Page 22 of Once Marked (Riley Paige #19)

Riley answered her phone: “Thank you for returning my call, Mr. Winters.”

Harry Winters’ voice crackled through the speakerphone: “Agent Paige, I got your message. You said it was urgent. What’s this about?”

“I’m an FBI Special Agent assigned to a case in Darnley, North Carolina. And I’m here with Sheriff Smitty Beeler and my partner, Special Agent Ann Marie Esmer. We’re working on a case that may have potential connections to your late wife, Elaine.”

A long pause followed her words.

“Elaine?” Winters’s voice wavered, a note of bewilderment. “I don’t see how...”

“Trust me, Mr. Winters, it’s relevant. We wouldn’t be asking if this wasn’t important.”

Riley heard him take a deep, steadying breath on the other end of the line.

When he made no comment, she continued, “Mr. Winters, we’re investigating two murders here on the Outer Banks.

As I said, we’ve come across some possible connections to your late wife.

I was hoping you could tell us about the circumstances of her drowning back in 1985. ”

The silence that followed stretched out, laden with tension. Riley kept her focus on the phone, resisting the urge to fidget or pace.

Finally, Harry Winter’s voice came through again, hesitant and tinged with confusion. “I’m not sure I understand,” he said slowly. “How could Elaine’s drowning death be related to any current murders?”

Riley paused, her thoughts whirling like a storm as she considered how much information she should divulge.

She had to tread carefully through this discussion, unsure about what Harry Winters knew or suspected about the complex path their investigation had taken.

Now was no time to give him a full update about the case in all its grim details.

“I know it might seem unrelated, Mr. Winters, and I’m sorry to trouble you about this,” she replied.

“But there is a connection between our new case and some old-fashioned swimsuits. It’s my understanding that Elaine Winters was the founder of Tidal Beauties in Scudmore, and even though the store is under different ownership now, that is what has led us to you.

Any information at all that you can provide could be crucial to our current investigation. ”

The next silence was so long that Riley wasn’t sure that she was going to get an answer.

Then Harry Winters let out a long sigh. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

“Elaine was my second wife. My first wife, Claudia, died from cancer two years before I remarried. Elaine and I were still feeling like newlyweds when … it all happened.”

Riley listened intently as Winters continued. “Diana was only fifteen at that time, still reeling from the loss of her mother and trying to adjust to a new woman in her life.”

He paused again, his voice cracking as he went on.

“Elaine did everything she could to connect with Diana,” he said.

“It wasn’t easy. Diana was rebellious, as teenagers often are, and she fought against the very idea of having a stepmother.

It was a rough beginning for our blended family, but there were signs of hope.

..things were smoothing out … until the ocean took Elaine away from us. ”

In the dim light of the room, Riley saw that Ann Marie was scribbling notes as the man on the phone spoke.

Sheriff Beeler was listening, but looking impatient as he often did.

The sun had dipped below the horizon now, casting a twilight glow through the beachfront property—the last place they knew of that Rachel Brennan had been in alive.

“Elaine and Diana finally seemed to be getting along—in fact, Diana was treating Elaine with affection and respect. They went to the beach together to swim. Something went wrong. The waves were high that day, relentless. Elaine was an excellent swimmer, but she must have gotten caught in an undertow. Diana managed to reach Elaine’s floating body and dragged her back to shore.

She tried so hard to save Elaine, but she couldn’t. ”

“What happened after Elaine’s death, Mr. Winters?” Riley’s voice was soft, almost a whisper, respectful of the pain that was surely still raw now, although it had begun decades ago. She sought to tread lightly, knowing each memory was a steppingstone over turbulent waters.

His voice grew heavy with emotion. “Diana was devastated. The guilt... it was overwhelming for her. She blamed herself, even though it wasn’t her fault. We couldn’t stay in the Outer Banks after that. Too many painful memories. So we moved to Miami, tried to start fresh.”

Taking a deep breath, Riley steadied herself before delving into the next chapter of Winters’ past—a part that might hold the key to unlocking the present mystery. “Mr. Winters, I understand that Diana also passed away some years later. Can you tell us about that?”

She waited, patient and still, as the ocean’s gentle roar outside echoed through the silence inside the room. “Mr. Winters?” Riley prompted again, softer this time, giving him the space to gather his thoughts amidst his grief.

“Please tell us about it, Mr. Winters,” Sheriff Beeler interjected. He was a man used to commanding attention, but even he seemed to understand the gravity of the moment. His eyes, usually sharp as flint, held an uncharacteristic gleam of empathy.

“Give him a moment, Beeler,” Riley said quietly. In the fading light of the beachfront property, she watched as Sheriff Beeler shifted uncomfortably, his gaze lingering on the phone that lay between them. Ann Marie’s eyes were fixed on Riley.

“Mr. Winters,” Riley began again, her voice steady despite the tightness in her chest, “I can only imagine how difficult this is for you, but we need to understand what happened to Diana.”

When he spoke, the sound was so faint Riley leaned closer to the speakerphone, straining to catch every word.

“Diana... she never really recovered from losing Elaine. The guilt, the grief, it all just ate away at her. One night, without my knowledge, she took our little motorboat out alone. She’d operated the boat many times, although always in daylight and never alone.”

After another stretch of silence, Winters continued his harrowing tale.

“The next morning, they found the boat drifting far from shore. It was littered with empty bottles... Diana had been drinking heavily. But she was gone. Her body was never found, but there’s no question she drowned.

Whether it was an accident or... or on purpose.

.. well, we’ll never know that for sure.

But I don’t see how either of these … terrible events …

could have any connection to whatever the FBI is investigating in Darnley.

I’m afraid that someone has sent you off on a wild goose chase, Agent Paige.

To say nothing of forcing me to revisit some very painful memories. ”

“Mr. Winters, I know this is difficult, but I have to ask another question that might be uncomfortable for you: can you think of anyone who might still want to avenge either your daughter’s death or Elaine’s? Someone who might bear a grudge, even after all these years?”

Winters’s confusion emanated through the speaker, his voice laced with bewilderment. “Avenge their deaths? I don’t understand. Why would anyone want to do that? And what could this possibly have to do with … whatever it is that you’re investigating?”

Riley paused for a breath. She caught Sheriff Beeler’s skeptical gaze, noted his frown deepening, and then turned her attention back to the call. “We’re exploring all possibilities, Mr. Winters. Sometimes, old grievances can resurface in unexpected ways. We do have to consider everything.”

Winters’s strained reply carried the sound of resignation. “I’m sorry, Agent Paige, but I can’t imagine anyone wanting to avenge Diana or Elaine. They were tragic drownings, nothing more.”

“Thank you, Mr. Winters,” Riley said. “Your recollection helps us more than you might realize. There’s just one more thing I need to ask you about.”

When he made no reply, she continued: “Mr. Winters, is there anyone still here in the Outer Banks area who knew Elaine really well? And Diana, too? Someone we might be able to talk to?”

There was another pause as Winters apparently considered the question—or perhaps was trying to decide whether to answer at all. It was as if time itself slowed, and in that silence, Riley found herself listening harder, senses straining for a clue, anything that might help break open their case.

“Yes, actually,” Winters finally said, his words coming through the speakerphone with an unexpected clarity.

“My sister still lives there, in Teomoc. I hesitate to bring her into this, but if it might be of any help to you… well, she has an important position there in Teomoc and I hope you won’t disturb her any more than necessary. ”

“We’ll take that into consideration,” Riley assured him.

“Well, then … her name is Sylvia Sitwell.”

Riley’s heartbeat quickened—a reaction she knew was mirrored by Ann Marie. She watched as Sheriff Beeler’s eyebrows rose, a silent admission of surprise breaking through his usual reserve.

“Thank you, Mr. Winters,” she said after a moment, her voice a low hum in the dimming room. “That’s very helpful. We may reach out to her for some insights.”

“Of course, I hope that will help,” he replied, though his confusion lingered.

Riley thanked Harry Winters again and then ended the call, the screen going dark as the connection severed. A soft sigh escaped her lips, unbidden but telling. She turned to face the ocean, seeing it not just as a vast expanse of water, but as a keeper of secrets, both long buried and freshly made.

Her colleagues waited for her to speak, to share conclusions.

They all remembered talking to Sylvia Sitwell that morning.

Riley had felt an immediate distrust for her.

Her tight-lipped smile and guarded eyes had seemed like a simple fear of bad publicity for the resort area.

They had not looked into her background, her family connections, at all.

Now, her hostile reaction was cast in a starkly different light.

Riley reminded herself of her intuitive hit that the killer was a woman.

Could this director of the Outer Banks Tourists Office, a woman who should have been no more than a footnote in their investigation, be the killer they were looking for?