“Hurt her?”
“Nah. Not Devin. More like buy a bus ticket to Los Angeles.”
Beth scrubbed hard, and Jo remembered her sister’s discomfort that morning and dived in. “Beth, is money missing from the café?”
She dropped her rag in the bucket. “Hannah manages the café money. You can ask her.”
In other words, Jo thought, yes, money was missing. “Does Scott know?”
“He can ask Hannah, too.” Beth peeled off her rubber gloves. She didn’t look particularly intimidated, but she said, “Jeez, Jo, I can’t believe Charlie Neal had the nerve to pull a prank on you.”
Their brother draped his rag over the side of the bucket. “Better get that second brownie, Jo,” he said.
She turned just as Elijah came in, bringing a gust of cold air with him. He shut the door behind him and greeted Zack and Beth briefly, then said to no one in particular, “I found Nora’s car at the east trailhead. That’s a dry trail-it gets a fair amount of activity even this time of year. It leads to shelters. A good pick.”
“Assuming she didn’t park there to mislead people,” Jo said, breaking off another piece of brownie. “What about Devin?”
“He wasn’t back at the lodge when I left. I didn’t see his truck at any of the trails I checked. No sign of him here?”
Hannah was the one to reply as she emerged from the kitchen. Strands of hair fell out of its pins as she rolled up an evergreen-colored apron into a tight ball. “Devin isn’t here, and he hasn’t been in touch.”
From her cool, controlled tone, Jo suspected Hannah was aware her brother had gotten on the wrong side of the Camerons.
Elijah didn’t look fazed. “What about Nora?”
“I haven’t heard from her since she left here this morning. She and Devin are friends. I know she’s upset about her stepfather, but if she’s with him, then she’s in good hands.” Hannah was sincere, quietly determined. “Maybe Devin’s just the person Nora needs right now.”
But Jo noticed a fleeting uncertainty in Hannah that she doubted Elijah would miss. He stiffened visibly, and Jo jumped in. “Hannah, if there’s anything-you can tell us, we’re just trying to help.”
She stared at her apron as she spoke. “Nora and Devin have more in common than you might think. They’re both uncertain of their futures and lack direction, goals. That’s normal at their age-any age, really.” She shook her head suddenly. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Jo could see that Hannah was reluctant to open up about any concerns she had about her younger brother and wasn’t going to make this easy.
But neither was Elijah. He pounced. “Something’s on your mind, Hannah. Spit it out.”
Hannah’s lips thinned-her version of throwing something at him. Jo got to her feet, ignoring Elijah and his narrowed eyes as she tried to reassure Hannah and get information out of her at the same time. “Have you noticed any change in Devin or Nora in recent days?”
Hannah looked away. “I don’t want you making too much of it.”
Meaning Elijah. Jo said, “Just tell us what you can.”
Hannah walked over to a small table where Beth and Zack were silently pulling together their cleaning supplies and set her balled-up apron in an empty bucket. “Devin’s been working hard at the lodge. He’s figuring out what comes next for him. He knows losing Drew wasn’t the same for him as it was for his children, but still…” She couldn’t seem to finish.
“It was a tough loss,” Jo finished for her.
Hannah nodded, no sign of tears in her pale eyes. “It hasn’t been an easy year, but I have faith in him. Nora’s only been here six weeks. I’m not sure any place could live up to the fantasies she had about life in Vermont, but she’s very smart.” With a sudden awkwardness, Hannah pulled out a couple of pins, more strands of hair flopping into her face. She clutched the pins in one hand and took a breath. “I noticed a change about two weeks ago. I wasn’t alarmed. Nora came by one night and got on the computer with Devin. She was tense, secretive. I thought it was a passing thing.”
“But it wasn’t,” Elijah said.
“No.” Hannah raised her head and stared him down with quiet self-control. “You can take that accusing look off your face, Elijah. Whatever Nora and Devin have been up to has nothing to do with you and your family.”
“Did you check Devin’s computer?” Jo asked.
“It’s a computer we all share-Devin, Toby and me,” she said without a hint of self-righteousness. “He reset the Internet browser. He’s done it every time he’s been on the computer since then.”
“Hannah,” Elijah said, “if you have any reason to believe Nora and Devin know anything about what happened in Washington today-”
“I have no reason to believe anything of the sort.” She didn’t raise her voice, but she’d lost some of her color. “Forget what I said. I should know better than to open up with a Cameron present. I appreciate A.J. offering Devin a job, but he earns his paycheck. And it was Lauren, not A.J.-” But Hannah, her cheeks ashen now, stopped herself. “I’m sorry. I had no right to speak to you that way. Please forgive me.”
He shrugged. “Forget it, Hannah. You didn’t even draw blood.”
She managed a small, embarrassed smile.
Jo ate more of her brownie. The two of them might be making nice, but she wasn’t finished yet. “Did you talk to Nora or Devin about what they were up to?”
“They said they weren’t up to anything and I shouldn’t worry.”
Jo wasn’t surprised. No one liked to see Hannah worry. But she said, “Nora was in Black Falls in April when Drew Cameron died.” Jo felt Elijah’s stillness next to her. “Did she and Devin meet then?”
Hannah didn’t hesitate. “No. They didn’t.”
“What about you, Hannah?” Jo asked. “Did you meet Nora?”
“I did, but I meet most people who come to town. Because of this place,” she said, indicating the café. “Nora stopped by with her father.”
“When? Was it before or after the search for Drew started?”
But it was Beth who answered. “After. They got here right after the storm. The search-and-rescue team was already mobilized. Jo…”
She kept her eyes on Hannah. “Were you aware Devin went up the north side of the mountain? That old logging road must have been barely passable. He was just a senior in high school. You’d think he’d have told someone what he was up to.”
Hannah’s impressive control didn’t falter. “You were eighteen once, Jo. You must remember what it was like to want to be on your own. To live your own life.”
Jo stayed cool. “Does this mean no, you didn’t know Devin had decided to hike up the back side of Cameron Mountain to look for Drew?”
She thought she heard her brother inhale behind her, but Elijah remained motionless, his eyes on Hannah Shay. Hannah tossed her head back, tears shining in her eyes now. “Correct,” she said stiffly. “I didn’t know. Happy now, Jo?”
“Nora was here with her father that day. Did they help in the search?”
“Ask them. Or ask your brother or your sister, or Scott. Don’t ask me. I didn’t do a damn thing to help find Drew except keep this place open for the search teams and reporters.” She took in a deep breath, tucking strands of hair behind her ears. “It was a difficult time. I’m glad you weren’t here.”
In her own quiet way, Hannah could slice someone to ribbons, Jo thought. The budding prosecutor. “If any of us could go back in time, Hannah, we’d put ourselves in Devin’s place that day, just so that he didn’t have to be the one to find Drew.”
Hannah’s tears spilled now. “I have to go,” she mumbled as she bolted for the side door. “I promised I’d help Toby with a history paper.”