“Okay, what we’ve found out is that when she left Painted Pony Creek, she got herself down to Florida. She left by car, we know that, and maybe she sold it along the way or maybe when she arrived—to avoid having the license plate identified and probably to get some cash. And here’s the big news. Thanks to my brilliant assistant, we’ve learned that she changed her name, which as I told you earlier is a lot easier to do than most people think, even back then. But there’s usually information left behind—if you know what I mean. And if you understand how to look for it. Which Melanie does. Christine became Sharon. Sharon Sutherland. She lived in Florida. Near Orlando.”

Shallie just nodded. What else could she do?

“What we learned next is that Christine Fletcher, living as Sharon Sutherland, connected with Reba Shannon in Florida about fifteen years later. Which is how Reba ended up here in Montana, and specifically at the motel.”

“But how did they connect?”

“They were both working at the same motel near Orlando.”

“Motel? Oh, my God.” Shallie covered her mouth. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

“So, Christine, aka Sharon, was a waitress at the motel restaurant. The place was—and still is—called Sunny Days. Reba, meanwhile, was handling the desk. They met during dinner one night, when they were both off, and became friends, saw each other regularly. Then Christine asked Reba to go to Montana, to this town and the motel, to check up on you. To see how you were doing and report back to her. Christine Fletcher paid her what she could.”

“Oh, my God,” Shallie repeated. “I think I am going to cry.”

Cord intervened with a question of his own. “How did you and Melanie get these details?”

Eddie grinned. “A lot of it was simply good luck. Helped by the fact that I know an investigator in Florida, believe it or not.”

“Oh, I believe it,” Eli murmured. “So, you hired him?”

“Yeah. This guy, Tony, went to the Orlando area and researched various motels, interviewed people. And discovered there were still a few employees at a particular place—the Sunny Days that I mentioned earlier—who remembered them both. And I guess Christine wasn’t totally discreet at the time, since one of the staff overheard some of their conversation…”

“So then what?” Eli asked.

“Then Christine disappeared. Five or six months later. Probably a combination of feeling reassured that you were doing okay, Shallie, and fear that there were still criminal types out there searching for her. Melanie’s continuing to follow up. At this point we don’t even know if she’s still alive.”

ON THEIR WAY HOME, Cord and Shallie were silent. When they arrived, he invited her to sit on the porch with him, talk about what they’d learned. “I think we’re both still numb,” he added.