The Little Grave (Detective Amanda Steele)

Tanya’s gaze went into her teacup.

“Not that I’m implying that Phoebe’s not being here is in any way my wife’s fault.” Wes looked apologetically to Tanya, who ended up nodding acceptance. “But Rhonda did seem good with Phoebe, as my wife said.”

“And did Rhonda have a lot of friends in the area?” Amanda might have gotten some of this from the detective investigating Phoebe’s disappearance, but that would have meant more sitting around.

“She had one lady she seemed to be good friends with. I know police spoke to her about Rhonda when she was suspected of being involved. But there were no ransom demands. We waited for one, certain it would come.” Tanya took another drink of her tea.

“What was this friend’s name?”

“Elise Pierce,” Tanya told her. “I probably have a picture of her around here somewhere. Rhonda left some photos in a drawer in her room.”

Tanya set off and returned not long later. She handed a small stack of pictures to Amanda and leaned over her shoulder as she shuffled through them.

“There!” Tanya pointed at a snapshot of Phoebe with two women and a man and proceeded to indicate who was Rhonda Osborne and who was Elise Pierce.

“And the man?”

“I don’t know who he is. Probably either Rhonda’s or Elise’s boyfriend. I’m just guessing.”

“Could I take this one with me?”

“Sure, if you think it would help.”

“Thanks.” Amanda tucked it into her coat pocket, not sure if it would or not. She was going to add Elise Pierce to her list of people to visit though. She might have information on Rhonda Osborne and know who the man was. She was aware that police had cleared Osborne of suspicion, and she hoped there had been a solid reason for it, but sometimes after time passes, things that were buried resurfaced. Osborne could have been involved and good at covering her tracks, and, if so, she might have grown lazy and careless over the years. It was also possible that more memories would shake loose that might lead to the identity of Phoebe’s abductor. Amanda would also like to see a background on Elise.

“What’s always eaten away at me,” Tanya began, “is that Rhonda took Phoebe to a different park than she normally did that day.”

“Did she say why?”

“Just that she wanted to give Phoebe a change of scenery.”

It was something Amanda probably didn’t have to tell Tanya, but an eight-year-old wasn’t so interested in the scenery as she was the play equipment.

“Now, this might be a hard question to answer, especially after all this time,” Amanda started, “but what do you think took place that day?”

“I think it was the wrong time, wrong place,” Wes said. “Someone from out of town probably took her. We see lots of tourists all year.”

“And you, Mrs. Baldwin?”

Tanya trembled and hugged herself. She met Amanda’s eyes. “I have nightmares. Not as bad in recent years, but I still get them from time to time. I think that she’s… dead.” Her chin quivered, and her gaze shot to her husband. “I think she’s been dead for several years. I think that some pervert scooped her from that park and did—” She gasped and covered her mouth as tears fell down her cheeks.

Amanda’s chest pinched and she swallowed her own tears. Wes was staring blankly at his wife, but it was probably something he’d heard her say many times.

“What happened to our girl, Detective?” Wes asked, and it had his wife sniffling and her sobs taking pause.

Malone had told her not to tell them, but what was she supposed to do? Just leave without giving them any indication as to what she was certain had happened?

“I can’t say just yet.” She put it out there firmly.

“But you know something.” Tanya perked up.

“I may, but it might help if there was any way I could get a sample of her DNA.”

The Baldwins paled and matched gazes and nodded in unison as if some greater being had pulled a string and made them do so.

“We haven’t touched her room since that day,” Tanya eventually said, and invited Amanda to follow her through the house and up the stairs.

Forty-One