“If I knew you.”

Mia’s head tipped. “But you didn’t. What would there have been to say?”

“Knew of you.” It was muttered under her breath.

Izzy was reminded of Patty last night. People always ask questions about Mia. No wonder she hadn’t returned to St. Lucy’s.

“Oh yeah? And what did you know about me?”

There was a pause, and Ellen’s arm came up to wrap around her midsection. Comfort, defensiveness. The other hand still held the unsmoked but lit cigarette.

“What people say about you,” Ellen said, a tremor in her voice. “That you . . .”

Mia and Izzy waited. In the silence Ellen’s chin tipped up. False bravado?

“Did you? Did you kill them?”

The intensity with which Ellen was watching Mia made Izzy wonder what kind of past Ellen had. Ellen’s eyes were greedy but not the same way Quinn’s had been. This . . . this was tragedy—guilt even—searching for a companion.

Mia huffed out a breath beside Izzy. It seemed more of an are you serious with that question than an admission of any kind.

“No,” Mia said, and Izzy hated herself for how she listened for any hesitation.

Ellen’s eyes went blank once more.

“How often did you see Robert when he was here?” Izzy asked, hoping to right the dynamics of this interview.

“Three times, maybe four.”

That seemed like a lot for a date that hadn’t turned out to be a date. “You went out with him again after that first coffee?”

Ellen turned to study Izzy’s face, searching for a trap maybe. “Yes.”

“Did you go to his cabin?”

The blush on Ellen’s cheeks deepened, but she didn’t blink. “Yes.”

“Did he talk to you about the interviews he was conducting?” Mia asked.

Ellen jerked her shoulder. “Just how frustrated he was that no one would talk.”

That seemed to be a given.

“No one talks here, though,” Ellen continued.

“They talk about me,” Mia countered.

“Yeah, well, only when they think I’m not listening.” The words bent toward bitterness, and Izzy could relate. It was common ground she could exploit.

“Do people talk about other things when they think you’re not listening?”

“A lot of people talking about a lot of things these days,” Ellen said, lifting her cigarette to tap the ash. She still didn’t bring it to her lips. “Robert stirred up the whole town.”

“What were they saying?”

“Just the normal stuff. About that night. Those girls who came to the island.”

“The Bell girls,” Mia clarified.

Ellen nodded her confirmation. “About their parents, too.”

There was an edge to Mia’s voice. “What about them?”