Page 92 of Is Anyone Listening?
I read through the first dozen or so, curious as to what the listeners were thinking. There was definitely shock and concern for my safety. Some people had questions about Nathan's overdose and how that might impact the investigation into not only Natalie but also Jessica.
And then there were the naysayers who thought I was just stirring up trouble, besmirching the reputation of the town, creating drama out of nothing, exploiting these women for ratings. One even went so far as to threaten me with retribution if I continued. That sent a chill of fear through me, but the threat wasn't completely unexpected.
It was certainly possible that some of the comments were from people in Stonecross, reminding me I was building a longer list of enemies every single day.
Shutting down the page, I checked my phone and saw several texts from Morgan. I decided to call her instead of texting back.
"Hi," I said when she answered. "I thought it was easier just to call."
"Did you see the views, the comments?" Morgan asked.
"I was just looking. Some of them are pretty negative."
"I was going to tell you not to read them."
"Too late. I didn't read them all, but I did see the threatening one."
"I know you want to see this through to the end, but there may be a point where you have to leave."
"I know. I'm taking a risk, but the podcast is taking off."
"It is, but I'm worried about the personal cost."
"If I leave now, it will be for nothing. We haven't found any answers."
"It won't be for nothing. You've put a spotlight on Natalie and Jessica. And with Nathan's overdose and Finn's help, there will be more pressure on the sheriff's office to investigate. One of the commenters suggested a write-in campaign to the mayors of both Stonecross and Cork Harbor to force further investigation."
"I didn't see that comment. Tom Holloway won't be happy about that."
"Maybe he'll start doing his job," Morgan said. "Seriously, what is the endgame here, Cassidy? Tessa said she's getting released tomorrow. She can't go back to the inn. Even if it was the safest place on earth, she said there's no elevator. And you don't have a car anymore. You're going to have to rent another one or fly, and Tessa can't do any of that on her own. You're at the end of the road."
"You're right. I probably just have one more day to get answers. I need to make the most of it."
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. But I'm hoping that Nathan is awake, and he can tell us whether that was an accident, deliberate, or something else entirely. Maybe he can clear up whether or not he actually saw Jessica on the beach when he found her ring."
"Do you think he did?"
"It's definitely a possibility. Why would her ring just fall off? Maybe he killed her and took her ring off her finger, and now he's guilty and wants to die before someone sends him to jail."
"That's dark but does make sense. Jessica's case seems to have more clues than Natalie's."
"Because of the way it happened. The boat trip created a trail. Natalie's exit from the inn did not." As I said that, I remembered Tyler's plan to check whether or not the inn had tunnels beneath it.
Tyler probably hadn't gotten back to the building department, or he would have said something to me. He'd never been as interested in Natalie's case as he was in Jessica's, and if he'd found video evidence in Cork Harbor, he would have followed up on that.
It was a little weird that I hadn't heard from him, though. I'd text him after I got off the phone.
"Cassidy?" Morgan said sharply. "Are you there?"
"Sorry, I got distracted. What did you say?"
"I asked if you've spoken to your grandmother again, if she's starting to open up to you?"
"We talked again last night. She didn't reveal much. She has a lot of pride and anger when it comes to my father. But I did unsettle her when I told her about the information I'd gotten from John and Katherine on Lily."
"What did she say about Lily?"
