Page 57 of All the Missing Pieces

“What happened to him?” I asked, that journalistic urge never too far.

“It was super sad. He got high at an overlook outside of town and fell off the cliff,” Dean said quietly.

My stomach twisted. The poor kid and his family. None of us made the best choices as teenagers, but some paid way too high a price.

I flipped the page again and was greeted by Emerson’s smiling face again as she held up a trophy. The caption read,Sinclair Leads Team to District Finals. As I studied the shot, I picked out the two girls Grady had mentioned. Everyone else was smiling but they were looking at Emerson with envy, the curve of their mouths forced.

I made note of their names, Tara Gibson and Anna Swanson. “Do either of these two still live in Shady Cove?” I asked, pointing to the brunette and the blond.

Dean frowned at the picture, then pointed to Tara. “She does. I don’t think the other one does. At least I don’t recognize her.”

It was worth me trying to hunt down both. It wasn’t that I thought they were involved in Emerson’s attack, but if there was jealousy fueling both of them, they likely paid more attention to her than others.

Scanning the rest of the shots, Emerson really did take center stage. There was one of her, expression serious as she served. Another of her getting instructed by a coach I didn’t recognize. Or it might’ve been another student. “Do you know who this is?”

Dean shook his head and sent me a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Not much of an assistant, am I?”

I chuckled. “You got me the yearbooks, didn’t you?”

“Damn straight I did.”

I flipped the book closed, glancing at the stack Dean had assembled for me. There were six in total, just like I’d instructed. “You really are an excellent student.”

He grinned, a slightly cocky yet adorable bent to it this time. “Gotta learn from the master if I’m going to start my own podcast in the fall.”

I lifted a brow as I pushed to my feet. “Your own, huh?”

Dean nodded, his dark locks slipping over his eyes with the action. “Gonna call itMayhem and Murder.”

I chuckled. “It certainly has a ring to it.”

“I thought so.” He looked at the stack in my arms. “I think Ms. Perkins will let me check these out. Lemme ask.”

“Thanks,” I said as he hurried over to the librarian’s office. Dean was coming through in all sorts of ways.

I was getting twitchy to get back to my campsite so I could really dive into the yearbooks. I wanted to make a list of everyone Emerson was in photos with. And a list of those she was in clubs or on teams with. I’d love to get a list of everyone who had classes with her, but getting that sort of information would be a stretch. Maybe if I befriended one of her classmates, they’d be able to remember.

“All good,” Dean called as he headed out of the librarian’s office.

“Thank you. How long do I have?” I asked.

“Two weeks.”

That would be no problem. I’d be done in a matter of days.

Dean sent me a sidelong look. “So what’s next?”

“Now, I head home and dive into research.”

His shoulders slumped. “Sounds boring.”

I laughed as we headed out into the sunshine and back toward Cowboy Coffee and my waiting bike. “I hate to break it to you, but there’s a lot about this gig that’s boring.”

“Why is that always the way?”

“It’s all worth it when you get a breakthrough. There’s no high like that.”

“Shit,” Dean muttered. “I want that.”

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