Annabelle and Caroline sat in the backseat of the crew car as they drove with Lamar and Boomer to Curtains Up.
“I did a search on Gus Oberon,” said Annabelle. “He spent three years in prison.”
“Really?” Caroline took a breath and then exhaled deeply. “I had a feeling that guy was trouble. What was he in for?”
“Criminal possession of marijuana. There was some reference to the possibility that he was dealing, too. And if we know that Gus is a criminal, you can bet the police know it, too.”
“I guess he hasn’t learned his lesson,” said Caroline, shaking her head. “The aroma he left in Belinda’s powder room at the party shows he’s still using. The question is, does Gus have anything to do with Belinda’s disappearance?”
Police Chief Howard Stanley stood in front of the crowd of law enforcement and civilian volunteers who had gathered in the driveway. Caroline estimated there were about seventy-five people there. Among them, she recognized Remington Peters, Victoria Sterling, Keith Fallows, and Langley Tate. All of them looked tired.
“We still have no actual indication that a crime has been committed,” Chief Stanley told the group. “But because Ms. Winthrop hasn’t turned up, not even for her theater performance last night, there is real cause for concern. Thank you for coming this morning to help in the search.”
He held up a piece of paper. “There are maps of the property on the table over there. Please take one of them. Also, officers will be coming through the crowd handing out whistles.”
Caroline and Annabelle, along with everyone else, took maps and whistles.
“There are one hundred fifty acres here,” Stanley continued. “You’ll see on the map we’ve drawn in search corridors. Each corridor will be traversed in two directions, at right angles to each other. In this way, the entire area will be searched.”
“You’ll divide into groups of four and keep to your assigned lane. When you get to the woods, stop every minute and blast your whistles, listen for a possible response, and then repeat the process.”
“One last thing, the woods are full of places where the ground opens up, leading to underground caves. Some of them are on your map, some are not, so please be very careful.”
“What about animals and things?” asked one of the volunteers.
“Anything out there is more afraid of you than you are of it,” said Chief Stanley.
“I’ve heard there are bobcats in this area,” another searcher called out.
“Yes, but bobcats tend to be active very early in the morning and then again from three hours or so before sunset until around midnight. So we should be clear now. Besides, bobcats are generally pretty shy, unless they’re provoked. And no one is going to do that, right?”