“But when I heard all the rumors that were going around town, about how there was only justice for the rich, and why wasn’t anyone looking for Teenie, and people seemed so sure that Dell had done something terrible to her . . . I was talking to Terry at Sunday lunch at the country club, and he told me what he’d heard about you. Paul was dead set against it, but I just couldn’t leave a stone unturned. There had to be something I could do besides get out there and search the woods myself. You know, they should have brought in tracking dogs right away. But no one knew Teenie was out there with Dell. When he got found, it was assumed he was a suicide. By the time Helen realized Teenie was missing, too, it was late at night. It rained real heavy. When they resumed the search the next day, the scent was gone, I guess. I don’t remember any of that, at all. I was far from worrying about Teenie.”

“No cadaver dogs?” I asked.

“They’re different from trackers, right? No, I guess not. After Helen thought about it, she said she was sure Teenie would turn up somewhere alive, and bringing in the cadaver dogs would be like saying she was dead. I thought for sure she’d back down on that one, but she said everyone was telling her it was not the right thing to do.” Sybil shook her head. “Terry thought it would give the town a bad name, too, but the hell with that. If a young one’s missing, you got to look for ’em. Maybe if Jay had been around . . . Oh, he wants you to come by the house, by the way. He called here this morning to find out more about you. Anyway, Jay and Helen’s relationship wasn’t all bad. Helen was more of a woman after she lay off the alcohol, you understand, but she had more backbone altogether when she was with Jay. She’d just listen to this one and that one and end up all confused after she separated from Jay.”

That was totally not the impression I’d gotten of Helen Hopkins. It sounded as though Sybil and Helen hadn’t communicated face to face at all.