Free River's Edge by Terri Blackstock Page B

coincidence? Was there really a car at the bottom of that river?
    He studied the tracks and saw footprints mashed in next to them. This wasn’t a place to put a boat in—the launch ramp was only a mile down. The half shoe prints looked as if someone had pushed hard against a heavy weight.
    He had no choice now. He was going to have to find out.
    He went back to his car and radioed the Department of Resources to ask if they could send divers over with sonar equipment. They would be at Cape Refuge within the hour.
    He then set about to cordon off the tire tracks and footprints until they could study them for evidence, in the event that a car…and Lisa…were found on the bottom of that river.

CHAPTER 18
    B lair knew they must have found something when she heard Cade’s voice on the police radio, ordering all units to a place a half mile east of the Bull Bridge. She’d been on her way to photograph the search on the eastern side of the island, but now she turned her car around and headed to Bull River.
    Squad cars from Cade’s department and the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department blocked off the road in front of a cluster of trees. She couldn’t see what was going on behind them, but there was clearly a lot of activity. She saw Rani arguing with an officer at the edge of the crime scene tape, so she got out and crossed the grass.
    “Rani, has there been news on Lisa?”
    Rani turned around. She was frantic, almost hysterical. “You bet there has! But they won’t let me in. I can’t see anything.”
    “What happened?”
    “I got a tip that Lisa’s Lexus had gone into the river right here. I gave the tip to Cade, but he didn’t believe meuntil he came over here to check out the place. He must have found something!”
    Blair scanned the landscape. Maybe she could find a place with a view of the water…It was forest land for as far as she could see right now, with no houses in sight. But Blair knew there was a house a couple hundred feet away on the other side of the trees. The house had a view of a portion of the river directly behind it. She knew it had a pier, and it might give her a view of what was going on upriver.
    “Who gave you the tip, Rani?”
    “Carson Graham, that’s who.”
    Blair turned back to her. “The palm reader?”
    “He’s a psychic, Blair, and he did a reading on Lisa today.”
    “Come on. You’re kidding me.”
    “Hey, I was a skeptic at first too. And I’m praying he’s wrong. But look at all this!”
    Blair dropped her notepad. This was going to be a wash. She didn’t even know why Cade would entertain anything that guy said. She heard a helicopter overhead. Shading her eyes, she looked up and saw the chopper with the word Observer on the side. The tabloid hadn’t missed a beat to get the best seat in the house.
    “I heard someone say they’re using sonar equipment to look for the car,” Rani said.
    Blair couldn’t believe they would go to all this trouble for a hoax. “Wow, they must really think she’s there.”
    “She is! I just know it!”
    Blair looked around. “I’ve got to get a vantage point, even if I have to go across the river.”
    “I’m coming with you,” Rani said.
    “There’s a house down the way,” Blair said. “Do you happen to know who owns it?”
    “Oh, yeah. It belongs to Melanie and Andy Adams. I sold it to them.”
    Blair knew the couple. “Great. Let’s go ask them if we can use their pier.”
    They went back out to the street, where a crowd of other reporters and onlookers had formed. No one was getting past the police line.
    Blair led Rani toward the house, hoping no one else had already thought of this. She went to the door and knocked. Melanie, a nervous-looking blonde, answered quickly. “Hi.”
    “Melanie, I don’t know if you remember me…”
    “Of course I do. Nobody ever forgets you, Blair.”
    Blair thought that was a reference to her scars, but she tried not to dwell on it. “Melanie, would you mind if we go out on