Page 21 of Vanished in the Mist
Shanna looked past him. “Score.”
The sedan seemed like a toy as it pulled up beside Kaden’s huge black Ford F-250 truck. He turned back toward the cabin. “I’llget us some drinks. As pale as she is, looks like she’ll need one. Or two.”
“No alcohol,” Shanna warned. “She’s not legal.”
“Well, I need one.” He headed inside.
A few minutes later, a very nervous young woman was sitting on the edge of one of the recliners in the Tate cabin’s main room with Shanna and Kaden sitting across from her on the couch. But other than saying hello, she’d barely spoken.
“Ms. Holloway,” Kaden said. “Would you feel less nervous about answering questions if I leave?” He started to get up, but she waved him back down.
She drew a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I guess I’m in shock. When I heard that policewoman say they’d found Tristan, I—I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even know he was missing.”
When she didn’t continue, Shanna asked, “Why were you so afraid to speak to us back by the lake?”
Her dark brown eyes widened in surprise. “I wasn’t afraid. I just didn’t want to. You have no idea what the police put us through after Jericho went missing. I’d rather avoid that again if I can. The reason I agreed to speak to you is because you’re Mrs. Tate’s sister. She did a lot for me in school. I probably wouldn’t have graduated without her help.”
“She’ll be happy to hear about your appreciation. You said the police put ‘us’ through a lot. Who did you mean by ‘us’?”
“Um, you know. Us kids, from school. I swear the cops grilled everyone who’d ever passed Jericho in a hallway to see if we knew anything. It was ridiculous.”
“Jericho. Is that how the kids referred to her at school?”
“Huh? No. I mean… I don’t know. I didn’t even know her. We never associated with each other. Not once.”
“Her name is Tanya.”
“Sure. Okay. What did you want to ask me?”
Kaden sat back against the couch and crossed his arms. He didn’t want to assume anything about Peyton just because she was one of the popular kids at school. But the way she was referring to Tanya, as if she was beneath her, tended to confirm the clichés rather than dispel them. He couldn’t help wondering whether Tanya was bullied by some of the popular kids, maybe even Peyton Holloway.
“You said you didn’t know that Tristan was missing. Since you used his first name, can I assume he was a friend?”
“He is…was.”
“But you didn’t know he was missing.”
“Well, no. But, I mean, since graduation a lot of us kind of…went our own way, you know? It’s what people do.”
“You graduated last May?”
“Yeah. Almost a year ago.” She shook her head. “Wow. Time flies.”
“When is the last time you saw Tristan? Or heard from him?”
She chewed her lip a moment. “I guess…it would have been at the graduation after-party.” Her knuckles whitened as she clasped her hands together.
“I’m sorry, Peyton,” Shanna said. “I understand the events at the lake were quite a shock. But I need to understand the lay of the land around here, being an outsider and all. My sister, Mrs. Tate, wanted me to look into Tanya’s disappearance and I’m hoping you can help by answering our questions.”
Peyton chewed her bottom lip. “How did he die?”
“The cause of death will have to be determined by a medical examiner.”
Her hands fisted in frustration. “What do you want from me?”
Kaden gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m sure you’re a busy woman and we appreciate your time. Ms. Hudson and I are trying to locate Tanya Jericho to help give her parents closure. You were one of the key leaders at school, from what we’veheard. So we’re hoping you can tell us what you know about Tanya.”
As he’d hoped, hearing him call her a leader had her puffing up with self-importance. “Yes, well, I had some influence, for sure. But like I said, that girl—Tanya—wasn’t one of us. I mean, wasn’t in my circle of friends. I doubt I can really tell you anything about her.”
