“Robbie Copely,” he said, rolling his mug in his hands just as he’d done with the beer. “I’ll be damned. Karate, huh?”

“Think Sensei Sam has room in class for one more?” Mac asked.

I smiled. “Maybe even two.”

As they wiped the sleep from their eyes, I explained I’d given Robbie a grilling before leaving town. “Far as I can tell, the summer of 1998 was when he went from a casual drug user to a junkie.” I’d seen the transformation in the pages of Doug’s old yearbook, connected the dots based on Cheryl’s attitude toward Crissy and her references to Robbie’s reckless teenage years. “When Brett started dealing, and Robbie found out, he raided Brett’s stash. Things were starting to get serious between Brett and Cheryl, so Robbie didn’t worry about replenishing his supply. By then both Brett and Russell Loming had noticed the missing dope. Robbie was young and stupid, but it didn’t occur to him that his access to the drugs might be compromised.”

Then came the night of June 20th, when everything changed.

“Robbie confessed to approaching Brett at the drive-in,” I said. “As soon as he found out from Crissy that Brett was leaving town, Robbie threatened to expose him to both Felicia and Cheryl unless he handed over the rest of his supply. Brett refused. He’d been dealing drugs to minors, even friends of his own children, but it was a means to an end, a way to save money for the move. In the meantime, Brett had cottoned on to both Crissy and Robbie’s growing addictions. According to Cheryl, Brett was the first to notice Robbie’s weight loss and sallow skin, while she remained in denial. Brett didn’t want to be responsible for making things worse.

“He also suspected Robbie of the theft. That was one of the many reasons Brett had to leave Cheryl and Swanton behind,” I said. “He couldn’t stay and risk Robbie ratting him out to Cheryl and the police out of anger and spite. Like it or not, Brett had been actively fueling Robbie’s habit. I’m sure skipping town seemed like the only solution. It would allow Brett to get his kids someplace safe, curb Crissy’s drug use, cut Robbie off from his supply, and save his own ass, all at once.”

“So where did the plan go wrong?” Tim asked, leaning forward. The room shimmered with heat, and it gave his face a ruddy glow.

“When Brett arrived at the boat launch to wait for Crissy, Abe, and Doug, Robbie was already there. He hid in the woods and took Brett by surprise. Wielding the biggest stick he could carry, Robbie struck Brett from behind and dragged his body past the tree line where it wouldn’t be seen. Robbie claims he didn’t mean to kill him, though that won’t be much comfort to Crissy and Felicia. His intention was to give himself enough time to clean out Brett’s supply from his car.”

“That car,” Tim said. “What happened to it? Doug told us it was there when he and Crissy arrived at the meeting place, but later, when he came back, it was gone.”