My eyes rounded. “You think ... they’ve done this before?”
“Remember how Sarah mentioned she wasn’t concerned with the waivers or taking out life insurance to join Eden’s Children?”
“Yeah ...” My eyes bulged. “No.” My head swung side to side. “If they arekillingpeople and getting paid for it, I think someone would’ve noticed by now.”
I knew a little something about how insurance worked. Health insurance, life insurance ... they were all the same. A business. Afor-profitbusiness that employed every trick in the book tonotpay on claims.
“Killing people, yes. But death by misadventure ... not much wiggle room.”
Misadventure . . .
“Is that what they’re calling kinky sex? Or is that what happens when you get a Christmas tree–shaped ornament stuck too far up—”
“It’s what happens where the insured party voluntarily took a risk that resulted in their death, which”—he stretched out his arms—“happens a fair amount out here.”
My gaze rolled along the peaks and valleys charting an EKG into the horizon, the whole picture coming into view.A murder made to look like an accidental death.“You think what they did to Trent ...”
“I think they’ve done it before.”
I lifted my hand to my throat, feeling my screaming pulse. “Did you ... Did Callum find proof?”
“Creighton used to work closely with the coroner for Teton County. I told him about Trent’s connection to Rachel’s disappearance, so he’s on his way there now to get a list of all the deceased whose deaths were ruled as ‘death by misadventure’ in the last three years.” Hismasseterdrummed against his cheek. “Sarah remembered the policy was with UnitedLife, so once we have those names, we can confirm with the company if they had policies for the deceased, and if Adam Eden was the beneficiary.”
“Will that help us find Rachel?”
His voice sank. “Not directly.”
“What if we called the police? Told them Trent’s death wasn’t an accident? Told them about the retreat—”
“We have no proof, Lara,” he growled. “And if they decided to get rid of him—get rid of his body—I’m damn certain they got rid of any evidence back at the retreat. On top of that, the second we send law enforcement near there, Maxwell, the retreat, Eden’s Children ... they’re going to pack up and disappear, and take Rachel with them.”
“So we just keep the knowledge that they’re killing people for insurance money to ourselves?”
“No, we keep digging into thetheorythat this is what they’re doing while we keep looking for the compound. At some point, Maxwell is going to go back to the Garden.”
My jaw dropped. “We can’t wait another two weeks to figure out where Rachel is.”
“We’re not,” Calder clipped and started walking toward the house again.
“Then how are we going to find them?” I jogged to catch up.
“Eden didn’t just wave a wand and a compound appeared. Not in the wilderness. There are certain nonnegotiable components needed to live somewhere, even in the wilderness. Water. Shelter. Energy. Food. If they’re living off the grid, some of those things can be found or foraged, but energy can’t be. They’d need some way to create it outside of the power grid, and the cheapest way to do that is solar.”
My brows knotted. “So Callum’s going to send a drone out looking for solar panels in the forest?”
Calder sent me a flat look over his shoulder. “No,” he grunted and kept moving. “When we were getting in the Jeep to go to the retreat, I noticed solar panels on the roof of the Wilderness Within building. They were the same brand as the ones Callum put on his house: Peak Energy.”
“And you think they bought the same ones for Eden’s Children?”
“I think it’s highly likely,” he muttered.
“Even if they did, what are the chances they’ll have records after everything Eden’s Children has done to remain hidden?”
“They’ll have to. Solar panels are highly regulated by the government for tax purposes. They’ll have to have a record of the purchase to him or Eden’s Children if they want the tax credit. Once we find that, I’ll be able to follow the trail.”
“We.” I stiffened and corrected him, “We’ll be able to follow the trail.”
I stared at his back—at the give and tug of histrapeziusanddeltoidsas he walked away—and then, against my better judgment, I insisted, “Wherever she is, I’m coming with you to find her.”