Campfire Secrets Page 6

  “So, what happened?” I asked, “Why are you here?”

  She took a deep breath as tears streamed down her face. “I need to tell you something that I’ve only shared with a few people. It isn’t easy for me to talk about, so just let me get through it without saying anything.”

  We all agreed to Peggy’s request.

  She took a deep breath, squeezing the hand I still held. It seemed to me that she was working up the courage to speak. Whatever was going on, it must be bad.

  “When I turned fourteen, my dad molested me,” she choked out.

  I gasped, but Quinn and Sam didn’t even look surprised.

  Peggy continued. “At that point, it was just the one time, he apologized, and I was so ashamed that I didn’t tell anyone. Then when I turned fifteen, he did it again, only this time he seemed less apologetic. He tried to tell me that it was natural, that he loved me, and that a lot of fathers were intimate with their daughters. I knew it wasn’t true, but I was scared and ashamed and didn’t know what to do. By the time my family came to the island that summer, the frequency of the visits from my father had increased. I wanted to stop them, but I didn’t know how to accomplish that. Eventually, I realized I’d had enough, so I told my mother what was going on.” Peggy swiped angrily at the tears that she couldn’t seem to control. “I was so scared to talk to her, but I’d met Dusty that summer, and we’d become friends, and he convinced me that I should come clean with my mother, so I worked up my courage and told her everything.”

  So maybe Dusty had been a friend and not a skeezy lover as I’d thought. Or maybe the reason she’d confided in him was because he was a lover. I supposed we could sort that out later, not that it really mattered at this point.

  “And?” Quinn asked, seeming to forget her promise to let Peggy finish before speaking.

  “And nothing.” Peggy took a breath. “When I told my mother what my father had been doing to me, I expected her to be shocked. I expected her to help me. But instead, she told me that she knew what had been going on. She told me that my father was sick and had some issues to deal with, but that he was getting help. She begged me not to tell. She said if my dad was arrested, we’d lose everything. Both houses, our cars, our cash. I was so hurt and so angry, but at least my dad wasn’t around much that summer, so I figured I had time to think about things. But then he came to the island for a weekend, and it happened again. I knew my mom wouldn’t help, so I called my brother. When he showed up, I thought he was going to help me, but when he arrived, he told me that the dream job he was set to move right into after graduating college was being provided to him as a favor to Dad by one of Dad’s friends. He, like my mother, begged me to keep things to myself. I guess I sort of lost it at that point. I was scared and alone and didn’t know what to do, so I did the only thing I could think of, I started planning to run away.”

  “You could have come to us,” I said.

  “I couldn’t,” she said so softly that I could barely make out what she was staying. “It was just too awful. Too embarrassing. I didn’t want you to know. Any of you.”

  “So how did you end up here?” Sam eventually asked.

  She swallowed and then took in a long slow breath, which she blew out just as slowly. Once she’d regained her composure, she began to speak. “I’d met Wilson that summer. He was sort of a dork, but he was easy to talk to, and we became friends. I’m not even sure why I told him my secret. I’d never told anyone other than Dusty, my mother, and brother, but shortly after my dad had been on the island for a few days and then had gone home, I came across Wilson sitting alone on the beach. He was drinking tequila, and he offered me some. I was beyond upset, so I accepted even though I barely knew the guy. Somewhere that night, when I arrived at that critical point between being totally drunk and passing out, I spilled my secret. When I came to the next day, he offered me an out. He told me I could sneak away and come to his island with him. He assured me that no one would find me here. I wasn’t sure at first, but he said the offer was open and that I could take some time to think about it. We started hanging out, and I began to trust him. I really thought I’d turn him down in the end, but then my brother told me that my dad planned another visit, and I panicked. I ran into Wilson at the surf competition, told him that I’d thought about it, and was ready to leave. We met up that night.”

  “And you’ve been here all this time?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “We were all so scared and so worried when you disappeared,” Quinn said. “Why didn’t you tell anyone what you were doing?”

  “My father was a powerful attorney with all sorts of political allies. He had friends in law enforcement and friends in the government; friends strategically placed to protect him from prosecution. I knew in my heart that even if I told the police or a teacher or someone what had happened, he’d find a way to twist it around and make it look like I was lying. My own brother and mother were on his side, so I had little reason to believe that anyone would be on mine. I thought about just taking off, but I was afraid the cops would find me and make me go back, so when Wilson gave me an out, I took it. I found a home on the island. I’m safe here.”

  “So are you and Wilson a couple?” I asked.

  “No. We’re just friends. Wilson isn’t into complicated relationships. He has an agreement with a couple of women on Shipwreck Island, but all his relationships here on this island are platonic.”

  “So, are there other women who live here on the island?” Sam asked.

  “Sure. The island is mostly self-sustaining. It takes people to accomplish that. Everyone who lives here pitches in. I work in the garden, which is how I knew you’d been here.”

  “You saw us?” Quinn asked.

  Peggy nodded. “I didn’t say anything at the time since I had a friend with me, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it, but I decided to confide in Wilson because I have no reason not to trust him. He was curious as to how someone was able to access the island but didn’t seem particularly angry about it. I think the secrecy thing is more his father’s deal. Anyway he agreed that if someone called asking about me, he’d allow me to talk to them if I felt I wanted to.”

  “So, he won’t be attending this meeting?” Sam asked.

  “No. But he hasn’t done anything wrong. I promise you that.”

  “And the other women are all here of their own free will?” Sam asked.

  Peggy nodded. “Any of us can leave at any time. And many do leave. I chose to stay because I’m safe and happy here.”

  “Is Grace Johnson here?” Sam asked.

  Peggy slowly shook her head. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”

  Sam took a photo out of his pocket. “This is a recent photo of her. Do you recognize her?”

  Peggy looked at the photo. “No. I really don’t.”

  “How about her?” He showed her a photo of Veronica Smith.

  Peggy looked at it closely. “No. I’m sorry. I’ve never seen her before.”

  Sam showed her photos of Gina Baldwin and Hillary Denton. “These are old photos, more than a decade old, but do you recognize either of these girls?”

  She pointed to Gina. “This one, no, but the other one is Hillary. She was here for a while, but she left after she had her baby.”

  “Baby?” Sam asked.

  Peggy explained. “Hillary came here to get away from a bad situation, much like I did. She was pregnant and a minor. Her parents wanted her to have an abortion, but she said no. They told her that if she had the baby, it would be taken from her before she was even able to hold it. They told her that a baby would ruin her life. Hillary wanted her baby so very badly, so when Wilson offered her sanctuary, she took it. She came to the island and had her baby. She lived here, working with me in the garden until she was eighteen. Once she turned eighteen, she no longer had to fear her parents, so Wilson gave her some money and helped her get started somewhere else.”

  Sam frowned.

  I suspect Peggy
noticed this because the next thing she said was said with conviction. “Wilson helped us. Maybe it’s illegal to harbor a runaway, but he gave us an alternative when we needed one. If you do anything to try to hurt him, I’ll deny saying any of this.”

  “Sammy isn’t here to arrest Wilson for helping you,” Quinn said. “Are you Sammy?”

  “No,” he said. “I guess not. But if I find out that there are any girls on the island who are here against their will, then we have a different story.”

  “No one is here against their will,” Peggy said. “It isn’t like that. Besides, if Wilson was holding girls here against their will, do you honestly think he’d have invited you here to talk to me?”

  “No, I guess not,” Sam admitted.

  “Don’t make me regret being honest with you,” Peggy said. “Wilson probably saved my life. Before he offered me a safe haven, I’d seriously considered suicide as a viable option. I know there are those who consider him odd, but he has a genuine heart. You can trust him.”

  “I believe you,” I said.

  Peggy glanced at the clock on the wall. “The guards will be here in a few minutes to escort you back to your boat. I’m glad I was able to explain what happened, but I don’t want my dad or brother to know where I am. Promise me you won’t tell.”

  “I won’t tell your dad or brother or anyone else,” I said. “But Carrie and Nora and Ryder have all been helping us look for all the missing girls, including you. I need to tell them what you told us.”

  Peggy took in a deep breath and then blew it out slowly. “Okay. But only them. As safe as I feel here, I’m pretty sure that if my father and brother know where I am, I’ll never feel safe again.”

  “Do you think they’d hurt you to prevent you from telling what happened?” Sam asked.

  “In a heartbeat. I don’t trust either of them, so please promise me. As far as anyone needs to know, other than Carrie, Nora, and Ryder, you never found me, and we never talked.”

  I promised, but I noticed that neither Sam nor Quinn followed my lead. Lord, I hoped they’d keep Peggy’s secret as she’d asked us to.

  Chapter 7

  “So, what now?” I asked after we’d said our goodbyes to Peggy and had been escorted back to Sam’s boat.

  Sam turned the key in the ignition and backed the boat out of the slip we’d been shown to when we first arrived. “I suppose, technically, Wilson broke the law when he chose to harbor a minor who’d run away, but given the fact that Peggy disappeared twenty-five years ago and she seems to have come to the island of her own free will, I’m not sure that beating that drum would be worth it. If I find that Grace or other minors are currently living on the island, I’ll have no choice but to follow up.”

  “It seems that if Grace was here on the island, Wilson wouldn’t have let us anywhere near the place,” Quinn pointed out. “Besides, based on the break-in at Rain’s home, it seems like something else going on with her.”

  “I have to agree with that,” Sam said. “It likewise sounds as if Hillary Denton had a good reason to run away if Peggy was correct, and her parents had plans to force her to give the baby she wanted to keep up for adoption. At the time, a lot of her friends actually did report that it was likely she simply took off, and at this point, I’m assuming, like some have speculated, that she left her car at Lover’s Point to throw everyone off. I’m not sure I can find her if she doesn’t want to be found, but I do think I’ll take a look and see what I can find. If she had a baby with her when she left the area and didn’t change her name, I might be able to pick up her trail.”

  “I guess it would be good to know that she really is okay,” I said.

  “I’d say that at this point, if Peggy and Hillary both ran away, Cherry is alive and living in Hawaii, and Veronica was last seen on a commune in Northern California, your original theory of a five-year pattern of girls going missing by the same person is shot all to hell,” Quinn pointed out.

  “Yes,” Sam agreed. “That has occurred to me as well.”

  “You look exhausted,” I said to Sam after he removed one of his hands from the steering wheel of the boat to rub his eyes.

  “It’s been a long few days. There seems to be several different things going on, but finding Grace is my number one priority. When I thought all six missing teen cases were related in some way, I figured that if I solved one case, I’d solve them all, but I can see now that is not going to happen.”

  “So, what are you planning to do next in terms of Grace’s missing person case?” Quinn asked.

  “I don’t know,” Sam admitted. “The lead relating to the break-in at Rain’s house might lead us to a new clue, but the break-in occurred days ago, so I’m not sure how much help any evidence we still might find at the scene will provide. I’m afraid looking for clues related to six missing persons cases that have turned out not to be related at all, has only served to dilute my efforts to find Grace. I really should have treated her case as an isolated incident from the beginning. I’d probably be further along if I had.”

  “It’s also your job to find out what happened to Veronica Smith,” Quinn pointed out. “She did turn up dead on your beach.”

  “It is my job to find out how she died,” Sam admitted. “But she’s dead. I can’t help her now. Grace, on the other hand, might still be alive and waiting to be rescued.”

  “I keep thinking about the man who offered Grace a surfing sponsorship,” Quinn said. “It was the offer that caused the friction between Grace and Lizzy. What if that was intentional to gain Grace’s cooperation? I wonder if Grace ever mentioned his name to Lizzy.”

  “I asked Lizzy about the man who spoke to Grace,” Sam informed us. “She said that Grace told her his name was Ethan. Grace also told her that she couldn’t remember his last name, but she did remember that he worked for the Fairchild Agency, which is based in LA. I called the Fairchild Agency, and the woman I spoke to assured me that they did not now, nor have they ever had an agent named Ethan. She also assured me that if one of their agents would have been interested in Grace, none of them would have approached a minor without his or her parent or guardian being present.”

  “So the guy was a phony,” I said.

  “That was my take on it. I’ve spoken to the event organizers, and none admitted to having any knowledge of an agent named Ethan. I also spoke to the surfers who came in second to fifth place, and none had been approached. Lizzy was going to ask around to see if anyone had encountered this Ethan. She’s attended the competition every year since her girls were old enough to participate, so she knows all the players.”

  “As Kelly said, maybe this Ethan used the lure of sponsorship to get Grace to meet him somewhere alone,” Quinn said. “If we find him, maybe we’ll find her as well.”

  I hoped that was true, and I hoped we wouldn’t be too late to save her, but I had to admit I had a bad feeling about things.

  After we got back to Shipwreck Island, Sam made a comment about heading home to get some sleep so he could think straight. Quinn offered to go with him. I wasn’t sure how much sleeping would occur under that circumstance, but he seemed happy to have Quinn tag along, so I said my goodbyes and then headed home. I still needed to catch Carrie up on everything that had happened, and after deciding to head to Montgomery Island with Sam, I’d changed my lunch date with Ryder to a dinner date, so I had that to get ready for as well.

  As I approached the house, I wondered what exactly I was going to say to Carrie. Would she be angry that she’d missed out on seeing Peggy? I supposed if I’d been the one who’d been left out, I’d be feeling pretty bad about things. Nora wasn’t here, so not including her wasn’t an issue, but all Carrie had done was have the misfortune to sleep in. When I arrived at the house, I found Carrie with an exceptionally good looking man she introduced as Glen. Glen was a neighbor who’d lived across the street from the house she’d lived in with Carl for almost as long as she and Carl had lived in the neighborhood.

  “Glen
was nice enough to help me take some of the furniture I needed to clear out of the house to the church auxiliary,” Carrie said, referring to the charitable organization that accepted donations and then turned them into cash, which they used in community programs. “An offer of a beer seemed an inadequate thank you, but I’m afraid it’s all that I had, so here we are.”

  “I was happy to help,” Glen said. “I’m going to miss having you as a neighbor, but I do understand your need for a new start. It was like that for me after Wilma passed away. I didn’t sell the house, but I did paint and change out the furniture.”

  “I remember,” Carrie said. “Carl ended up with the pool table that cluttered up my game room for two years before I finally talked him into getting rid of it.”

  Glen chuckled. “I had a feeling you weren’t real happy when he asked if he could have it. Personally, I never really wanted it. It was Wilma who bought it in the first place. I think she was trying to get back at me for the leather sofa she hated.”

  “Actually, she didn’t hate that sofa. She just wanted to make you think she hated it, so she could use it against you if she needed a bargaining chip.”

  “Like the labradoodle,” he laughed.

  “Exactly like the labradoodle,” Carrie chuckled.

  I wasn’t sure if the vibe I was picking up on was accurate, but it seemed there was an underlying intimacy to what was being said. I really didn’t get it since the conversation seemed ridiculous. I didn’t figure this was the best time to tell Carrie about Peggy, so I made my excuses and headed upstairs to get ready for my date with Ryder. I had to admit that I was nervous about bringing him up to speed on the fact that I’d been busy following leads I’d decided not to share with him ahead of time. I hoped he wouldn’t be too angry. What I really needed was a night to simply relax and unwind.