"Did you know that Savannah was coming to Lillie's on Friday night?"
"Yes, of course. I was going there, too. We were going to have a sleepover."
"Did you message her that day?"
"Yes. I texted her to find out if she was okay when she didn't arrive at school, but her phone was turned off."
May stared at Ursula sternly.
"Did Savannah often take the shortcut through the woods?"
Ursula stared back, looking extremely nervous.
"Yes. She - she wasn't supposed to, but she did."
Now May looked even sterner. She needed the truth here, and fast, even though she felt bad pressuring this young girl.
"Did Savannah have a boyfriend? I will not accept any lies. Remember, I've already spoken to Lillie," she said firmly. "You'll be in big trouble if you withhold information."
Glancing to her side, she was pleased to see that Owen was also firmly glaring at Ursula.
May hoped that this semi-bluff would work. To her astonishment, under their combined glares, it did.
"I – yes, she was seeing someone. But I promised not to tell anyone, because she didn't want her parents to know," Ursula admitted.
“What’s his name?”
“Kyle.”
“And his last name?”
Ursula shrugged. “I don’t know his last name. I’m really sorry. Savannah never said.”
"Where did they meet? Did he go to your school?"
"No. She met him at a party. He was a bit wild, she said. He was nineteen, and at some arts college. He drank a lot. He smoked."
"Did you meet him?"
"No. I didn't ever meet him. She showed me his photo, though, and talked about him. I think he lived a few miles away. He definitely wasn’t from this town. Please, don't let her folks know I told you! I mean, I know everything is terrible right now, but I don't want to get into trouble."
"You won't, and thank you for being honest with us," May said.
She got up and left, feeling thoughtful as she and Owen walked out of the house.
"This puts a whole new spin on things," Owen said, as soon as the front door had closed.
May nodded. "It does. Think about it. Savannah was sneaking off to meet Kyle. She was keeping things from her parents. Even her friends hadn't met him."
This interview had sparked an important line of thinking.
"I wonder if there was trouble between them?" May said.
"That could be important to know, but how are we going to find out who he is?" Owen asked.
"That's what I'm wondering.” With no last name, Kyle would be difficult to track down.
"If only we could get ahold of her phone," Owen said. "I bet you she wouldn't have deleted all their conversations. But it sounds as if her phone disappeared when she did.”
"I guess we could subpoena the phone company for the records," May said.
She had never done that before. It would be time-consuming, that much she was sure of.
But as May thought through the logistics of how Savannah must have been taken, she wondered if there might be a quicker way.
"You know, it's an outside chance, she said to Owen, "but I think I might know how to find Savannah's phone. But we’ll need to wait for morning to do it, because we’ll have to search in the daylight."