Taking. Блейк Пирс

tourists like Harry and Jillian came here to enjoy this scenery was a mystery to her.

      She reminded herself that at least the weather was pleasant. Chief Webster had the car windows rolled down, and the air was fresh, dry, and surprisingly cool for midday—not at all humid, like it often was in Virginia.

      Soon Riley saw a couple of vehicles parked on the side of the road up ahead. Webster pulled over and stopped behind them,

      One of the vehicles was another police car, and the other was a beat-up van. A couple of cops were leaning against the police car, smoking cigarettes.

      A weathered sign nearby read “Wren’s Nest Hiking Trail.”

      Webster explained to Riley and Crivaro as they got out of the car, “I left a couple of my guys here to watch over things. We’ve already checked out what we could from here. Didn’t find anything useful. I was just about to get a tow truck to take the van in. Then you guys showed up, so I figured I could leave it all in place a little longer.”

      Riley and Crivaro followed Webster over to the van. Its back doors were wide open, and Riley could see a mattress on the floor littered with some camping gear. As they looked inside, Webster said …

      “You can see that the poor kid wasn’t a seasoned camper. It looks like she bought some second- or third-hand old van, took out the back seats, and didn’t do much more to convert the vehicle than throw a mattress on the floor. A pretty Spartan get-up. She depended a lot on campground facilities.”