Page 64 of Into the Shadows

“How long until you start searching the second area?” I ask him.

“Should be about ten minutes.”

I nod. “Thank you for the update.” We watch Mike’s team prepare to dive. I have a feeling some of the audio won’t be the best quality. We’re close enough to record, but some of their conversations aren’t loud enough for the mic to pick up. I do my best to dictate what’s going on. I won’t necessarily use this recording on the show, but it helps me do a more formal voice-over recording later. I won’t have to remember the details of the day.

My stomach starts to knot when they enter the water again. This is the worst part of investigating cold cases. There are times when it feels like I’m making strides forward only to be taken back to the starting point again. I couldn’t believe the dogs alerted in the first place. Now, with one of the search areas finished and not a single piece of evidence found, my hopes are dwindling.

Movement on the boat has me standing at attention. “What’s going on?”

“They’re gathered around the monitors the cameras are feeding into,” Teddy answers. “Does that mean they’ve found something?”

“Or they’re trying to decide if it’s something more than random trash.”

It’s as if Teddy and I both hold our breath while we wait for confirmation. The dive team places a buoy in the water to mark the location of interest before the boat comes back to the shore.

Mike is off the boat in a second. “Okay, so we aren’t sure what we’ve found exactly. What we do know is we’ve got three black plastic bags with duct tape closing them off. Now, these could be regular trash bags filled with refuse, but we won’t know until we open them.”

“And we can’t do that without the police present in case they are evidence,” I finish his thought.

“Exactly. I’ve got the number for the local police. I’m going to get a call into them to tell them what we’ve got going on, and hopefully, they get out here quickly.”

“Why am I excited?” Teddy whispers to me.

“Because there could be a clue to a murder in those bags. The intrigue is exciting.” I wrap my arm around his to contain my own excitement. When I’m putting in the time to cover a case, I never expect anything to come of it. I want people to remember the victims of these crimes and potentially jogsomeone’s memory enough to push the case forward. Usually, when something like this happens, it leads to another dead end, but it doesn’t stop me from getting my hopes up. This could be the thing that moves the needle in Crystal’s case.

Sheriff Lansing and two of his deputies arrive about thirty minutes later. He shoots a frown my way, making it clear how he feels about my presence. I couldn’t care less. If this results in new information for the case, it’ll be worth it.

The sheriff and Mike work together to plan the collection of the bags and what to do after they get them out of the water.

From there, it’s as if time passes in a flash. The three black garbage bags lay on the side of the lake. They’re tied off, the tops wrapped in duct tape, which I find fascinating. It makes it obvious this isn’t your normal litterbug, trying to rid themselves of their trash in a random spot. Whoever dumped these bags didn’t want the contents escaping.

The police officers photograph the bags from every angle they possibly can. It seems like overkill, but I know one of those photos could make all the difference when they’re going back over the evidence.

Then they open the bags. My breath stalls in my lungs. Has this all been for nothing? Is there a chance we’re going to find remains? Oh, God, what if we find human remains?

One of Lansing’s deputies lays out a blue tarp to help organize the evidence, and finally, the first piece comes out. It’s hard to define the white object at first. It’s soaked with water and clumped together.

The shape takes form as Lansing unfolds it, and I gasp. “Is that Crystal’s shirt?”

“What was she wearing when she was last seen?” Teddy asks.

“A white graphic tee and a long floral skirt.” As I say it, Lansing pulls out a skirt matchingmy description.

“Jesus. That has to be hers.”

More items come out of the bags—Crystal’s shoes and a few other items I can’t quite identify. They must’ve been in the water too long to still be intact.

I turn my head toward Teddy. “This could turn the tide of her case.”

Chapter 36

Teddy

“Come on, lovebirds! I want to ride the death traps!” Caro calls over her shoulder. Her light brown hair flows behind her as she speed-walks toward the carnival rides.

Lottie’s carefree laugh joins the growing crowd surrounding us. “You’re on your own, Caroline. I refuse to get on those things.”

“You’re such a typical older sibling. Live a little. Please?” Caro gives Lottie the most potent puppy dog eyes. The look is eerily similar to Lottie’s. It doesn’t matter that Caroline shares the same blue eyes as her mother; she’s got the same look Lottie gets when she wants her way.

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