Page 51 of Dead Man's Hollow
“You should talk to Brett Schulman,” Diana says.
“Who?”
“He’s a friend of Rich’s.”
Rich’s eyes flick toward the table and then back to the window.
Diana continues, “Brett has a cousin about their age. She went to Allderdice. I knew her through friends of friends. I can’t remember her name or where she lives now, but Brett could put you in touch with her. She might know who the kids were in the woods that night.”
“That’s solid information, Diana. Thank you,” Jordana says. She’s already searching the database of contacts they have collected from the Ryans and names they’ve gathered from the witness statements, looking for Brett’s information.
“It doesn’t matter,” Rich says.
Maisy turns to him. “What doesn’t matter?”
“Talking to Stacey, Brett’s cousin. She’s not going to know anything. If she did, she’d have come forward thirty years ago.” He gives a fatalistic shrug.
Maisy’s had just about enough of Rich. “Maybe someone told them to keep quiet the same waysomeonetold the kids from your school to keep their mouths shut.”
He gives her a thunderous look. She smiles back sweetly.
“I’m coming with you.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“To Canada. I’m coming. Someone from the family should be there.”
“Great,” Maisy chirps.
He looks at her in surprise. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You’re right—someone from the family should be there, and it shouldn’t be one of Heather’s sisters. So, it’s either you or Kristy’s husband, and he didn’t come into the picture until almost fifteen years after Heather disappeared. So, looks like it’s you and me.”
What she doesn’t tell him is she welcomes the chance to get him alone for a full day.
“In the meantime,” Jordana pipes up, “I’ll talk to Brett Schulman and keep working the Andre Newport angle. Amy, you?—”
“I’m on it,” Amy says quickly, cutting her off and giving her head a subtle, almost imperceptible, nod.
She hasn’t told Rich she’s reached out to Michelle and Lynn. Maisy wonders just how many secrets this couple is keeping.
“Great,” Maisy chirps. “Looks like we all have our marching orders. Rich, I’ll forward you flight information when I have it.”
Jordana stays behind in the conference room to pack up their materials while Maisy walks the Ryan sisters and Rich to the elevators. She’s on her way back to the conference room when Naya Andrews pops out of her office.
“Got a minute?”
“For you? Always.” The transactional lawyer is also one of her closest friends.
“Heard about the big break in your case. Nice going, girl.”
“Thanks. I’m flying out in the morning to meet the couple who has the pager.”
“You think they’re legit?”
“I’m reserving judgment.”
“Good call. Listen, Sasha asked me to let you know the graduation party is taken care of.”
