Page 44 of The Ice Sisters

He sipped the dark brew, then opened the laptop and began to try different combinations of passwords, using Barbara’sbirthday and address. He’d also found a phone number for her through the DMV database and tried it along with her wedding and divorce dates.

Deputy Eastwood knocked, and Ellie motioned her in. She was carrying a thumb drive. “ERT dropped this off. Said they found it hidden inside a Bible in Barbara’s house.”

“People hide things for a reason,” Derrick commented.

“Did you look at it?” Ellie asked.

“Not yet. Captain wanted me and Landrum to go to Coal Mountain for extra security during Winterfest.”

“Considering there’s a murderer on the loose, that’s a good idea.” Ellie smiled at Shondra. “Keep on the lookout in case our missing Barbara shows up.”

“Copy that,” Shondra said, then left.

Ellie flipped through the teacher’s planning book, noting lesson plans and field trips, special programs, units of study for her class. She found a section with a list of students and little notes about each one. Nothing suspicious, just comments likeJo Jo needs work with sequencing,Harry with counting to twenty, etc. There were also comments about behavior and concerns about development which were worded with love, supporting the other teachers’ portrayal of the woman.

She tackled Barbara’s personal planner next and found dates for appointments with her doctor, hairdresser, and dentist. Another held schedules for special school programs. As Ellie flipped the pages, she focused on the month of November since Tessa mentioned this was the time of year Barbara fell into a depression.

The date November 26, Thanksgiving, had been circled. Was that the anniversary of when Barbara lost her child?

“So far, I haven’t been able to access her accounts,” Derrick said with a wrinkled brow.

“Try November 26,” Ellie said. “I think that may be the day she lost her child.” Sympathy for the woman warred with questions about why she’d disappeared.

Derrick entered the date as a password then smiled. “That’s it. I’m in.”

Ellie continued to search the planning book and found a notation about Winterfest. Her mind raced with the possibilities. Tessa said Barbara met her friends around this time of year. Had they planned to get together in Emerald Falls?

If so, her friends would be in town. But if that was the case and they were such good friends and they’d seen the news that the police were looking for Barbara, wouldn’t they be worried? Wouldn’t they have called the police?

FIFTY-ONE

Derrick sipped his coffee as he scrolled Barbara’s browsing history which consisted of children’s books and school plans but no social media.

He did find an older search for fertility treatments, foster care and adoption.

Was she considering fostering or adoption?

He inserted the thumb drive ERT had found into her computer and opened it to discover an album of pictures dating back years starting with Barbara’s wedding to Thomas, then a picture of the two of them holding a sign that read, “Baby on Board.”

That photo must have been bittersweet for Barbara. He scrolled further and found a picture of a sonogram. Then several photographs of a nursery being put together, the room painted a soft lavender. He could feel the love in the details of the room and the excitement Barbara and her husband must have felt.

On the next page, a photo of a tiny grave appeared with the name Baby Grace.

Ellie’s look turned pained as he showed it to her. “I feel for her.”

Scouring further, he discovered a photograph of Barbara with three other women. The next section of pictures included more of the women together, sometimes at a café or bar, sometimes at a playground or backyard gathering.

He recognized Barbara with her short bob and angular face. A tall sandy blond, an overly thin red-headed woman and the last, a chic brunette.

His pulse jumped as he spotted the twins in the pictures. Very much alive and happy, they were wearing dress-up costumes at a Halloween party, their brown hair secured in top knots. The twins were dressed like princesses in one photo. A more recent picture of a birthday party featured a close-up of a cake boasting seven candles.

There were three other little girls in the photo, too, the children gathered around the cake. One, a blond with a ponytail, the second auburn hair and freckles, the third a wavy brunette.

Holiday and birthday celebrations were chronicled for each year. The celebrations looked happy and joyous although occasionally he noticed a deep sadness and emptiness in Barbara’s eyes.

She’d obviously been thinking about the loss of her own child.

These were the friends Ellie had mentioned. The ones who’d supported her after her loss.

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