Tara and Warren walked down the sidewalk, which was still littered with fallen tree limbs and branches, as Warren ended a call. He had been speaking with Dr. Harris, getting the results of the dental records. As he placed the phone into his pocket, he turned to Tara.
“They match. It’s definitely Alyssa,” he said.
It was a piece of information they all already assumed, but now they knew for sure, and it was only confirmation that the killer would most likely strike again. Two random killings a year a part. It was just the beginning, Tara assumed, and it made her feet quicken instinctively as they walked toward the coffee shop.
The road was mostly quiet, except for a cleaning crew collecting the remnants of the storm and a street cleaner that swept the road ahead of them. The stores were lined on a long strip, and at the end, in the distance, they could see the ocean.
When they reached the shop, a Closed sign hung from the inside of a large glass door, but Tara could see someone moving about within. She knocked. A woman with a mop in hand soon swung open the door.
“We’re closed,” she muttered. “We don’t open for another half hour.” Tara assumed she was in her thirties. She was tired-looking but still young and youthful. She was tall and slender, with piercing green eyes and a loose braid that fell just past her shoulders. She held the mop in one hand, slightly leaning on it, and heaved a tired sigh as she flicked her braid behind her shoulder.
Tara held out her badge, and life burst into the woman’s face. It was a look of confusion and concern. But then understanding blossomed, and her face morphed into horror.
“Come in,” she said before opening the door wide and then leading the way. Once they stood in the store, her hand moved to her mouth. “What, is it Reese?”
She clearly hadn’t known that the body was found, and now Tara would have to break the news to her.
Tara nodded. “Her body was found on the beach this morning.”
The woman gasped, closing her eyes tight.
“Did you know Reese well?” Tara questioned.
The woman looked up at her as she steadied herself. She nodded. “I’m the manager here. I’ve worked with Reese for the past year.” She turned to the counter behind her, staring at it longingly. “She was such a sweet girl,” she added before bringing her hand to her mouth again in utter horror. She shook her head again, this time in disbelief. “Did you find who did it?”
“Not yet, that’s why we’re here.”
The woman heaved another sigh.
Tara reminded her that Reese went missing after leaving work, and the woman nodded. She had already been informed when the cops first came in after Reese first went missing.
“Did she happen to mention where she was going? Did she mention anyone?” Tara asked.
The woman shook her head again, her eyes falling to the floor as she tried to recall. “No, I already told the police this, though.” She looked back up, meeting Tara’s eyes. “It was late when she left. She said she was just going home, and I believed it.” She paused for a moment. “She has really strict parents, you know.”
The woman’s words only confirmed Tara’s suspicion, but based on her impression, Tara was starting to think that maybe Reese was as obedient as her parents believed.
She asked a few more questions: if she was aware that Reese had a boyfriend, if Reese ever seemed frightened by anyone, if she could think of anyone who would want to harm her. But each time, the woman would just shake her head.
Warren looked at Tara. He could feel defeat surfacing.
“What time did Reese finish her shift?” he finally asked.
She thought for a moment. “I think she left here about eight thirty. The store closed at eight—so yes, she would’ve been out of here by eight thirty.”
Tara and Warren met eyes. Her parents had said ten. Why would she give her parents that time? She was seeing someone. Tara was sure of it.
“Had anyone ever come in here to visit Reese? Anyone who may have been a bit flirtatious?” Tara asked.
The woman chuckled a bit at her question, and then her face fell again at the remembrance that Reese was no longer alive, that the memory was now only that.
“There’s Brian,” she started, pain tainting her expression. “He’s a lifeguard at Rehoboth. He lives around here, though. A couple years older than Reese. He comes in here every day, and he definitely had some sort of crush on her. I think he came in just to see her because he always seemed to come in when she was working. I always thought they would be cute together—but you know, her parents would never allow it.”
“And what did Reese do?”
The woman shrugged. “She’d flirt back. She definitely had something for him too, but she was quiet about it. I think they did exchange numbers at one point.”
“When was that?”
“A couple months ago, I’d say.”
Tara looked toward Warren, and she could see the urgency in his eyes. They clearly both had the same thought. Could Reese and the lifeguard have had a secret relationship? Did she lie to her parents about when her shift ended so she could meet him?
“Do you know where we can find him?” Tara asked.
The woman turned to a clock behind her and then nodded. “He’s probably at Rehoboth Beach by now. The lifeguards have been working on cleaning up the area.”
Tara thanked her, and she and Warren were soon out the door, now with a lead and a newfound purpose in their step.
***
Tara and Warren pulled up along the boardwalk and stepped out into the sandy road. A row of businesses lined the long wooden pathway, creating a barrier between them and the beach behind.
Tara and Warren walked up the stairs and briskly down the boardwalk, scanning the beach below it for any sign of lifeguards. It was early still, the beach and boardwalk were still in need of minor repairs, and the businesses were still closed. The beach was closed too. They were the only people walking about, but every once in a while, a jogger would breeze past them.
“There,” Warren said sharply.
Tara looked out onto the beach, and just a few yards in front of them, she could see people in red shorts moving about. They were the lifeguards.
Tara and Warren were soon on the beach as well, moving toward them. Their presence was quickly noticed, and one of the lifeguards looked up and said something to the others that Tara couldn’t hear from afar.
Tara knew she and Warren looked as if they didn’t belong on the beach. Both in long pants and boots, they clearly weren’t dressed for a day under the sun.
The lifeguards looked a bit confused as they got closer. There were five of them, all exceptionally fit teenagers. Two girls and three boys.
“Is one of you Brian?” Tara asked as soon as she was within earshot.
The row of red shorts parted and looked toward a boy in the center. He stepped forward. He was shirtless, his skin bronzed. He had broad shoulders and a perfectly chiseled triangle-shaped upper body, but a sling hung across his chest, holding a casted arm. He confirmed that he was in fact Brian, but he looked startled by the question. Tara realized how odd this must be to him, being approached by intimidating strangers on a beach with no one around. It had probably never happened to him before.
“Are you friends with Reese Tanner?” Tara questioned. She flashed her badge, dissolving any confusion.
His face fell. His bronze skin became flushed in the cheeks. The other lifeguards looked at him and then turned away, moving farther from him. It was as if they knew he would need privacy, that they all sensed something horrible was about to be said.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “Is she all right? I’ve been trying to get ahold of her…I,” he stopped himself. He could sense it; nothing was all right. “What happened?” he asked as he stood up straighter, like a trained dog waiting to be told who to attack.
Tara knew instantly that he didn’t know, that she would ultimately have to break the news to him. It pained her. He looked sincere in his worry, and she had a feeling that he truly did care for Reese.
Tara sighed. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she started. His eyes began to glisten slightly, but then he breathed deeply, holding back the tears. “Her body was found this morning, on Dewey Beach.”
He looked around him. He looked as if he might lose his balance, as if he were looking for something to steady himself. The other lifeguards were still listening. They were picking up branches, but at Tara’s words they all looked up and then toward each other. Terror flooded their eyes.
“Oh my god,” said one, a petite young woman with a rock-solid build. She came scurrying over.
The others followed until they stood just behind Brian. One of the guys, slightly older-looking, placed a hand on Brian’s shoulder.
“You’re sure?” Brian finally uttered, his tanned face now looking slightly faded from the shock.
Tara nodded. “I’m sorry.” She let it sink in for moment. They all looked around at each other in disbelief. “Were you two dating?” Tara finally asked.
Brian stared off into the distance as he scrunched his face in confusion, still trying to make sense of it all. He then looked back toward Tara.
“Yeah, kind of. I guess you can call it that.”
“How do you mean?” she asked. It seemed like such a clear-cut question.
“I definitely had feelings for her is what I’m saying,” he said. “But her parents would’ve never allowed her to date me, since I’m nineteen and she’s seventeen. We just spoke a lot, really, on the phone, through text. And then we’d meet on the beach sometimes at night, before she had to be home.”
“When did you speak to her last?” Tara had remembered what he said in the beginning, that he had been trying to get in touch with her. “You said you’ve been trying to get a hold of her?”
He nodded. “For about a week and a half, I’d say. She was supposed to meet me that night and never showed. I figured her parents were on to us or something.” He shrugged. “Thought maybe she was trying to cut it off.”
“You didn’t stop by the coffee shop at all after?”
He shook his head. “If her parents were on to us, I didn’t want to cause more trouble. I figured she’d reach out to me when she was ready. But I sent one of my buddies over, just to see if she’d say anything to him. You know, if it was over, I just wanted to know.” He sighed. “And then I found out she was missing. I just figured she ran away or something, to get away from her parents. I never would’ve thought—” He stopped abruptly, catching his breath. His friend patted his shoulder, rubbing it slightly.
“Do you remember the exact day you were supposed to meet?” Tara asked.
“It was—” He thought for a moment. “Last Tuesday,” he finally said, nodding with certainty.
Tara and Warren shared a look. It was now Wednesday of the following week. The victim had gone missing eight days ago, which would mean he had planned to meet her on the night she went missing.
“And you spoke to her that day?” Warren butted in.
He nodded. “In the morning. Everything seemed good. She was ready to meet me. But then I got held up at home; my mom needed me to watch my brother for an hour. I tried to text her, since she would’ve already been on her way, but she never answered. And then when I finally was able to get to the beach, she wasn’t there.”
Tara knew he would be a prime suspect, but if his story checked out, he would have an alibi. Her eyes moved to his arm. “What happened to your arm?”
He looked down at it and sighed. “Fell off a roof. I do roofing for my uncle when I’m not lifeguarding. He owns a company. I broke my forearm…had to get surgery.”
“When did that happen?”
He thought for a moment. “It happened last Monday. I went into surgery on Tuesday.”
If his story checked out, that would ultimately rule him out as a suspect. Tara and Warren both continued to ask him a series of questions—if she ever seemed afraid, if she ever mentioned anyone. But each answer led nowhere.
“Where were you guys planning on meeting, exactly?”
“On Dewey Beach,” he replied. “We meet by an entrance to the beach.”
He explained the route. Reese would walk about a half mile down the road, and then she would take a turn by a gas station—Mobile, he said—and then walk straight to an entrance of the beach.
Tara felt a rush of excitement. They could trace her steps. They could possibly find where she was abducted. The gas station. There would be cameras.
Tara thanked him, and once she and Warren were far enough away, he turned toward her.
“Let’s make sure his story checks out. And then you thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?
Tara nodded. “Cameras.”
They now had a solid lead.