Page 43 of 44.1644° North
When our meals had been served and no one was paying us further attention, Rory said, “Your theory is that after the accident, someone offered Deirdre a ride, she accepted, and at some point after that, things went seriously wrong and Deirdre ended up dead.”
“Yes.”
“But that’s not an original theory. So why do you think you’re getting threats?”
“A lot of us have had threats.”
“Generic threats. Yes. You’re the first person we’re aware of who received specific threats—along with coordinates to the supposed hiding place of Deirdre’s body.”
“Most of the theories posit the idea of someone passing through Hastings—a serial killer—or someone outside the immediate area. People had tried to draw a link between Deirdre and the disappearance of Brianna Maitland in Vermont. My theory is that Deirdre was most likely taken by someone local.”
“Even that’s not an entirely new suggestion.” Before I could respond, he added, “Actually, I watched a lot of your videos and I don’t recall you specifying you thought Deirdre was taken by someone local.”
“I edited out those references when the emails started.”
“You…”
“I’d obviously struck a nerve. I thought it would be smarter to, well, keep some of my thoughts to myself. I shared my theories with law enforcement.”
And, on the rare occasion I’d received any response at all, was told my theories were nothing new.
Rory seemed to be thinking this new information over. He said at last, “But you don’t believe she accepted the ride within the twenty-minute window between when the accident was called in and the deputy arrived on scene.”
“No. I think she went into the trees and waited.”
“But there’s no indication she ever left the road. There were no footprints, and according to the Fish and Game guy, there had to have been.”
“Right. So here’s what I think, given Deirdre’s love of hiking, camping, and outdoors lore, as well as her brief but legit military training. I think she grabbed a fallen branch from one of the many surrounding trees and simply wiped out her footsteps.”
Rory stared. “You’re kidding.”
“No. She was smart, she was imaginative, and I think she was dead-set on not getting into any more legal trouble. Learning how to recognize but alsohidefootprints is basic field craft. It’s the kind of thing you learn in military school.”
Rory gave a short laugh. “That’s…not a theory I heard before.”
I shrugged.
“But wouldn’t the Fish and Game people be able to tell the snow had been smoothed over?”
“Maybe if someone was particularly looking for that? The deputy sure wasn’t. And it was thirty-six hours before any real search was conducted by people who knew what they were doing. I think Deirdre could have easily managed it.”
“Okay. Let’s say Deirdre put her Pathfinder skills to good use and covered her tracks into the tree line. How long do you think she waited there?”
“As long as she could stand it. She might have waited till her car was towed. Maybe not. She’d certainly have waited until the deputy and Rusty Bailey stopped driving around actively looking for her.”
“Why didn’t the dogs follow her scent into the trees?”
“There’s debate about that. I think that trail—it wouldn’t have been much of a trail because I don’t think she went more than a few feet from the road—was abandoned in favor of the more recent track heading down the highway. That second track ends in the middle of the street, which is where I think she got a lift from someone.”
Rory said slowly, “Do you have a suspect in mind?”
“I don’t have names. One of the original rumors was about a group of local boys driving back from skiing at Loon Mountain Resort who might have stopped for her. It’s about a forty-minute drive from here to the lodge.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“Interestingly, that story drops out of the narrative early on. It’s only mentioned in the earliest reports.”
“Maybe because it isn’t true.”
