Page 73 of Is Anyone Listening?
In fog and wind, he could have taken a misstep. But it also felt like every other story I'd heard in Stonecross. Plausible but not entirely convincing. A neat explanation that raised more questions than it answered.
"Cassidy?"
I turned to find Becca approaching, her yoga mat bag slung over her shoulder. She looked concerned, her usual serene expression replaced with worry.
"I heard what happened to you last night," she said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm sore,but alive."
"Thank God for that. Tyler told me someone ran you off the road. That's terrifying." Becca shook her head. "I can't believe something like that would happen here." She adjusted the strap on her shoulder. "I've decided to take a break for a few weeks, until some of the rumors get sorted out. I just don't feel comfortable being here, which is kind of sad, because I always thought this beautiful deck overlooking the wild sea was the perfect place for people to get in touch with their inner spirit. But now there's nothing but a bad vibe around here. And when I told Ellen my decision to leave for a few weeks, even she seemed a little defeated."
"Did she say anything? Did she try to convince you there was nothing wrong?"
"She said she was disappointed and hoped I'd be back soon. That her guests love my classes, and she'll have a hard time replacing me. She was actually very nice about it." Becca paused. "I know Ellen comes across cold and hard at times, and after Tyler told me about his suspicions of her, I've started looking at her differently. But I still have a difficult time believing she could be involved with the disappearances of several of her female guests. She's very pro-female empowerment. That's why she has focused the inn's offerings on health and wellness."
I wondered whether that was the real reason, or if focusing on health and wellness programs had been the perfect draw for single, sometimes lonely, vulnerable women.
"Anyway," Becca said. "It was nice to meet you, Cassidy. I hope you get the answers you're looking for."
"Can I ask you one other question? Did you have much contact with Natalie Warren when she was here? Was she friendly, outgoing? Did she talk about her life with you or anyone else?"
"She took two of my classes and seemed to enjoy them. She wasn't jumpy like Anna or some of the others, but it felt like there was an air of sadness surrounding her." Becca paused. "She did mention she was having headaches, and we talked about stretches that might help. She was also going to see Dr. Garrett about it. Actually, I think the doctor was coming to the inn."
"A doctor who makes house calls?" I asked in surprise.
Becca smiled. "Ellen likes to provide the best service she can to every guest. She asked Dr. Garrett to stop by and talk to Natalie, but I don't know if they ever actually met. I just know what she told me." Becca gave me a speculative look. "Are you working with Tyler? It seems like you have similar interests. Only, he's looking for Jessica Trent."
"We've been comparing notes in case Natalie and Jessica are connected," I admitted.
"I spoke to Tyler a short while ago. I told him that a friend of mine who works at the harbor saw Jessica talking to Cole the day she rented the boat and thought they seemed pretty friendly."
"She just brought that up now?" I asked curiously.
"Well, your podcast has gotten a lot of people talking, and she mentioned it to me this morning, wondering if it was important. I told her she should talk to the sheriff and see what he thought. But she didn't seem to want to do that since Cole is the sheriff's son. Tyler said he was going to follow up with Cole."
"That's good."
"Cole is a nice kid. He's a flirt and drinks too much and likes to mix it up at the bar, but I don't think he's dangerous in any way. I'm sure he was chatting it up with Jessica. She was very pretty."
"I didn't realize he was a big flirt. I thought he and Sophie were together."
She shrugged. "I think they're more friends than anything, but I don't know. Anyway, I should go. Good luck."
"Thanks."
After Becca left, I walked back to the parking lot, thinking about Cole and Jessica. It was probably nothing. Cole worked at the docks with his uncle. She could have been asking him about renting a boat. But I wondered if there was any record of Cole saying he'd spoken to her; probably not, since his father was the sheriff and wouldn’t want his son's name on anything that had to do with a missing woman.
As I moved into the garage, I noticed that Ray's truck was gone, and the storage door now had a padlock on it. I wondered if that had something to do with me mentioning that carpet to Ellen. They clearly didn't want me poking into anything else.
I got into Ellen's blue Mini Cooper. It felt surreal to be borrowing my grandmother's car. And I couldn't imagine what my father would say if he knew. At some point, I would tell him, but I had to find out more about my grandmother before I did that.
I was almost to town when my phone buzzed, and Tyler's number flashed across the screen.
"Hi," I said, putting the phone on speaker.
"How are you feeling today?"
"I've got some aches and pains but overall, I'm okay."
