Page 30 of Code Violation

The PA system crackled again and Forrest turned his attention back to the Cooper Springs police chief.

“Alright, I’m going to make this as quick as possible. Otherwise, we’ll have to shut the pub down for being over capacity and we don’t want that.”

There were a few titters and throat clearings before absolute silence fell again as everyone in the building waited to hear what Dear had to say.

“I’m standing before you today with good news and bad news. First off, please know that the parties concerned have already been notified, so there’s no reason for any of you to call or text them. Be polite. Give them time to process and grieve.” Dear glared around at his audience, daring them to disobey him. “With great sorrow, I’m here to tell you that the remains found in January and last fall have been officially identified. Using DNA sampling and the hard work of genealogy volunteers, we now know their names, and Morgan Blass and Sarah Turner will be returned to their loved ones.”

The crowd murmured but Dear kept talking, speaking over the rule-breakers.

“Sarah was barely seventeen when she left her home in the summer of 1988 and never returned. In the spring of 1989, Morgan Blass, aged nineteen, also disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again.”

The rumble of the crowd increased. Dear raised his hand, asking for quiet. Forrest realized he was quietly grinding his teeth and tried to relax his jaw. He didn’t know what other kind of evidence, if any, had been found. Would there be something that would definitively tell Forrest he wasn’t wrong to think the girls could have been killed by one of his parents? Sometimes when he dreamed, there was a girl’s voice, but he could never make out what she was saying.

“As I said, the relatives have been notified. Please give them—especially those who continue to reside in Cooper Springs—time to process these developments.”

“Who did it, Chief? Did you figure that out?”

Forrest couldn’t see who’d asked that ridiculous question, but there was always one. Dante caught Forrest’s glare, grunted, and rolled his eyes in agreement.

“At this point, there are no leads,” the chief responded with a great deal more calm than Forrest would’ve been able to muster. Maybe it was a good thing he’d decided against working in the public sector. Lavender didn’t talk back, and it was known for its calming qualities. “A great deal has changed when it comes to policing and forensic science, but I like to think that every effort was made at the time of their disappearances to find out what happened. That is all the information I have for you today.”

When the audience realized that Dear wasn’t going to say anything further, people began filing out of the pub, heading back to their normally scheduled lives. As they passed by, Forrest heard snatches of conversations that included ideas about what might have happened to the girls, questions on whether there would be a public memorial, and the occasional and obligatory I always knew something bad had happened. Forrest headed to the bar. He needed a cup of coffee and while the stuff they served to the public was generally terrible, Magnus usually had a pot of it on the warmer.

Forrest noticed Rufus still sitting at his spot near the end of the bar, a shocked expression on his face.

“What’s up? Are you okay?” Forrest asked, a little worried.

Was it possible that Rufus had known the girls and their families? Forrest wondered. He probably had. Forrest glanced around; Magnus was over talking to the chief by the stage, probably trying to see if that was really all he had to tell them.

“You look a little pale. Should I call Magnus over?”

“No thanks. I just…” The older man didn’t continue, just shook his head.

“What’s up? Rufus, you have me worried. I’m gonna be calling someone anyway.” Finally, Rufus directed his gaze at Forrest. His hazel eyes were watery, as if he was about to cry.

“Did you know the girls?” Forrest asked. He hadn’t; he and Lani had been living with their parents in The Deep around that time.

“No, no, I didn’t.” Rufus shook his head. “Not really, not more than a passing hello. But I always thought they’d run away to find a better life than what Cooper Springs had to offer them. Thought maybe they’d met a sailor or soldier, traveled off to distant lands.” His voice broke on the last word and he stared at Forrest, his expression shattered.

“How could you have known?” Forrest asked. “How could anyone have known who the remains belonged to?”

“We could’ve listened to Amy Blass, who insisted her Morgan would never just leave. Same with Sarah—I think she wanted to be a veterinarian, was planning to apply at WSU if I remember right.”

“Rufus, you couldn’t have known it was them,” Forrest insisted. His heart pinched at the devastated expression in Rufus’s eyes.

“And now Ned’s gone too, the same way as Ernst. Forrest, I should have known.”

Forrest eyed the older man, wondering if the identity of the girls was all he was worrying over. He opened his mouth, intending to ask if Rufus thought Witt or Dina could still be alive and living in the woods. But he chickened out; it was too ridiculous. Rufus would just tell him he was overthinking, that Forrest’s nightmares were thirty-five years old and had little basis in reality.

“You couldn’t have known anything,” Forrest repeated instead, swiveling to look over his shoulder, intent on getting Magnus’s attention. The publican was nowhere in sight, probably out chatting with folks still milling around in the parking area.

When Forrest turned back, Rufus’s seat was empty, and Forrest spotted him making his way out the front door. Damn, the old man could move quickly. It was easy to forget Rufus still hiked the woods on a regular basis, something he’d done since he was a young boy.

The comment about Ernst bothered Forrest; he didn’t want there to be a connection between the two deaths, even if Nero had suggested it last night. He didn’t want Ned dead at all.

If his grandpa’s death hadn’t been an accident, had the same person killed them both? If so, why? And why wait almost twenty years between the two?

Forrest was tempted to chase after Rufus but decided against it. He’d stop by his or Wanda’s place later and check in on him. Maybe Rufus just needed time to process the news. In the meantime, Nero Vik was lingering by the door and talking with Tim and Xavier.

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