Her eyes went to the window and then the open closet door, as if to reassure herself there were no monsters to be found.
“To hunt for the Ursulina,” she told me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Remember last Halloween? You sang about it. And the man with no leg told that story.”
I closed my eyes and felt terrible, because I couldn’t help thinking that this was partly my fault. “Yes, I remember.”
“Jeremiah said if we found the Ursulina, we’d be famous. But I told him it was too dangerous. He said he didn’t care, he was going to find it all by himself.”
“And that’s what he did?”
“Yes.”
“And he didn’t tell anyone about it?”
“Just me.”
“Okay. Anna, what happened that night? Why was Jeremiah so scared when he got home?”
Anna grabbed a pillow and clutched it to her chest like a stuffed animal. “He was out there, and he saw — he saw—”
I spoke softly. “What did he see, Anna?”
“He saw it. He saw the Ursulina.”
A little sigh came out with my breath. “Anna, whatever Jeremiah saw, it wasn’t the Ursulina. Believe me. The Ursulina is a myth. It’s not real. The stories we told on Halloween, those were just funny things we made up.”
“No, Shelby. Jeremiah saw the Ursulina.”
“How do you know?”
Anna didn’t answer. Now she was crying.
“Anna? It’s okay. Tell me. Why are you so sure Jeremiah saw the Ursulina?”
The girl reached out and grabbed my hand. She whispered to me. “Because he saw it kill somebody.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I went downstairs and found Ellen and Dennis Sloan, who were still with Agent Reed. Jeremiah’s parents were shooting silent, hostile stares across the room at each other, as if they were prize fighters on opposite sides of the ring. Since Friday, the stress of losing their son had already begun to split them apart.
I knew I was about to make it worse.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Anna Helvik told me something about Jeremiah that may be important.”
Ellen studied me with cool surprise. “Anna did?”
“Yes.”
“Anna and Jeremiah haven’t talked in months.”
“I know.”
Ellen looked at Agent Reed, as if inquiring whether he was going to allow me to get in the middle of this. As far as Ellen was concerned, I was just a young deputy who’d gotten a job because my father was the sheriff. But Agent Reed gave me the slightest nod, which was the signal to continue.
“Did the two of you know that Jeremiah sneaked out of his bedroom one night last fall?” I asked.
Ellen shook her head to dismiss the idea immediately. “Jeremiah? That’s ridiculous. He wouldn’t do that.”
But Dennis’s reaction on the other side of the room was different. He swallowed hard and looked away from his wife. Ellen noticed the uncomfortable expression on his face.
“Dennis?” she said sharply.
“I did know that,” he admitted.
“You did? Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“I talked to Jer. He said he wouldn’t do it again. I figured we didn’t need to make a big thing of it.”
“Well, why did he sneak out? What was he doing?”
“It was stupid. It’s the kind of thing boys do. He told me he was hunting for the Ursulina. He and Anna were obsessed with it back then, remember?”
“You should have told me,” Ellen snapped. “I can’t believe you kept this from me.”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
But I knew that wasn’t the real reason, and the real reason had to come out, regardless of the consequences for Dennis and Ellen.
“Mr. Sloan, how did you find out about this?” I asked.
Dennis’s flushed face got redder. I could see him thinking: Does she know?
“I caught Jer climbing back inside,” he replied. He quickly added with exasperation in his voice, “I don’t understand why you’re asking about this. It was last year. As far as I know, Jeremiah didn’t do it again. Believe me, I checked his room every night to be sure. How is any of this going to help you find my son?”
I realized that Agent Reed was right. People lie. They lie about everything. They lie to protect themselves. They lie even when their child’s life hangs in the balance.
“Mr. Sloan, I talked to Jeannie Samper. She told me what happened.”
Ellen looked at me with angry frustration, but I think she already suspected that I was opening a door that would be better left closed. “Jeannie Samper? From the raptor center? What does she have to do with any of this? Agent Reed, I think we’ve had just about enough of this nonsense.”
But Reed could see the stricken look in Dennis Sloan’s eyes. “Mr. Sloan? I think it would be better for all of us if you simply answered Deputy Lake’s questions.”
Dennis’s face was a mixture of shame and rage. “Fine. What do you want to know?”
“Did you ask Jeannie Samper if her son Matthew could babysit for you that night?”
“Yes.” His voice was like the crack of a bullet.
“Matthew Samper?” Ellen interrupted. “When was this? Where was I?”
I held up my hands. “Mrs. Sloan, let’s just try to get through this, okay? Mr. Sloan, you asked Matthew if he could stay here all night, isn’t that right?”
Dennis spat the word at me again. “Yes.”
“So you weren’t actually home when Jeremiah sneaked out?”
“No.”
The realization dawned on Ellen’s face, which turned gray as charcoal and just as hot. It’s one thing to hear rumors about infidelity. It’s another to have the truth thrown at you while your child is missing. I could see the wheels turning in her mind, and then she finally spoke.
“New Orleans, right?” she asked calmly with a cold glance at her husband. “I took Adrian with me on that trip. Is that when it was?”
Dennis hung his head. “Yes.”
“Who was it? Breezy? It’s always her. You’re always running back to her. How long has it been going on, Dennis? How many years?”
“Ellen, do we have to do this now?” Dennis pleaded. “What does it matter who it was? Yes, I was out all night. Yes, I wasn’t alone. It has nothing to do with Jeremiah.”
“Mr. Sloan, I’m sorry,” I interrupted, “but we really do need to verify your whereabouts that night.”
“Why on earth does that matter?”
I didn’t tell him anything more. I waited without explaining. I could see Agent Reed getting impatient with Dennis, too.
“Mr. Sloan, tell us where you were,” he barked. “Answer the question.”
“Fine. Whatever. I don’t know what difference any of this makes. Yes, I was with Belinda Brees.”
“In Witch Tree?” I asked.
“No. We went to a hotel in Martin’s Point. We spent the night.”
Ellen shot to her feet. I knew she wanted to storm away, but she didn’t. She needed to hear the rest. She needed to know why this was coming up now.
“When did you get home?” I asked Dennis.
“About ten the next morning. It was Sunday.”
“What did Matthew Samper tell you?”
“He said he checked Jeremiah’s room about one in the morning, and Jeremiah was gone. He searched the house and found him on our back porch. My son told him he was just out looking at the stars, but Matthew said he didn’t think that was true. So I talked to Jeremiah about it. Eventually, he admitted he’d gone out on this crazy expedition to find the Ursulina. I told him he could have gotten hurt and that he was never to do anything like that again. He swore to me he was done. As far as I know, that was that.”