Page 47 of 44.1644° North

He made a sound of amusement. “Have you ever been to Virginia?”

“No. But I go to DC once or twice a year for conferences and symposiums.”

He said, “I think we can work this out.”

“Yeah?”

“I never had much faith in long-distance relationships, but I know people who seem to be making it work.”

I nodded thoughtfully.

“What do you think?”

I said, “It’s kind of crazy. We’ve known each other, like, twenty-four hours. But…yes. I would. I’d like to see where this goes. I haven’t felt like this in a long time.”

Frankly, I wasn’t sure I’deverfelt like this.

“I know. I agree. But I feel this strong connection. I can tell you feel it too.”

“Yes.” I added wryly, “Hopefully, we still feel this way in the cold light of day.”

We were quiet then, starting to doze.

Rory said abruptly, “Why don’t you change your flight and we can leave together?”

“I wish. I have to take the rental car back. Plus, Simon’s taking me up to Blackbird Ridge.”

“Ah.” He blinked sleepily, and then I felt him still, thinking that over. His eyes jerked open. “Wait. What?”

“44.1644° North,” I reminded him.

“Right. The subject header on the final email. Which you think could be the location of Deirdre’s body.”

We were both wide awake now.

I said crisply, “Which it isn’t, because no one is going to haul a body up a mountain when there are a million other places to hide it.”

“Then why are you planning to hike up there?”

“Because someone wants me to.”

“I’m sorry.What?”

“It’s clearly a hoax. Someone with a sick sense of humor gets a kick out of the idea of seeing me tramping up and down that mountain with nothing to show for it.”

“If you know it’s a hoax, why are you going up there? Especially now, when we think Simon Overhiser might be connected to all this.”

“He couldn’t have had a direct connection. He’d have been sixteen or so.”

“What does that have to do with the price of beans? We suspect his brother was one of your Loon Mountain Three. Are you pretending you’re not aware that the majority of juvenile offenders are age sixteen and seventeen?”

“I’m aware.”

“And?”

“It seems to me like a pretty good opportunity to talk to him.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rory sat up, dislodging me. “Light,” he warned crisply, and turned on the lamp.

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