Page 44 of Tangled Past
Maya swallowed hard. “Yes. I’m ready.”
Will put the phone on speaker. A single ring, then a fragile voice lined with age and memory filled the room. “Hello?”
“Ms. Cormier,” Will said. “This is Chief Kelly. Thank you for speaking with us. I have my investigative team with me.”
“Oh . . . oh my.” Paper rustled. “All right. I suppose it’s time someone knew.”
Maya’s breath hitched.
“Ms. Cormier, my officer said you mentioned a woman and child earlier? What can you tell us about them?” Will asked.
The lady on the line went quiet. When she spoke again, her voice crackled like brittle paper. “I talked to Raymond the day before the distress call came in. He told me he’d hidden a woman and child out at the Hardesty place. By that time, the family had moved away, even though they still kept the place.”
Maya’s lungs forgot how to work.
Asa pressed her hand.
“He said it wasn’t safe for them anywhere else, and that I shouldn’t tell anyone what he told me—” Ms. Cormier paused for a long moment. “That the man coming after them was dangerous, and he believed closer than anyone realized.”
The room froze.
“I asked him who the woman and child were,” the dispatcher went on. “How did he know them? He told me the woman was a witness to a case he’d been working on. He said he brought her to Hope Island because she witnessed something terrible.”
“Like what?” Asa asked.
“I’m not sure. He wouldn’t tell me what he was working on, but from what I gathered, it wasn’t a case that took place on Hope Island. It was out of his jurisdiction and much bigger than anything that happened on the island back then.” Ms. Cormier hesitated. “When the woman called that night, she told me she needed Raymond there immediately. That he had found them. That’s what she said. ‘He found us.’”
“Where did the call originate from?” Will asked.
“From the Hardesty farmhouse near Chief Dutton’s place.”
A sound escaped Maya’s lips. Not a sob. More like a breath crushed in half.
“Do you know why Raymond wouldn’t have called for backup?” Rachel asked.
“I’m guessing he was worried about a leak. Both Malone and Hale were on call that night. I’m sure they overheard thecall. Anyway, the woman told me to tell Raymond about the loose ends in the barn, so I relayed the message.”
Will’s voice sharpened. “Did she say anything else about the person following her?”
“No,” Margaret Cormier whispered. “Just that she’d seen the man’s vehicle parked down the road. A white SUV. She sounded terrified.”
Will jerked back slightly. “White SUV? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Positive.”
“Hang on a second.” Will muted the call and stared at the table, jaw clenched. “Malbern drove an old white SUV back then.”
Maya’s pulse spiked.
“Ms. Cormier,” Will said, returning to the call. “Is there anything else you remember?”
The woman emitted a shaky breath. “Just this. That night, when I radioed Raymond, he said he’d do anything to protect them. Anything.”
Silence followed by a collective exhale of grief, dread, and revelation.
“Thank you,” Will said, his voice low. “You’ve helped more than you know. As I said earlier, we have the young woman who was found in the barn that night with us. We’re trying to help her and Raymond’s son piece together what really happened.”
“Oh, sweet child,” Margaret whispered, her voice directed unmistakably toward Maya. “I remember you being brought into the station that night. You looked so small and fragile, unable to say a word.” A shaky breath became audible. “You survived something terrible. Don’t let it steal any more of your life.” With those words, the call disconnected.
