Page 50 of See You Again

“We heard about it over the next few days,” Whitney said.

“Can you tell me what the rumors were?”

“Bobby said Janelle and Todd were making out in front of the bonfire,” Tara offered.

“Janelle wanted to be sure Amy saw,” Lindsay said bitterly.

“Had Amy and Janelle had problems before? I thought they were teammates?”

“They’d been competitive since middle school.” Whitney made a face. “Sports, student council, church choir…”

“Bobby said Amy stormed up to them and shoved Janelle. Like hard. She almost fell over. Amy was yelling in her face. I don’t know the exact words, but back-stabbing bitch was what most people said that she yelled.”

“I heard that, too,” Melanie agreed.

“Other than the shove, did you hear if it escalated physically?”

“I heard Todd got in between them, but maybe a punch was thrown. They are both girlie girls, but they were tough on the soccer field, they were forwards… elbows, tripping… but never anything off…”

“This was the first time you’d heard of an off-field fight?”

“That's why everybody was so shocked.”

“Well, that and when Janelle started dating him,” Lindsay said. “It’s girl code, right? You don't date your teammate’s guy. I mean, they’d only broken up a few months before.”

Whitney met Cami’s eyes. “Conner said he thought he saw her key Todd’s car. He was with Ashley in the trees. Todd pulled in past the gate because he and Bobby have been friends since preschool. Bobby said he saw Amy walking near the gate after that, and he thought maybe she was waving at someone in a truck.”

“Do you have a phone number for him?” Cami asked. That was definitely someone she wanted to talk to. Whitney scrolled through her phone until she found the contact information and held it up for Cami to jot down.

“Over the years, the whole town talked about it. Everybody at the party. No one remembers seeing Amy again. It's like she vanished into thin air.” Lindsay looked troubled.

“Is there anything you can think of that maybe you haven't wanted to say, because you were worried her parents would be upset or embarrassed… maybe a secret she asked you to keep? I can understand why you might not have said anything at the time. You didn't want to get her in trouble…” The women avoided Cami’s eyes. “Remember, I'm not the police…”

“I wish we did,” Tara said.

Cami nodded and took a sip of her sweet tea. She had some good sound bites she could use, and she definitely wanted to follow up with the new people the ladies had mentioned. Particularly Bobby. Not only was it his family’s land where the party occurred, but he was the only witness to admit to seeing her leave. Coincidence?

Back in her car, Cami saw she missed a call from Mark and pulled up her voicemail.

“Great timing. I’m in Wheaton, too. If you want to swing by the police station, that would be great. I can't do dinner, but I should be here for another hour or two.”

She checked the time and then typed in the address for the Wheaton police station.

Cami tried to call Madison on the drive to update her, but was forced to leave a voice mail. Mark met her in the lobby and walked her back to the desk he was using. He held her chair as Cami sat before he leaned back in his swivel chair.

“I know I promised dinner,” he said with a rueful smile, “But I have to meet my parents…”

“It’s fine,” Cami grinned. “I have plans back in Atlanta later, anyway. I met with Amy’s friends…”

She gave him a quick rundown of what the women had told her. It was important the police department felt she was being transparent.

“That's consistent with their witness statements.” There was a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

“You mentioned when we had lunch that Amy was strangled. Did the medical examiner offer an opinion on whether or not they thought it was a man or a woman?”

The detective quirked a brow. “You’re wondering if an athletic young woman could've done it?”

“Amy’s friends said it was out of character, but they were athletes… given the right provocation, and if Amy were drunk…” Cami chewed her lip. “I don't know. The party was public on social media, so there is the possibility a predator saw an opportunity…” She shook her head. “But it’s just not clicking for me. For it to be a stranger, I mean. I think it has to be someone she knew, or at the very least, someone from the area.