The Courage Tree - Diane Chamberlain [74]
“First thing in the morning, we’ll organize a search party.”
“Was there any evidence in the car that would give you a clue what happened to Sophie?” Paula asked.
“Her knapsack and sleeping bag were in the car, in the trunk,” the sheriff said. “And we spoke to the other Scout leader, the one who saw the car drive away from the camp with Sophie in it. So, there’s every indication she was in the car. The back seat windows were busted out, and we can only conclude that she was able to get out of the car somehow.”
Joe looked up at that. “Before or after the fire?” he asked.
The sheriff shook his head. “That we don’t know,” he said.
“What about blood in the car?” Paula said, talking about blood as easily as she might talk about her garden. “Was there any blood that might indicate she was badly injured when she climbed out of the car?”
“I don’t know the answer to that yet,” the sheriff said. “We’ll be examining the car more carefully this morning.”
Joe looked at the sheriff. “Have you told my wife yet?” he asked. “My ex-wife?”
“No, not yet. How about you tell her. I’ve contacted Alison Dunn’s mother in Ohio, and now I have to give the Krafts the news about their daughter.” He pulled a piece of paper from his chest pocket. “They’re in room 202. One floor down, I guess.”
“Oh, God.” Joe shut his eyes at the thought of Rebecca and Steve receiving this news. Then he got to his feet. “I’ll go tell Janine,” he said to Paula.
The sheriff stood up as well. “We’re in the process of moving a search-and-rescue trailer up to the road where the accident was,” he said. “The plan is for everyone to meet there at 6:30 a.m. That will be the command post, where the searchers will ßget organized.”
“All right,” Joe said. He let the sheriff out the door, then looked across the room at Paula.
“I’ll be back in a while,” he said.
Paula nodded. “Good luck, hon.”
Janine’s room was next to his. He knocked softly on her door, but could hear no sound from inside. He knocked again, loudly this time. “Janine?”
Again, there was no response, and he knew she could not be sleeping that soundly. Not on this night. He looked down the walkway, and his chest tightened with the realization of where she must be. Swallowing his humiliation, he walked toward Lucas’s room.
“Is Janine in there?” he called, as he rapped lightly on the door.
From behind the door, there was the rustle of sheets. Quick, whispered words. In a moment, Janine opened the door, but before either of them could speak, the air was pierced by a scream coming from the floor below.
“What was that?” Janine’s hand flew to her throat. “What’s happening?”
“Let me in,” Joe said, as the screaming continued. He pushed past Janine into the room, closing the door behind him, as if he could block out Rebecca’s wailing, but the sound still filled the room.
From the corner of his eye, he could see that Lucas was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, dressed in the same khaki shorts and blue T-shirt he’d been wearing during the day. Joe ignored him as he grabbed Janine’s hand.
“Holly was the one in the car,” he said. “Sophie’s still missing.”
Janine glanced at Lucas, then lowered herself to the edge of the bed. “Sophie’s alive,” she said.
“We don’t know that,” Joe said, “but at least there’s still a chance.”
“No, she is,” Janine insisted firmly. She pressed her hand to her chest. She was wearing a white undershirt, and it was obvious that she had no bra on beneath it. “I can feel it. I feel it.” She looked at Lucas again, as if for confirmation, and to the man’s credit he didn’t smile or nod or in any way encourage her. Standing up again, she started for the door. “We have to go back out there,” she said. “We need flashlights. Do the police have—”
“We can’t go out there, now, Janine.” Joe blocked her path. He knew she wasn’t thinking clearly. “We’re all supposed to meet at the accident scene at six-thirty. There’ll be a search party forming then, and—”
“I want to go now.” She turned toward him, a wild look in her eyes.
“Joe’s right, Jan,” Lucas said from the doorway by