Page 97

“That’ll work. I’m on the way.”

CHAPTER

27

I MADE MY WAY back to town, parked, and hurried inside with the notebook.

Calloway, Verro, and Jenna were there. Tension seemed to fill the air, but if it was because of something other than the recent mysteries, I didn’t have time to pay it any attention. Weirdly, Verro had a few cuts and bruises on his face.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Verro answered quickly.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“My pride is hurt worse than anything.”

I nodded but didn’t push him further. I told everyone about my visit with Susan. Calloway flashed a look when I mentioned that she hadn’t remembered the things she’d told me today when he was there, but he didn’t have time to ponder that either.

We took an hour to look at the notebook. Jenna rolled the whiteboard next to the desk and transcribed our interpretations. Ultimately, we had a story, but none of us could be sure it was the right one. A lot of it was made of “filled-in assumptions.”

Had Silas been the one to bring in the abomination and the bucket of blood? I thought we were wrong to assume he’d done both.

“Remember, Jeff wasn’t sure, and he got there after the blood was all over,” I said. “The people in the class didn’t want to talk about it again, even to get their stories straight. They moved right to making a vow not to. And Thalia wasn’t so sure either. Also, I think Susan and David kicked me out before telling me everything that went on.”

Calloway nodded.

“We need to know what happened to Johnny Clark,” Verro said.

“I can’t find anything,” Calloway said.

“I remember where he and his father lived,” I added. “Out near the caves, Pecan Acres, in an old shack. Maybe a hunting cabin. I never visited them, but I just knew the location.”

Calloway nodded. “At first, I thought they owned the place, but I couldn’t find any record of ownership or rental agreements. I suspect they were squatters. I did find record of George Clark filing unemployment up in Tucson shortly after Wilmot disappeared, but that was the only trail, and it ended quickly. Johnny never was enrolled in any of the public schools up there.”

“He might not have finished high school,” I said.

“Probably not,” Calloway agreed. “I ran out to the shack, looked through the windows. It’s bad. Other squatters have been there, and animals too. There’s nothing there that will help us.”

“Who else would have known them well back then?”

“You would know that better than any of us, I think,” Verro said.

“I have no idea,” I said.

But I had vapors of an idea. I couldn’t make all the dots fit together, but having the first bones identified as Silas Reynolds helped formulate something in my mind.

“I need to talk to Minnie again. Who has her number?” I asked.

Calloway reached for his phone and scrolled through his contacts before handing me the phone. A voicemail picked up.

“Should we go out there?” Calloway asked.

I thought about it for a long moment. “No, but I know what I need to do.” I looked at Verro and Jenna. “There are two dentists up in Sahuarita. All of us around here see one or the other. Can you two give them a call and ask if they have George’s or Johnny’s dental records?”

“Okay,” Verro said.

I looked at Calloway. “I need to see the second skeleton right away.”