Page 48 of Peach Cobbler Confessions

“Oh my God,” I whisper.

“What is it?” Collette shrinks down to the size of a Barbie doll, until she’s standing in front of me in miniature, and it’s an unnerving sight—so much so that my stomach begins to churn once again.

“Can you not do that weird size thing?” I ask. “I think I have enough to process already.”

She blinks back to her regularly scheduled size, and for that both my stomach and I are grateful.

“Look at this stuff,” I whisper as I lay out a red bandana with a silver triangular pin. “It readsHartford Hogs. Oh, Collette, I know exactly who this belonged to—the missing biker from episode one ofUnsolved Mysteries Tonight.”

She meets my gaze and we stay locked in horror that way for a second too long.

“And look at this,” I say. “A single gold hoop earring. An unfinished crossword puzzle. A medical badge of some sort with a nurse’s emblem. My God, Alison Beamer was a nurse.”

A tiny pink pacifier is next and I hold my breath as I examine it.

“Jenika,” I whisper. “The case of the missing au pair. Jenika Tate was on duty the day she went outside to take out the trash and never came back.”

Collette makes a strangled sound that only a ghost could pull off.

I hold up a slick piece of paper. “A pamphlet from a KOA Campground. It’s heavily wrinkled with a brown smear over it. I bet that’s blood—from the couple that disappeared camping.”

My stomach does a hard revolution and the prospect of vomiting seems very real, but I force myself to go on.

“And look,” I whisper. “There’s a single gold key with a keychain that readsConner’s Coffee Shop. This could belong to the missing landlord, right? It’s a key. Yes, my God, I think that’s it.”

Collette moans. “Oh, Lottie, I don’t like this one bit. When is Essex getting here? This place is really giving me the creeps.”

I quickly take a dozen pictures of the sickening spoils before landing everything back where I found it.

A beam of light shines over the room and every cell in my body freezes solid.

“Lottie?” a familiar male voice calls out from the opened slider door.

“Noah?” I quickly tiptoe over.

Collette gasps. “Now you’re in trouble.”

I frown her way before reverting my attention to Noah. “What are you doing here?”

His eyes narrow in on mine. “Never mind what I’m doing here. What the hell areyoudoing here?”

“I can explain.” I spot Everett with Carlotta in his arms and wince.

Collette Jenner whizzes by and flies right into the night sky. “I’m out of here!”

Noah helps me out, and the four of us hightail it all the way back to the park where I spot Noah’s truck in front of Carlotta’s minivan.

Noah and Everett hop into the van with us momentarily.

Noah’s eyes are wild with rage. “Lottie, are you nuts? And why didn’t you call me?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t be thrilled.”

Everett’s chest thumps. “I’m not so thrilled either, Lemon.”

“All right, fine,” I say. “I won’t call either of you in the event of a catastrophe.”

“Oh yes, you will.” Carlotta gives a frenetic nod. “Mr. Sexy here saved my hiney.”