The lights followed me around the loops and bends in the road. My knuckles ached from clenching the steering wheel so tightly. I ignored the turn to the mill warehouse and headed into town, pulling into the hospital parking lot. Behind me, illuminated in the glow of the streetlights, was a big, black truck with shiny chrome rims.

The same truck from Costco.

It drove past and disappeared down the road. I sat in the parking lot, shaking despite the heat blasting from the car’s vents. One of vitiligo girl’s friends had left in that black truck. Vitiligo girl had recognized me yesterday. They had to be connected in some way.

After a few moments, I left the hospital and continued driving up the mountainous road. I turned right to cross the bridge and parked about a quarter of a mile away from the warehouse on the shoulder, grabbing my hat and the flashlight from the glove compartment.

My breath misted as I ducked through the gap in the chain-link fence. I stepped carefully over the white ground. Footprints had turned the snow to mush. Gabe and Ben must be inside—I guessed they were the ones who’d boarded up the windows on the bottom floor since I was last here.

When I reached the back door, Gabe and Ben were speaking in low tones. Ben pointed at a page in the red notebook from his van. Gabe leaned in to look. He had a nail gun in one hand, a stack of cardboard panels, and a few pieces of wooden two-by-fours on the floor next to him.

“I don’t know, Vi usually did this part.” Ben’s voice floated toward me. I paused, hearing the anguish in it.

Gabe replied softly, and Ben said, “I’m sorry, I’m just tired, man. I mean, you knew her, she was fucking crazy, but she was smart.” Pause. “I miss her. Lucas misses her. He won’t stop crying. I don’t know what to say. How do you have that conversation with your kid? ‘Your mom’s dead. I think someone murdered her.’ ”

Ben’s voice broke a little, and Gabe looked horrified. I decided it was time to break up their little chat before he said something we both regretted.

“Hello!” I called loudly.

They both fell silent.

“Hey,” Gabe said.

He looked terrible. His eyes were rimmed with black shadows, a few days of stubble on his jaw. He’d lost weight in the last few weeks. I wondered if his sleep was broken with nightmares too. If he still heard the sound of Violeta’s body as it thunked against the rocks before splashing into the river.

I pointed at the two-by-fours. “You guys trying to keep it warm in here?”

“We didn’t want anybody seeing in,” Gabe explained. “How’s Josh?”