a deadly storm, an unsolved disappearance, and a small town brimming with secrecy;
an outcast girl, a boy who only knows how to hide, and the world against them;
what could go wrong?
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Boo is met with another restless night, something that seems to have become an unfortunate reality in the past few weeks. While Harry snores rhythmically beside her, Boo spends most of the night researching into the wee hours of the morning, doing her best to dig up more about the life of Minnie Everhart and the mysterious man from the cemetery.
Minnie lived and died a brief, rather unremarkable life; she met a man and was married before she turned twenty, had three sons and a daughter, and died in a car accident in Harrisford just two days before Damien's disappearance. Despite the accident occurring in Harrisford, her family was located in Jack Creek and therefore she was buried in Brookwood Cemetery in an ornate mausoleum paid for by her eldest son, Warren. In opposition to his mother's mediocrity, Warren had met financial success in his life and desired only the best for his mother's burial.
It's only when Boo does more digging into Warren that a fairly recent photo of him surfaces and her heart skips a beat in recognition. She'd only seen his face for a brief moment, but there is no doubt in her mind that it was Warren Everhart she'd seen pacing angrily outside of Minnie's grave.
Warren was the other man from Nana's tape.
One solid clue lays the foundation for dozens more to be found; it doesn't take long for Boo to find evidence of Warren and Nathaniel's long-standing friendship, with photos of the two dating all the way back to their Primark days. The cliche of it all borders on humorous—a prominent police captain harboring a shady past, rubbing elbows with one of the most successful businessmen in the state who held his own share of public criticism.
Warren's history is riddled with accusations of fraud, backdoor deals, and various contract breaches, among other things. Boo isn't surprised to learn that no legal punishment appeared to come from any of the allegations either — suppose his friendship with Nathaniel was beneficial for something. His time in the spotlight doesn't seem to have fazed him much; his online presence paints him as a cutthroat and fearless businessman. Boo can only wonder how insufferable his personality is in person.
Despite the flood of articles surrounding his business life, there is little information in the way of Warren's personal life. Contrary to the rest of Jack Creek, Warren seemed to value his privacy. The most exciting thing Boo finds is a dated article about Warren's opposition to moving his mother's grave to a larger plot, something the rest of the Everhart family desires.
"So much for breaking news," Boo mutters, rolling her eyes to herself. She continues digging, but this is short-lived.
Something just won't sit right with Boo, who continually finds herself going back to the article about the Everhart plot. Perhaps that's what the gaping hole in the cemetery was meant to be. Warren was the only one of the Everhart children who opposed moving his mother, but Boo found this uncharacteristic. The image she'd already cultivated of Warren held him as narcissistic, materialistic, and impressionable. Deep down, Boo wonders if he has a deeper reason for not wanting to move the plot.
