Until Dark - Mariah Stewart [73]
Or could Webster have been telling the truth all along?
* * *
“Miranda, here’s your salad.” Adam lifted the cover from the large bowl of greens topped with slices of grilled chicken and offered Miranda a seat at the round table near the windows. “And Kendra, for you, and against my better judgment, I might add . . .”
With a flourish, he lifted a second lid.
“A hamburger, rare. Onion rings. Fries.”
“Lots of fat, lots of fried. Just the way I like it.” She tried to smile but failed. “You’re entirely too good to me.”
“I do my best.”
The trio made small talk while they ate, tension hanging over them like a storm cloud. They all knew it was about to burst, but ignored it for as long as they could.
When they’d finished eating, Adam leaned back in his chair, and asked Kendra, “Have you had any thoughts about who might have had access to your brother’s watch?”
“Ian must have dropped it somewhere, maybe on the trail. And someone found it.”
“That watch is sterling silver. It would have tarnished if it had been laying out in the elements for any length of time. It was in perfect condition. And it’s still running, which means that not only has it been taken care of all these years, but someone’s been changing the batteries.”
“Maybe someone found it shortly after Ian lost it.” Miranda poured a cup of coffee from the large carafe and offered it to Kendra, who accepted gratefully. This night promised to be a long one.
“That camping area was swarming with law enforcement and search parties for a week after the boys disappeared,” Adam reminded her. “I find it hard to believe that someone would find something clearly marked with the initials of one of the missing boys but would fail to turn it over to the police or the FBI.”
“Maybe someone wanted a souvenir,” Miranda added with a shrug.
“Maybe someone had taken it from Ian and held on to it all these years.”
“And then accidentally dropped it under the body of a woman he’d killed a few days ago? Are you suggesting that the same person who killed Ian and Zach might have killed these women?” Kendra made a face, shook her head. “I don’t believe it. The man who killed my brother and my cousin was tried and convicted of the crimes. I sat in the courtroom every day during that trial. I believe Webster was guilty of many, many things. Including the murder of my brother and my cousin.”
“Tell me everything you remember about that summer. Start at the beginning of the summer, earlier if you think it’s relevant. Tell us about Ian’s trip.” Adam rose and opened his briefcase. “If you have no objections, I want to record this, so we have something to rely on other than our own memories. Unless you object?”
“No, of course not. It’s a good idea.”
“And maybe we should move over to the sitting area, where you can be more comfortable. Come on,” Adam held out his hand. “Take a seat there on the sofa and put your feet up. Miranda, I’d be forever grateful for a cup of that coffee, if you wouldn’t mind fixing it for me while I put a new tape in the recorder. . . .”
Kendra sat in the far corner of the sofa and toed off her shoes. It did feel good to relax. She sipped at her coffee and watched Miranda add cream to a cup, which she handed to Adam before pulling a club chair closer to the table, kicking her shoes off, and taking a seat.
“Let’s start with the beginning of the summer, shall we?” Adam said after identifying the parties and the date, time, and place of the interview for the tape. “And for the record, what summer are we talking