“No. I’ve never even spoken to her in person, but I know who she is. I’ve read her articles, and I remember her covering the missing family for her newspaper at the time of the disappearance. I guess you can say I’m more of a fan than a friend.”
“She’s very talented,” I agreed. “I guess you must be around the same age as the oldest Hamish girl, Hannah.”
“Yes. We were in the same class in high school.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve heard from her since the family disappeared.”
The woman hesitated before responding. I could see that she was trying to work something through in her mind. Her smile faded, and her previously open facial expression shuttered, as she seemed to have come to some sort of decision. “No, I haven’t heard from Hannah. I’m pretty sure she’s dead. I’m pretty sure they all are.”
“You don’t think they might have simply left the area for some reason?”
She shook her head. “I don’t see why they’d just leave. I remember that Hannah really liked it here. I also remember her mentioning that the others liked it here as well.” Her smile returned, although a distant look came across her face as she seemed to be remembering the family she’d once known. “Courtney was in the eighth grade when they lived here. She was the most outgoing of the sisters. The loudest as well. She was going through a rebellious phase during her time in Gooseberry Bay, and it seemed that she found herself in trouble more often than not. Still, I remember noticing how smart she was and how confident.”
“Thirteen is a tough age,” I agreed.
“It really is, but Courtney had gumption. She knew what she wanted, and she knew how to get it. I remember thinking that when she got older, she was going to rule the world. And anyone who knew her knew that she was going to do it on her own terms.” Vanessa wiped a tear from her eye. “I hate the thought that she might never have had the chance to grow up.”
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s such a tragic situation. Did you know the younger girls?”
She nodded. “Sarah was only ten and already into a lot of different hobbies. Mama wouldn’t let her do any organized after-school activities, like ballet or gymnastics, but Sarah loved to draw, and she loved to read.”
“Mama?” I asked.
“Her mama, Mary.”
I nodded. “Go on.”
“Laura was the baby of the family. She was six and had just started the first grade. She still liked to play with her dolls, and she was forever out in the yard burying things with her little pink shovel and bucket.”
“Burying things? What sort of things?” I asked.
“Anything she could find.” Her grin widened. “One time, she buried her daddy’s car keys, and no one could find them. There was this huge search for them before Laura was finally convinced to give them up or lose her bucket and shovel forever.”
“It sounds as if you knew the family well,” I said.
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You said you lived in the area at the time of their disappearance. Do you remember seeing anything at all on that Thanksgiving Day that might explain what happened?”
She hesitated before continuing. “No. I didn’t see anything.” She looked toward the house and then back at me. “But one of the other neighbors told me that they remembered seeing a car in the area.”
“Car?”
“It was a blue, four-door sedan. I’m not sure of the make or model, but the neighbor said that it had been parked on the street in front of the Hamish home a few times in the days before the family disappeared. I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything about the car.”
“No. I just started working with Parker. I’ll have to ask her about it. Do you remember anything else about the sedan?”
“I didn’t notice the vehicle personally, but the neighbor I spoke to at the time told me that the windows were tinted, so it was hard to see inside. It was the opinion of this neighbor that there was someone sitting in the vehicle, watching the Hamish house.”
“Does this neighbor still live in the area?” I wondered.
“No, he’s long gone. It’s too bad you can’t talk to him about it. I kept thinking that the blue sedan might turn out to be the lead that would help the police find the family, but after that first bit of local gossip, I never heard another thing about it. Of course, I was just a kid. Well, maybe not a kid, but not an adult, either. Still,” she added, “I have wondered about the investigation. I’ve wondered about what the police might have found. I’ve wondered if anyone ever identified the owner of the blue sedan.”
“I’ll have to ask Parker. I suppose she might know.” I turned and looked back toward the house. “And you don’t remember personally seeing the car?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. But the man I spoke to said it was an average looking blue sedan. It wasn’t the sort of car one would necessarily notice if it happened to drive by or park on the street.”
I supposed that made sense. I can’t say that I noticed the cars that parked on the street where I’d lived before moving to Gooseberry Bay. Still, the blue sedan seemed like a clue, given the timing. Part of me wanted to pay a visit to Deputy Todd to see if I could use my power of persuasion to get him to tell me what he knew, but I doubted he’d share anything of real value, and I supposed I should head home and get ready for dinner.
Arial had gotten up from the curb she’d been sitting on and walked over to her mother. I guessed she’d grown tired of stacking the leaves.
“I guess Arial and I should get home,” Vanessa said.
“It was nice meeting you both.” I smiled at the little girl and then looked up at the mother. “If I give you my phone number, would you be willing to call me if you think of anything else that might lead us to the answers we’re after?”
“Sure, I can do that.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. I rattled off my digits, and she punched them into her phone. She slipped her phone back into her pocket without offering me her number in return.
I said goodbye to both Vanessa and Arial and watched as they walked away. I took one last look at the house and then climbed into my SUV. As I drove toward the peninsula, I forced my mind onto other topics. I thought about all the projects I still wanted to tackle to make the little cottage I’d rented feel like home, and I thought about the pilgrimage that had brought me to Gooseberry Bay. I thought about the cop who’d raised me, and the dreams I’d been having since his death. I thought about the photo of the woman on the porch of the house on Piney Point with two small children, and I wondered for about the millionth time who the woman had been and what had become of the baby she’d held. I was certain that the baby had been my sister who I hadn’t remembered until the door had been opened and the memories had begun to return.
Chapter 2
Once I arrived at the peninsula, I grabbed the groceries I’d picked up while in town and headed toward my cottage. Kai and Kallie would be ready to go out by now. I figured I’d unpack the items I’d bought in town and then take a short walk along the beach. I’d arranged to meet Jemma, Josie, and Parker at six and didn’t want to be late.