Page 52 of Is Anyone Listening?
Nathan's face paled. "Finn told me she was in the hospital, but I didn't have anything to do with that. She fell down some stairs, right?"
"Because she was out of it," I said. "The doctor believes she had drugs in her system."
"Then she must have taken something after she got off the boat."
"The doctor will figure it out," Tyler interrupted. "They'll know exactly what time she ingested the drug."
I wasn't sure that was true, but Nathan looked trapped, and, finally, his shoulders sagged. "Look, I just gave her a little something to help her relax. She was getting all worked up, asking too many questions, saying she was going to put me on her podcast. I slipped a little something into her drink just to mellow her out."
"You drugged her?" I felt sick at the thought.
"It was just a sleeping pill. I didn't mean for her to get hurt!" Nathan insisted. "I just needed her to forget about the ring. If the police find out I kept it, I could go to jail. And it's not like anyone needs it—Jessica's gone, presumed dead."
"Is she?" Tyler asked. "Is she really dead, Nathan? Or is there something else the police don't know?"
Nathan looked at him, something shifting in his expression. "I told them everything that mattered."
"Everything that mattered to the police. What about Jessica's family? Her friends? She had a life. People who cared about her. Don't you think they deserve to know the truth?"
"We don't care about the ring," Tyler added. "We just want to find Jessica."
Nathan was quiet for a long moment, clearly wrestling with what I hoped was his conscience. "If I tell you what I know, you keep quiet about the ring. Deal?"
Tyler and I exchanged glances. "Deal," Tyler said.
I simply nodded, not wanting to mention that Finn had already talked to Sheriff Holloway about the ring. Nathan could find that out later.
"The day I found Jessica's boat, it was drifting near that cove, just like I told your friend," Nathan said. "But before I called it in, I went ashore. I wanted to see if maybe she'd made it to land, you know? And that's when I saw the ring in the sand. It was at least ten feet from the water's edge."
My pulse quickened. "You're saying that Jessica made it from the boat to the shore?"
"Could have happened that way. Or the ring just washed ashore when she drowned."
"You should have told the police this," Tyler put in, anger in his voice. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that selling that ring would keep me and my business going for another year," Nathan said, no remorse in his voice. "Plus, I still didn't know what happened to her, and that ring wasn't going to tell the story. Like I said, it could have been washed ashore."
"It's kind of amazing you could find a ring in the sand of a deserted beach," Tyler said, his voice harsh, his gaze pointed.
"I guess I got lucky," Nathan returned.
I could see that Tyler wasn't completely convinced that anything Nathan had told us was true, but I wondered if it was, and if Jessica had gotten off that boat. If she had, where had she gone, and why had she wanted everyone to think she was dead?
"That's all I have to say," Nathan continued. "Personally, I think Jessica got off that boat and had someone pick her up on the road above that beach. She's out there somewhere, living a new life. Maybe it's time to stop looking for her. It doesn't seem like she wants to be found." Nathan looked at Tyler, then me. "We have a deal, right? You don't say anything about the ring or the drugs?"
"For now," Tyler said. "But if we find out you're lying to us, all bets are off."
"I'm not lying." Nathan's voice was firm. "But even if I was, you can't prove anything. You haven't seen the ring. You can't prove I drugged Tessa. Finn was on the boat, too. He could have done it. You have nothing. Now, get off my boat."
Tyler hesitated and then turned. I followed him off the boat, and we didn't speak until we were back in the car.
"Should we go to the police?" I asked, breaking the silence between us as we fastened our seat belts. "Finn already talked to Sheriff Holloway, but maybe we could talk to someone in this town."
"And tell them what?" Tyler asked. "Nathan is right. We have no proof of anything. And whatever we say, he'll deny."
"I don't care about the ring, but how can I let him get away with drugging Tessa? He's the reason she's in the hospital."
"I understand how you feel. You can go to the police, but I don't think it will get you the result you want."
