Page 93 of Guess Again
I promised you the location of the girl’s body, so here it is:
45.2930° N, 88.6839° W
I will miss our visits, Ethan. For me, they were a way to see a glimmer of your father. He was more to me than just the man I was convicted of killing. So much more. Every time I saw you on the visitation schedule, my insides filled with excitement. When I looked at you, I saw Hank.
If you want to understand why your father excited me so much, use this key to find out.
Lakeside Storage. Unit 223.
—Francis
CHAPTER 105
Cherryview, Wisconsin Saturday, August 9, 2025
HE COULDN’T STOPMADDIE FROM COMING WITH HIM, ANDETHANknew enough not to fight her on it. The Hachita postmark suggested that Francis had somehow survived the river and escaped to Mexico. But even with the man out of the country, Ethan wasn’t about to leave Maddie alone. It took thirty minutes to find the location of the coordinates. Ethan finally turned the Wrangler onto a gravel road north of Lake Okoboji, not far from North Point Pier. The lonely road ran next to an abandoned building that had once been a power plant. His GPS glowed on the dashboard, and he followed the map until they came to the edge of a small lagoon. It was approaching 8:00 p.m. and the horizon burned lavender with dusk. He clicked his bright lights on, and the Jeep illuminated the water.
They climbed out into the evening. The temperature was a pleasant 72 degrees since the storm had dragged cooler air over the Midwest. Ethan and Maddie walked to the edge of the lagoon. Ethan shined a flashlight into the night.
“There,” Maddie said, pointing out at the water.
Ethan stepped into the shallow water and spotted the red, 55-gallon barrel just below the surface about twenty yards from shore. It took thirty minutes for Ethan to secure the Jeep’s winch around the barrel. He had to remove his sling to get it done and was soaking wet by the time they’d pulled the barrel to shore. It was resting on its side and spilling water when Ethan used a tire iron to pry off the lid. More water poured from inside. Ethan shined his flashlight into the barrel to reveal the grisly discovery. He knew he’d made the right decision to keep the location of Callie’s body to himself and not share it with Governor Jones.
No parent should ever see their child in the condition they’d found Callie Jones.
CHAPTER 106
Madison, Wisconsin Saturday, August 9, 2025
LAKESIDESTORAGE WAS LOCATED OFFLAKEMENDOTA IN AMADISONsuburb. Ethan and Maddie had spent two hours at the lagoon after they’d called in the location of Callie’s body. Ethan answered questions from responding officers, waited to speak with detectives, and spent thirty minutes talking with Mark Jones when the governor showed up at 11:00 p.m.
It was approaching midnight when he and Maddie pulled into the storage facility and found unit 223. He parked the Wrangler in front of the bay door, keeping the engine running and the headlights on. He took his Beretta from the glove box, and Maddie climbed behind the wheel just in case a speedy exit was necessary.
“Keep your phone on,” Ethan said, standing outside the driver’s window.
Maddie held up her cell. “Check.”
“And stay locked and loaded.”
Maddie held up her Smith & Wesson SW1911 semi-automatic handgun. Her Glock 45 was in evidence. The Smith & Wesson was from her private stash.
“Check.”
“Let me see what’s inside,” Ethan said. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Ethan turned from the Jeep and approached the door to the storage unit. His clothes were still wet from his trip into the lagoon, his shoulder was aching, and he had yet to put his sling back on. He inserted the lone key that had arrived in the mail and unlocked the door. It creaked when he pushed it open. He found a light switch on the wall and clicked it on, bringing the space to life. In the middle of the 20x20 storage unit was a table with a cardboard box resting on it. He walked slowly toward it, fighting against some invisible force that told him to stay far, far away from what waited on the table. As he inched closer he saw dozens of photos laid out on the surface and positioned neatly around the box.
The first image he saw brought Ethan to his knees—a glossy 8x10 that stole the air from his lungs. Ethan tried to stand, but his legs would not hold his weight. He fell to the ground, twisting as he landed on the seat of his pants. He pulled the cardboard box with him in the process, and its contents spilled onto the floor of the storage unit. Dozens of old-fashioned audio and videocassette tapes clattered on the concrete around him, in addition to scores of photos that rained down.
The photo that had started the chain reaction landed in his lap. Ethan lifted the 8x10 to his face. It depicted a sixteen-year-old Maddie Jacobson, unconscious and bound to a chair. On Maddie’s chest, carved into her left breast, was a black heart. And standing on either side of her, smiling at their prize, was a young Francis Bernard and Ethan’s father. Detective Henry Hall.
Summer 2026
Lake Morikawa, Wisconsin
CHAPTER 107
Lake Morikawa, Wisconsin Monday, July 13, 2026
