By the afternoon, Mike made us some pasta to keep us going and washed the dishes in the kitchen.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease from my earlier realization. Unable to hold back, I went to the kitchen, pretending to want some snacks.
“Mike, can I trust you?” I asked quietly, closing the door behind me.
Mike stopped washing the dishes, his expression turning serious.
He cranked up the water so no one could hear us and motioned for me to step closer. “You can trust me. What did you find?”
After a brief hesitation, I explained the discrepancy with Zoe’s clothing.
Mike nodded slowly. “I’m not a medical examiner, but a person who drowns usually shows signs of hemorrhaging in the nasal and oral cavities. Your friend didn’t have any of those signs.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Zoe hadn’t drowned at all!
Mike leaned in, locking eyes with me. “Zoe was your friend, right?”
I nodded.
“Then how can you just stand by and let her death go unanswered?”
Of course, I didn’t want to!
Mike’s gaze was intense as he continued, “Tara, for your friend’s sake, I need you to do me a favor.”