“I was, uh… just, you know, starting a load of laundry.” I caged her in with my arms on either side of her body, my hands pressed against the top of the washer, and leaned down to bring my face closer to hers. “You’re a horrible liar, Tatum,” I practically growled. “You’re even worse at hiding something.” “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “There’s something in here”—I tapped on the lid—“that you don’t want me to see.” “Just clothes. Dirty, smelly, sweaty clothes.” I didn’t bother to fight the smirk as I held her stare, silently calling her bluff. “And socks, too.” Her voice was almost inaudible, felt more in the air that drifted from her lips to my face than heard in the words she’d spoken. “Lots of socks.” I no longer believed she hid lingerie, though I was lost at what it could be. “Then it’s a good thing I walked in when I did, huh? You shouldn’t mix your clothes. You could ruin them if they’re not separated. But don’t worry, I’ll help you sort.” I started to pull away so I could lift the lid and end the charade, but she stopped me by…

He saw Elliott’s car just after he pulled up. He was thinking of the snakes, big cats, and occasional black bear that might be around the lake. Animal attacks were rare, but they were a possibility. He grabbed a handheld radio and popped the trunk to get a rifle. After checking to see if it was loaded, he pocketed some extra rounds, shouldered his backpack, and headed toward the car. He knew Millie Powers had been inside it looking for a clue as to who owned it, but he looked inside to satisfy himself before striking out. After circling the car a couple of times, he finally found a set of tracks leading along the shore and followed them. About two hundred yards from the car, he found his first clue. It was a tube of oil paint—­burnt umber. That was when he remembered that Elliot was an accomplished artist, so he took a picture of the tube of paint, put up a marker to indicate where he found it, then dropped the paint tube in an evidence bag and kept moving. Lon paused a moment along the shore to look around and slowly became aware of what might have…