“Was she?”
“We never confirmed her identity. She vanished before a formal interview.”
I stared at Elaine’s younger face in the photograph. The familiar eyes, the reserved posture, the expression of someone prepared to flee.
“Why was she at the lake house?”
“She said Charles had hidden something there.”
“What?”
Daniel’s gaze moved toward the hallway, where Christine’s footsteps were approaching.
“We searched the property and found nothing.”
“You’re holding something back.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because seven years ago, after you resigned, I went back.”
Christine entered the room carrying Jake’s folded sweater. She stopped when she saw our faces.
Daniel continued.
“I found a compartment beneath the kitchen floor. Inside was a sealed envelope addressed to you.”
My pulse quickened.
“What did it say?”
“I never opened it.”
“Where is it?”
“That’s the problem. Someone removed it from the evidence vault six months ago using credentials assigned to a man officially declared dead.”
