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welcome as I came through the door of The Cracked Pot, the island’s diner. Moon Unit owned the place, had bought it a few years after we graduated from college—her from Carolina, me from Clemson. She’d remodeled it, putting a tropical café spin on the traditional diner. She was there every day to greet customers and gather, embellish, and disseminate town gossip. The Cracked Pot was a touchstone for everyone who’d ever lived in Stella Maris.
    I spotted Ansley in the back booth. Silky, pale blonde hair brushed her shoulders. Everything about her shouted “cheerleader.” She’d been one at Stella Maris High School.
    “Hey, Moon. I’m going to join Ansley Johnson. Could you bring me a glass of tea?”
    “Sure thing. Unsweet with Splenda?”
    “Please.” Drinking sweet tea added a thousand calories to my daily intake.
    I slid into the booth across from Ansley. “Thanks for meeting me. How are your mamma and daddy?”
    Worry clouded her typically sparkling blue eyes. Her bubbly nature had been supplanted. “They’re fine, thanks. And I’m happy to talk to you. I’m just so, so thankful Mr. Heyward hired you. I wanted to call you myself. But he is such a freak about family privacy. I thought if I wanted him to work with you I should do things his way.”
    “Good call.” I reached in my bag for the Purell.
    Moon Unit set my iced tea in front of me. “You sure you don’t want something to eat?”
    “I had lunch in Charleston. Ansley?”
    “This is fine.” She had a glass of ice water with lemon in front of her.
    Moon Unit placed a hand on her chest and leaned back. “So tell me.”
    I blinked. “What?”
    She blew out a breath strong enough to fluff her bangs. “About Merry’s new boyfriend .”
    I was at a loss. Merry had a new boyfriend? When had I last spoken with my sister? It had been a few days, not long enough for a major development on the romantic front.
    “Moon, your sources are better than mine. I don’t have a clue.”
    She pressed both hands to her chest. “Oh, sweetie. I am so sorrrryy. I bet I ruined a surprise. Oh. I am just… so sorry.” She backed away with a sorrowful look.
    Ansley looked at me wide-eyed.
    “I guess I better call my sister.” I waved it away with one hand and pulled a notepad and pen out of my purse with the other. “May I record our conversation?”
    “Sure.”
    I opened a voice memo and dictated the particulars. “Tell me about Kent.”
    “She’s my best friend. I love her like a sister.” Her blue eyes glistened. “We were college roommates sophomore year. We shared an apartment off-campus junior and senior year.”
    “You’ve both been out of school about eighteen months, right?” Ansley still had the look of a coed about her, though she was dressed for the office in her silky blue shell and gray skirt.
    “That’s right.”
    “You’ve kept in touch?”
    “We talk every day. We see each other at least once a week. We know everything about each other.”
    I was thinking how everyone had secrets. “Have you met her boyfriend?”
    “Matt? Of course. I hang out with them all the time.” She blushed, smiled. Her teeth were impossibly white against the suntan she’d maintained into fall. “Well, not all the time. He is the sweetest thing. If Mr. Heyward thinks Matt had anything to do with Kent’s disappearance…well, that’s just crazy. Matthew treats Kent like a queen. They were going to move in together. Did Mr. Heyward tell you that?”
    “He mentioned it.” Clearly, Ansley did not share Colton Heyward’s views on the merits of dating chefs. “Okay, so when was the last time you saw Kent?”
    “The Wednesday before she disappeared. We had drinks and dinner at Poe’s.”
    Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s Island was named for Edgar Allen Poe, who’d been stationed at Fort Moultrie while in the army. I had a sudden craving for one of their cheeseburgers. “Any particular reason?”
    Ansley shook her head.
    “We were just hanging