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“Someone likes me.”
Tobias glared at Lila over Ginny’s head. “Where are we in the investigation?”
Lila noticed a few things at once. The envelope in Ginny’s hand and the way she dropped into the chair across from the couch, as if the muscles in her legs gave out. The exhaustion pulling around her eyes and her very serious expression.
None of that looked good.
“The forensic team took a long look at the cabin and surrounding area,” Ginny said, launching into her talk without any of the usual banter or back-and-forth she did with Lila when they talked.
“Okay.” Tobias nodded. “And?”
“Yara James wore a thin gold chain with a butterfly ornament on it. It was a gift from her godmother. It went missing when Yara did.”
A sloshing started in Lila’s stomach. A sort of rolling that built to a bucking. “You found it.”
Ginny didn’t acknowledge the comment as she looked back and forth between Lila and Tobias. “Julie Levin had this little plate with her name and a phone number on it. It fit on the laces of her hiking boots. Friends and family said she wore it as a precaution because she often went on long hikes by herself. She had it in case she got hurt or lost. She thought the tag would help anyone who found her.”
Their jewelry. Their belongings.
“Oh God.” Lila didn’t recognize her own voice, but she knew she’d said the words.
Her muscles grew heavy as reality hit and her body collapsed. The news shouldn’t have been a surprise. Once they found Karen’s body, some form ofthiswas inevitable, but hermind sputtered and shock shook through her. She felt flu-like and achy, barely able to sit there as the truth spilled out.
“Both of those items were found in the cabin. Those weren’t the only items.” Ginny stopped to clear her throat. “The FBI is tracking the other pieces to see if they match up with any missing persons cases.”
More jewelry. Other women.
All those fishing and hunting trips when she welcomed the peace that came with having Aaron out of the house. He’d really been out there... doing what? Scouting women. Hurting them. Dragging them away to that cabin.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Lila doubled over in her chair with her hand over her mouth.
“I have photos of the contents of the box and was hoping you could look—”
“Maybe not now.” Tobias slid closer to Lila, with his hand rubbing up and down her back.
She didn’t want to be touched or comforted. She pulled away, trapping her body against the armrest as she struggled to breathe.
“No, it’s okay.” She had to force every image from her mind. Tangled and mashed bodies. Aaron’s smirk. “Let me see the pictures.”
Ginny hesitated for a few seconds before opening the envelope and dropping photos on the table. Each one showed a piece of jewelry or a personal item Lila had never seen. Nothing looked expensive. Just ordinary items that belonged to women who never expectedthatday to be their last day.
She’d hated Aaron for so many weeks. As she paged through the photos, only one thought ran through her head:I didn’t kill him soon enough.
She separated out one and slid the others across the table to Ginny. “None of these.”
Ginny’s gaze hadn’t wavered since she’d delivered her devastating news. She pointed at the one photo Lila separated out. “Is that familiar?”
Lila picked it up to get a closer look. A bracelet. Nothing fancy. A simple silver bracelet with an “A” charm on it and some scrapings on the back. “It’s the letter. Aaron’s mother’s name was Anna.”
“What are you saying?” Tobias asked as he looked at her.
Something. Nothing, really. It had to be a coincidence... but the moment she thought that, old doubts pricked at her. “I’ve never seen the bracelet, and the name is common, but...”
Ginny continued to watch her. “She was killed by a hunter.”
“Yes. That’s the story.” Aaron and Jared told it. They’d profited from it by getting the trust.
Color returned to Ginny’s face. She looked more invested, more animated than when she’d first walked in. “You’re not sure the hunting story is true.”
