“And you said you’ve seen it parked there a few times?” Tara asked.

“Mmhm.” She nodded. “Which isn’t all that odd. I’ve spoken to the driver before. He isn’t much of a talker, but he said he just comes to groom the trails. He was a bit strange.”

“Why’s that?” Tara could feel she was on the brink of something and that it was only a few questions away.

“He was just always very anxious,” she replied before a pause. “In fact, I’m not too sure he always told me the truth. I saw him speaking with someone on the phone one day. I take it that it was his boss, but I overheard him saying where he was, and it was not the truth.”

“Did he ever have a four-wheeler with him?” Tara asked.

The woman looked at her in confusion, before Tara realized that she didn’t quite understand what a four-wheeler was. But after explaining to the woman what it looked like, she replied.

“Oh, yes. He’s brought it in the bed of his truck a few times. He said it helped with grooming the trail.”

Tara glanced at Warren. They both knew where they needed to head next and Tara quickly got the man’s name—James—from the woman and a location of the hiking information center he told her he worked at. They then hurried to the car.

***

Tara and Warren stepped out in the unpaved parking lot, and the fresh smell of the forest that surrounded them filled Tara’s lungs. The lot was almost empty except for one lonely car, which Tara assumed belonged to the person managing the information center, which sat between the parking lot and the thick of trees. She didn’t know what she would find—if the man they were looking for would even be here—but she hoped they would at least find answers. If the man was not a suspect, she was hoping he would at least have seen something along the trail.

Tara and Warren quickly walked toward the information center until they opened the heavy wooden door and entered. Hiking gear lined the walls on shelves and hangers, but not one customer was seen throughout the center. Only a young woman stood behind the counter with a phone to her ear.

“Yes, it’s still closed,” she said into the phone. “Yes, unfortunately—I’m not sure yet. I can give you a list of other trails you can hike—yes, I understand.”

At her last words she looked up and noticed Tara and Warren for the first time. She placed the palm of her hand over the phone.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment,” she whispered before directing her attention back to the person on the other end. “Yes, I’m still here—just keep checking our website, or you can call. I’m sorry, I don’t have any more information for you at this time.”

There was a brief pause before she said her goodbyes and then hung up. She placed the phone down on the counter in front of her and heaved a big sigh before looking up at Tara and Warren.