Page 90 of Bring Them Home

Rhett narrowed his eyes, not looking convinced, but said, “I don’t see what the harm would be, but I’m not sure of the point either. You don’t suspect me or Shelley of having anything to do with this?”

“No, certainly not,” she assured him.

A few beats, then, “Sure, whatever you need to do.”

“Thank you.” Amanda was the first to turn to leave. As she walked away, she thought about what a wreck Rhett Manning would be if they turned up more remains. What a wreck she would be.

Amanda and Trent split up and walked the property to cover more ground in less time. He traveled farther out while she remained closer to the structures. She was tempted to call out Valerie’s and Brooke’s names but didn’t want to stress out the Mannings if they overheard.

She scanned the horizon line in front of her, letting her gaze dance over the property then toward the barn. Going over there, she swung the door open and shone her flashlight inside. The Mannings didn’t have any livestock, just the cornfields. There was a rototiller and some other gardening equipment, including a riding lawnmower, but nothing much otherwise.

After clearing the barn, she stepped through a rear door, and came face to face with an old wishing well. It seemed like an odd spot for one, though it was no longer in use. The mouth of it was covered with a board. Still, she walked closer, feeling something drawing her that way.

A family of rats… Hernandez’s distaste for the Archers was clear in his words. He’d made a showing of Abigail’s murder, knowing it would become public. Removing her tongue made a declaration of what he’d do to those who opened their mouths against him. The way Paul was killed and disposed of could also be taken as a clear warning. This meant that Hernandez didn’t need to make a show out of murdering Valerie and Brooke Archer. The Archers were disposable and may never be found.

But what if his label carried more weight? What if the comparison to the rodent held a clue? She scrolled through her mind for what she knew about them. Scrappy scavengers, disease carriers, living close to wherever there was a food source and multiplying.

She came to within five feet of the well.

So what did he do to them? What do people do with real rats? Trap them, poison them, show no mercy… Hernandez would place no value in Valerie’s and Brooke’s lives. There must be some clue in that… Of no value…

She reached the well. The board on top showed signs of rotting and age. Drawing her gaze along the diameter, she stopped at the sight of a nail standing in one spot. She rounded the well, even passing by what she’d already seen with a new focus.

At one point in time, the board had been nailed to the ledge of the well. But someone had pried it off and reset it without bothering to attach it again.

Rats built their nests underground, or in dark, isolated corners. Some lived in sewers. At that, an epiphany hit. She needed to look inside, but the diameter of the well was too large for her to remove the board by herself.

She pulled out her cell phone and called Trent. When he answered, she told him to meet her at the well behind the barn. He told her he’d be right there.

The second he appeared, she spoke. “Someone took this board off and just set it here. My gut is telling me…” She left it there, not feeling it was necessary to finish the sentence.

“Yeah, of course.” He walked across from her, and they lifted the board off and set it on the ground.

The pit was dark, and she pulled out her flashlight, leaned over, and shone the beam inside. At first there wasn’t anything to make out, but once Trent added the light from his flashlight, what had looked like a shapeless lump took form.

“Valerie? Brooke?” Please let them be alive!

There was nothing.

She repeated their names, louder this time. There was a moan. Valerie lifted her arm to shield her eyes from their beams.

“Prince William County Police, ma’am,” Trent said. “We’ll get you out of there. Is Brooke⁠—”

“What?” The groggy voice of a teenager.

At the sound, Amanda’s legs became weak. They were both alive.

Trent got on the phone to request a full response team. It would bring the police, the fire department, and two ambulances.

“Help is on the way,” she told them. “Just hang in there.”

FORTY-SIX

Amanda stood back, watching the scene unfold. Trent had gone to notify the Mannings about what they found. When he reported back, he said the couple would have dropped to the floor if they hadn’t been sitting. They told Trent they were going to sell the farm and retire somewhere farther north but with lots of people around. Amanda couldn’t blame them for wanting to make the shift after everything that had taken place here.

The fire department arrived and became heroes the moment they lifted the teen out of the well. Then again, when Valerie was up.

They were both dirty and shivering. Despite the warm summer above ground, they had been about thirty feet down. It would have been freezing there. One mercy was the well had dried up many years ago. Another miracle was they hadn’t succumbed to hypothermia or died of starvation or dehydration. It was especially noteworthy neither of them had any broken bones. Were they lowered into the well? Hernandez would have only one reason to do that. To prolong their suffering.