Page 67 of What She Saw
“He knew I write about crime. Knew I was Patty’s kid. Maybe he thought I could wrap up the loose ends.”
“I’ve thought about that scream a lot over the years. I think that’s why I collect the dream catchers. I hear her at night sometimes. I wonder, if I’d been faster or more careful, I could’ve saved us both.”
“You can’t play that game.”
“Easier said.”
“How do you know she was in trouble?”
“The scream.”
“Did it sound like a woman?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“There’s a theory Colton had help. Everyone assumed a man. Maybe your screamer wasn’t a girl in need. Maybe she screamed to lure you deeper into the woods to isolate you.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Four women just vanish. No struggles. No calls for help. I’m convinced someone else lured these women away.” I had no facts to back it up, but it explained so much.
“I never thought about it like that.”
“Think about it. You never found her, right?”
“I thought I ran in the wrong direction.”
“Or maybe it was a recording.” Colton had had all kinds of access to audio equipment.
“Up in those mountains in the rain?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Women are capable of violence.”
“That puts a different spin on it all.”
“Did you notice anything about the person who grabbed you?”
“I felt a ring scratch my cheek.”
“Right or left hand?”
“The scratch was on my left cheek.”
“The ring would’ve been on a left hand. Anything else about the ring?”
“The edges weren’t smooth. Not jagged but rough.”
“I’ve dozens of pictures featuring Colton. He wore a signet ring on his left hand.”
“Taggart caught the killer, right?” Amy said.
“Maybe. Or your attacker was a random creep who didn’t have anything to do with the case.”
“Do you believe that?” Amy asked.
I considered the question. The tents and woods were on the west side of the venue. I’d stared at it from the farmhouse window. “I don’t know.”
Chapter Twenty-One
