” She didn’t see anything that would explain Bruno’s growl. “Is the coyote back? Or did something else catch your attention?”
A minute later, the door of the SUV opened, and Cam emerged wearing dry shorts and T-shirt. “Why was Bruno growling?”
“I don’t know. He did that earlier, too, but I didn’t see anything suspicious then either.” She stroked the dog’s fur. “He keeps staring toward the woods.”
“Maybe we should allow him to search for the killer?” Cam frowned with concern. “The guy could be lurking nearby.”
“In broad daylight so soon after the police have been uncovering Jasmine’s body? I don’t think so.” She turned to look at him. “More likely Bruno caught the scent of a wild animal roaming around in the woods. I think we’re better off heading into town to update Detective Rueger on finding Skye’s car.”
Cam reluctantly nodded. “Okay. You’re probably right about a wild animal. Thanks for not searching for more dead bodies while I was in the river.” He used the key fob to open the back hatch.
“I figured we’d save that for later.” She arched a brow as she opened the passenger-side door. “Wouldn’t want you to miss out on all the fun.”
