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Twenty-five to thirty years!

Troy had been with the departer to prove hi twice, opti teenager had been reported in the late ’70s or early ’80s, Troy was confident he would’ve remembered it The files Cody had printed out indicated that he was right Not a single case involving a er, male or female, had been left unresolved

To be on the safe side, he checked five years before and five years after Twelve boys,in that ti of their own accord or located by friends, relatives or the authorities

Surely this young man had family, a uish Troy closed his eyes and tried to think of boys he’d known during that tih his h School had won the state baseball championship He could picture the first base, and Weaver, one of his deputies noho’d been the teaah she wasn’t a real baseball fan, she’d clapped and yelled her heart out

Oh, how he rave a couple of times over the holidays Even at the end, when her body had failed her and MS had stolen nity, she’d been cheerful He missed her appreciation of life’s sian were over the firsts--the first Thanksgiving without Sandy The first Christ anniversary and Mother’s Day…Those were the big ones, when her loss felt like a burden that would never grow lighter When he and his daughter both acknowledged that nothing would ever be the sa his na i in the office doorway

"Louie" Troy rose to his feet It wasn’t every day he received a visit froestured toward the chair in front of his desk

"Happy New Year," Louie said as he slid into the seat He rested one ankle on the opposite knee, striking a relaxed pose

"Same to you," Troy said and sat back down "What can I do for you?" The mayor was a busy man and didn’t waste time on unnecessary visits The fact was, Troy couldn’t reht hih; that was unavoidable, since they worked in the same office complex Socially they were acquaintances and he saw Louie at civic functions or the occasional party

Louie’s expression grew serious, and he leaned forward "I’ve got a couple of things I want to discuss with you"

"Sure"

Louie looked down at the floor "First, I want to remind you that I’ for an endorsement"

"It’s yours" Troy was surprised the otherit up so early in the year Besides, he’d supported Louie’s previous cae, no other candidates had declared their intentions to run against him

"I value your support," Louie said "And of course you have aze fell on Troy’s desk "On another matter…What can you tell ot the autopsy report a few days ago," Troy told him "Jack Griffin ran an article about it in the Chronicle over the weekend I’d hoped soht step forith information as a result Dental evidence is useless because without a naet a chart for co"

Louie leaned back in his chair and eyed the open folder on Troy’s desk "So…no clue who that unfortunate soul ht be?"

"None whatsoever"

This didn’t appear to please the ot a call from the Seattle paper Apparently Jack’s story aroused some interest there They want to do a piece on those unidentified remains" The mayor’s frown deepened "I tried to steer the reporter away from the subject, but she seeave her your contact information, so expect a call"

"Must be a slos day" Troy appreciated getting advance notice "Thanks for the heads-up" Over the years he’d dealt with the pressreporters He had nothing against the or print misinforative story will hurt Cedar Cove’s reputation We want to attract tourists, not drive thehoulish stories about our town"

"At this point there’s nothing for them to report," Troy reassured hi?" Louie inquired

"Not really" Troy shrugged "Pretty much what Jack wrote in that article The rees of fourteen and eighteen He’s been dead since 1980, give or take a few years No indication how he died"

Louie see is, Cedar Cove doesn’t need any bad press Our initiative this year is to attract ht of Cedar Cove beco the center of some macabre story about unidentified remains and an unsolved mystery"