Page 36 of Is Anyone Listening?
"I'm loyal to my friends. And Jessica doesn't have anyone else to look for her."
"I might not be Natalie's friend, but I'm still committed to finding out what happened to her. I'm not walking away now. I'm just going to be careful." I paused. "It might help if we work together, but not publicly. We don't want to tip anyone off that we're comparing notes."
"I'm willing to work with you, but my priority is finding Jessica, not Natalie."
"That's fine. I think there's a good chance there's a connection between them. Let’s meet tomorrow. I can text you in the morning, and we can figure out a time and place.”
“Sounds good. What’s your number?" he asked as he pulled out his phone.
I rattled off my number, and he sent me a text in reply. Then he said, "I'm going to follow you back to the inn, but I'll stay a good distance behind you."
"Okay. Thanks."
His gaze followed me the entire way up the hill, and it was reassuring to know that he was watching my back.
It was almost four when I got back to my room. I knocked on Tessa's door, but there was no answer. I sent her a text, but she didn't immediately reply. As worry crept up my spine, I went into my room and checked for signs of anyone having been inside, but it looked the same as when I'd left it.
I sat down at the desk and felt immense relief when a text came back from Tessa. "Sorry, we went out with one of Finn's friends on his boat, and I didn't have reception. Heading back to the harbor now. Should be back around six."
I couldn't believe Tessa had gone out on a boat with Finn after knowing that Jessica Trent had disappeared after a sail.
Of course, Tessa probably wouldn't have made that connection or would have decided it was worth the risk because she wasn't in Stonecross alone; I was with her, and Finn would know that I'd be able to tell the sheriff she'd gone out with him. Although maybe the sheriff wouldn't care. He and Finn were friends.
I decided to call Morgan and see if she was free to chat for a minute. Fortunately, she answered on the second ring.
"Hey, Cassidy. I've been thinking about you and Tessa all day. Have you learned anything new?"
I filled her in on the note from the night before, Anna, the bloody carpet, and my chat with Tyler Pierce. With each word, Morgan grew more concerned.
"This is bad, Cassidy."
"It's not all bad. Tyler Pierce seems like a possible ally."
"About Tyler. I did some research on him as you requested and found something interesting. Tyler has a brother named Marcus Pierce, who is currently awaiting trial for corporate fraud, embezzlement, and other criminal charges. He was in jail but is now restricted to his home with an ankle monitor. Did Tyler tell you anything about his brother?"
"No, but we didn't discuss his family or mine. I'm not sure his brother's issues are relevant."
"Maybe not. But isn't it a little odd that Tyler is in Maine looking for a friend when his brother is in a significant amount of trouble?"
"They might not be close."
"True. Frankly, I don't care about him. I'm more worried about you and Tessa. Where is she anyway?"
"Apparently on a boat with Finn Kelly. They were just supposed to go to lunch, so I don't know how that happened."
"A boat?" she shrieked. "After what happened to Jessica Trent?"
"You know Tessa; she's more confident and courageous than we are. If she thought she'd get something out of Finn by going out on a boat, she'd do just that."
"I'm afraid she's rubbing off on you, Cassidy. You're acting recklessly, too." Morgan paused, and I heard a commotion in the background. "I need to go. Aiden is home. We'll talk later."
"Okay. Bye." I set down my phone and thought about the information she'd given me on Tyler's family. I couldn't imagine how his brother figured into Tyler's search for Jessica. It was probably unrelated. We all had family drama. And I certainly couldn't object to Tyler holding back information on his brother when I had an even messier family relationship with Ellen Clarke, a woman who didn't even know I was her granddaughter.
Putting all that aside, I took out my notebook and wrote down my thoughts about Jessica, without mentioning I'd gotten the information from Tyler. If anyone searched my things again, I didn't want them to see the connection between us.
As the shadows lengthened, I turned on the lights and then decided to head downstairs around six. I was hungry, and I might as well go to happy hour. Maybe a glass of wine would settle my nerves.
The dining room had the usual setup—wine, cheese, crackers, and other snacks. Dorothy was chatting with an older couple while the honeymooners were lost in their own world. I smiled at everyone but took my plate and glass of wine to an empty table, not really in the mood to make small talk.
