She felt as if she was pacing toward something important, to a discovery that would change her world, even though she had no idea what it would be.
Her hands felt cold and unsteady as she took the keys out, putting them carefully into the locks, noting the shiny place where the broken key had been newly repaired.
This time, thanks to Pete's hard work, the keys turned with only the faintest grinding noise.
The basement felt hushed, expectant, and May had the uneasy sense that old ghosts were crowding in, pushing their way toward her.
Taking a shaky breath, she pulled open the door.
And she stared in astonishment.
Inside this safe, she saw something she recognized instantly.
Lauren's baseball cap. She'd been wearing the pink cap when she stormed out of the house that day. It had never been found, never been seen. May had picked it up on that grainy video, the cap her sister always loved to wear.
Now, here it was, faded but identical, lying in the safe. May couldn’t believe it.
And there were other items too — except these ones, she didn't know or recognize. Pulling on a pair of gloves, with shaking hands, she looked through the pile. Here was a silver chain with a horse-head pendant. Here was a beaded bracelet. Here was a cream sweater, the knit fabric now dirty and creased. Here was a small white purse on a leather strap. It was empty, May saw, looking inside.
Her hands were shaking. This safe was a repository that must have been used, not just for one of Lauren's personal items, but for other victims too. Who did these possessions belong to? Where were these women now? And how was May going to find out more? How was she going to trace these possessions back to their owners, and more importantly, trace the person who had taken them?
Someone had. This person had been responsible for more than just Lauren's disappearance. It hadn't just been her. Someone indescribably evil had been at work, over who knew what timeframe, grabbing young women and taking them, stealing their lives and futures.
May was going to bag up all these items, she decided. Each one represented a lead, a life, a loose end to follow up.
But for now, the need to find this abductor was even more urgent.
She walked out of the basement, heading up the stairs, still feeling dizzy with shock as she returned to her car to get the evidence bags she needed. It felt weird to be walking out into such a normal morning with traffic humming around her, while inside and underground, the ghosts of the past were finally uncovered.
But she felt all out of leads. There was no clue to this person's identity here. The safe was a dead end. All that remained were the items themselves.
How could she possibly take this further? May felt a clench of fear at the thought that she'd been checkmated.
There was only one solution, one possible avenue left to explore. And she was going to take it.
May got on the phone to Kerry.
Her sister didn't pick up, but May left a message, hearing the tremble in her own voice as she spoke the words.
"Kerry, I've opened the safe. I found Lauren's hat inside, her pink cap. And other things too, belonging to other people. This is bigger than I thought. More girls must have been taken and I — I need to track this person now. I need to find out who they are."
She paused, drawing in a shaky breath.
"That video I sent you, the video of Lauren. Is there any way we can trace it back? Any technology we can use? If there is, sis, please tell me. Please research it. Because this is truly our last lead."
May cut the call, blinking away tears.
Then, holding the evidence bags, she walked back into the underground basement, to gather up the items that this faceless criminal had left behind.