I’m at my office early Wednesday morning, downing a large toasted almond and shoveling a cranberry scone into my mouth. Google Earth is open on my laptop, allowing me to scan the woods near Keystone. If Veronica’s abductor hiked somewhere after abandoning her car, there has to be some campsite or something in those woods. I find several south of Weltunkin in smaller towns along the Delaware River, but Weltunkin itself has become more populated and built-up over the years. Those back roads are only used by locals to avoid tourists.
My phone rings, and I glance at my iPhone to see Dad’s face fill my display. I smile at the picture of him wearing a lobster bib. It was taken a year ago when we celebrated his birthday at his favorite seafood place in New Jersey.
“Took you long enough,” I answer.
“Mitchell told me about your conversation last night. I figured you needed some time to cool off.”
“He told you what I did?”
“That you reamed him out and left him standing on the side of the road? Yes.”
So he didn’t mention that I read him. Good. Dad would have more than a few choice words for me about that.
“He and I are heading to the Castells’ now. Is there anything in specific you want me to look for? Anything I can maybe bring back for you to read?”
He’s trying to help, but we both know he wouldn’t steal anything from the Castells’ garage and bring it back to me.
“Just do your thing, Dad. I’m sure you’ll find something and you won’t even need me.” I zoom in on a patch of woods Google Earth just pulled up.
“You know I can’t do this without you, Piper.”
“Yeah, well it looks like you’re going to have to. At least that part anyway.”
“What are you working on? I hear you pressing keys on your laptop.” From the sound of the car engine in the background, he and Brennan are already heading out to the Castells’.
“I pulled up directions to UPenn, and now I’m searching for campsites anywhere in the vicinity of Keystone.”
“There aren’t any. Don’t waste your time. And why are you looking up directions to UPenn? Are you thinking of trying to find this Will person?”
“No.” I zoom back out, the search not yielding anything useful. I push my laptop aside. “I’m trying to figure out if whoever took Veronica was actually heading back to the college. If it was this Will guy, then that’s probably where he’d take her. It could be a fraternity prank: kidnap the girl who was supposed to dance at the rush party.”
“I’m going to call the fraternities,” Dad says. “I’ll keep you posted.” He hangs up without another word.
“This is ridiculous.” I stand up, knowing what I need to do. I have to get to that garage and look around again. I have to find whatever it is that I’m missing. But how do I do that without the Castells knowing I’m there?
I grab my jacket and purse, figuring I’ll come up with a plan on the way. Maybe trying to find a way to get into their house unseen will help me discover how Veronica’s kidnapper did it. Think like a criminal and all that.
The first obstacle presents itself when I reach the bottom of their driveway. I can’t exactly pull up behind Dad’s car and act like I belong there. And if I leave my car at the bottom of the driveway and Mr. or Mrs. Castell happens to go out while I’m here, they’ll see it for sure. I drive around, looking for a place to park that’s not clearly visible. I passed a gas station about a quarter mile back, but then I’d run the risk of people seeing me. I keep heading north and come to a wooden gate. I stop in front of it, noticing it’s not locked. All I can see are fields with a barn off in the distance. Do the Castells’ have horses? Is this where they keep them boarded?
I open the gate, hurry back to my car, and drive through. The pathway is dirt and gravel, and rocks kick up, hitting the underside of my car. My Mazda wasn’t built for off-roading, but I continue on, winding around a small hill and past the barn and stables. I park behind it, hoping my car will be out of view if anyone comes to take care of the horses while I’m here. I need to close the gate on my way up to the Castells’ house before anyone drives by and sees it open, but something is pulling me toward the stables. I get out of the car and walk in the direction of the stables. There are four stalls in a line, and two heads and one ass are visible when I enter. The horse on the end, a gray palomino, whinnies when I pass by. The nameplate on the front of the stall reads Sergeant Pepper. I snicker to myself. The next one, belonging to a beautiful cream-colored horse, reads Penny Lane. The third says Maggie Mae, and the last one is Rocky Raccoon. Definite Beatles fans. That’s clear.
I step toward Maggie Mae’s stall, but good old Maggie is the one with her rear end to me. I move to the last stall to get a better look at Rocky Raccoon, but the stall is empty. I peer inside, not sure what I’m expecting to see. Footprints? Some indication that Rocky is out being groomed or exercised?
My hand grips the edge of the stall.
“Bad boy, Rocky!” Veronica admonishes the black horse. “This is what I get for feeding you? You bite my hand?” She holds her hand, squeezing the palm where the teeth marks are denting her skin. “You’re just lucky you didn’t draw blood.” She turns to Maggie Mae, the brown mare in the next stall. “Why can’t you behave like Maggie here?” She reaches for Maggie’s nose, petting it lovingly. “You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Maggie?”
A gloved hand flashes in front of Veronica’s face as a white cloth is pressed to her nose and mouth.
This time, instead of the images fading away, I collapse on the stable floor.
“Miss? Miss, can you hear me?” someone says, tapping my cheek with a cold, calloused hand.
My eyes open slowly, my vision taking a moment to come into focus. A man in his late forties with graying hair and glasses looks down at me. “Who are you?” I ask, my voice groggy.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.” He helps me to a sitting position, my back against Rocky’s stall.
“My name is Piper Ashwell. I’m a private investigator working on the Castell case.” Even though I’m not technically supposed to be here, I figure my title and connection to the case is the best way to go.
“I see. Can I ask what you’re doing down here?”
“Where’s Rocky?” I gesture behind me to the empty stall.
“Rocky has been known to get loose. I discovered his empty stall on Sunday when I came to tend to the horses.” He sighs. “I was hoping to get him back before Mrs. Castell found out. She loves these horses and blames me every time Rocky gets out.”
“Are they her horses?” I ask, getting to my feet since the concrete slab I’m sitting on is freezing my ass through my jeans.
“No. They’re Veronica’s. Though Veronica never liked Rocky very much. He’s a biter.”
I look down at my hand, the same hand that felt the piercing of Rocky’s teeth when he bit Veronica in my vision. “She preferred Maggie, right?”
The man cocks his head at me. “How’d you know?”
“Private investigator, remember? It’s my job to know things like this.” I look him up and down now that I’m feeling like myself again. “What did you say your name was?” I ask, knowing he never offered his name.
He wipes his hand on the front of his jeans. “Where are my manners?” He extends his right hand to me. “I’m Terrance Walsh, but you can call me Terry.”
“Nice to meet you, Terry,” I say, shaking his hand. I motion to the empty stall. “Does Rocky usually take off for long periods of time?”
Terry turns and looks out over the open fields. “Not like this. He usually comes home when he gets hungry. The dang horse only eats special order food. He’s spoiled rotten if you ask me. Mr. Castell pays a fortune to keep his daughter’s horses happy and in prime showing condition.”
I nod, not that I care about any of that. Though Rocky’s disappearance does coincide with Veronica’s. “You said you didn’t notify the Castells that Rocky is missing.”
“No, I didn’t. Like I said, I was hoping he’d come back by now. I didn’t want to bother them, what with Miss Veronica being missing.” He lets out a deep breath. “Doesn’t look like I have a choice, though.”
Or maybe he doesn’t want to mention Rocky’s disappearance because he used Rocky to bring him wherever he was going after he ditched Veronica’s car. A horse could travel farther in a shorter amount of time than a person on foot. I need to read him. I look around, noticing a horseshoe on the ground a few feet away. I move toward it, keeping my eyes locked on Terry so he doesn’t suspect anything. “If you’d like, I could drive around the grounds and help you search for—” I step on the horseshoe and pretend to turn my ankle. With a small cry of pain, I allow myself to fall onto the grass in front of the stable.
“Are you all right, Ms. Ashwell?” Terry rushes over to help me up.
I latch onto his hand and clear all thoughts from my mind.
“Please, Terry,” Veronica pleads. “You can’t tell them. Daddy would kill me if he found out.”
Terry puts his hands up in front of him. “Miss Veronica, this isn’t any of my business.”
Veronica nods. “That’s right. It’s not.” She thrusts a pregnancy test at him. “So take this out with the rest of the trash, and don’t say a word about it to anyone.”
Terry looks down at the test, which has a negative reading. “Why are you worried if you aren’t pregnant anyway?”
Veronica lowers her head. “You know my father. Can you imagine what he’d do if he found out I had to take one of these? Mom put me on birth control at fourteen. I’m the stupid idiot who left my pills here when school started. I never should’ve...” She raises her eyes. “Why am I telling you this?”
“I don’t want to know any of it. It’s none of my business who you’re...” He motions to the pregnancy test.
Veronica scoffs. “God, you’re just like Daddy. You probably think I’m off at school whoring around, don’t you?” She shakes her head. “Everyone thinks I’m the little rich girl rebelling because she doesn’t have a care in the world and doesn’t know what to do with herself. ‘Dance for all our rushees, Veronica. Put those dance lessons your daddy paid for to good use.’ God, do you have any idea how degrading that is? Will can go fuck himself. Him and his frat buddies. I got drunk at one party and hooked up with him, and now he thinks he’s my fucking pimp. ‘Do this or I’ll show everyone the video I made of you. Pay my rent or I’ll show the video.’ Him and his damn video. He drugged me! He drugged me and then pretended he loved me to get away with it. Well, I’m done. I’m done with him, and I’m done with that school. I’m never going back there! Never! I’d rather run away and spend my life with Rocky, who’d probably eat me in my sleep, before I let Will and Theta Chi ruin my reputation.
“I think maybe we should get you to a doctor,” Terry says, helping me to my feet once I come to.
“No. I’m fine. Really.” Better than fine. I know which Will we’re looking for. He’s a member of Theta Chi. “I have to go. I hope you find Rocky, Terry.” I rush around the stables to my car and hop inside, dialing Dad’s cell. He answers as I’m turning onto the path that leads back to the road.
“Piper, we’re just finishing up.”
“I am, too. I know who we’re looking for, and I’m not so sure Veronica was really kidnapped either.”
“What are you talking about?” Detective Brennan says, and I realize Dad must have his phone on speaker.
“Where are you two?” I ask.
“In the car, heading back to the station. Where are you?”
I smile to myself as I pull onto the road. “Leaving the Castells’ stables.”
“They have horses?” Dad asks.
“And one’s missing.” I fill them in on what I found out.
“So she was sleeping with that Will guy and thought she was pregnant?” Brennan huffs. “Why would she continue to sleep with him if he was blackmailing her and making her do all that stuff for him?”
“She thought he loved her. In both of my visions that mentioned Will, I sensed this strange tension in their relationship. She clearly wanted to believe he cared about her, but both times the conversations ended heatedly, with her being angry at Will because of the things he wanted her to do.”
“That’s seriously messed up,” Brennan says.
“For once I agree with you.”
“We need to talk to Will,” Dad interrupts. “ASAP.”
“I agree. Though if the horse is involved, I doubt Will is actually at UPenn.”
“Let me make a few calls. I’ll see if I can get a hold of him through the fraternity,” Dad says. “Meet us at the station.”
“Will do.” I hang up and smile the whole way to the police station. We have our first real lead.