Page 54 of Is Anyone Listening?
"That's interesting. You think there's a tunnel under the inn?"
"I think we should find out. It probably wouldn't be on an official blueprint, but if I can get any of the plans from the city on the inn, I might be able to tell if there's a discrepancy of some sort, some indication that the cellar or basement has extra space, or what not… I'm definitely speculating here, but it's something I could check out for you."
"That would be great."
"You could also look around the inn, see if you can access the basement."
"That wouldn't be easy. Ellen is always roaming around, and she's already suspicious of me."
"Well, don't take any unnecessary risks. Let's see if I can find anything on the plans first."
"I don't want you to take any time away from looking for Jessica, though."
"Natalie is still important. Her family and friends need closure and justice. It was horrific when I lost my parents, but at least I knew what happened. I didn't have to spend every day wondering if by some miracle, they might come back to life. I feel for Natalie's family."
"So do I. And it's not just Natalie I'm thinking about. There's Anna, and also another woman who went missing about six years ago. Who knows how many more there are? The inn seems to be connected to a lot of mystery. Is that just a coincidence? Or is someone at the inn a part of something deadly?"
"Are you talking about Ellen?"
"Well, she's the one who's been there all along, but her handyman, Ray, is much creepier and has a record of assault."
"I looked him up, too," he admitted. "But he doesn't seem to have had any problems since he's been working at the inn."
"Is that because he never did anything, or because Ellen used her relationship with the sheriff to protect her handyman?"
"Impossible to tell. Small town law enforcement sometimes has a lot of layers."
"And Tom Holloway took over as sheriff after his father stepped down. The Holloways have been managing the law enforcement in this town for fifty-plus years, and Ellen has been here the whole time. Their loyalty bubble feels unbreakable."
"Nothing is unbreakable if you pound hard enough. That's what we keep doing," he said as he pulled up in front of the coffee shop.
"Do you want to visit Tessa with me?" I asked as I opened the car door.
"I'm going to let you do that on your own. I want to see if I can get any of the plans for the inn before the building department closes. Why don't you text me on your way back from the hospital and let me know how she's doing?"
"Okay. I'll talk to you later."
I'd no sooner gotten into my car when I got a call from Morgan, and I chatted with her on the way to the hospital. After updating her on what Nathan had told me, we discussed the podcast and the growing interest from sponsors. She was responding to comments and answering emails, and I was thrilled to have her take over dealing with all that. I needed to focus on unraveling the mysteries of Stonecross, which were multiplying faster than I could untangle them.
We hung up when I got to the medical center, and when I entered Tessa's room, I found her awake and looking marginally better than she had this morning. Her eyes seemed less foggy but there was still pain in her gaze.
"How are you doing?" I asked, glancing at the television that was on but muted. "Catching up on the Real Housewives?"
She shrugged. "I've mostly been sleeping. It's the best way to escape the pain."
"I'm so sorry." I sent her a sympathetic look. "I wish I could do something to make you feel better."
"I'll be okay…eventually. The nurse said today is probably the worst day. Fingers crossed."
Tessa was such a cheerful, confident, and outgoing person; it actually hurt to see her like this. "I should have talked you out of going to lunch with Finn."
"Oh, please, you couldn't have done that," she said with a spark of her usual fire. "And it wasn't Finn that hurt me."
"I know. It was Nathan. I went to see him today. He said you made him nervous when you talked about the podcast, and he realized you'd probably want to share the part about him finding Jessica's ring."
Confusion clouded her gaze. "There was a ring?"
"You don't remember?"
