(nw) Their daughter vanished in 1990 at her graduation…

Nancy stepped forward, standing beside John, her hand resting on his shoulder. “Mary loved this river,” she said, her voice carrying over the water to the other mourners. “She was studying to become an environmentalist. She’d have loved knowing she’d become part of the river she adored.” John opened the urn, and together with Nancy, they scattered Mary’s ashes into the water. White hyacinths followed, tossed by the mourners, creating a floating garden on the river’s surface.

Emily approached, tears streaming down her face, and placed her worn copy of The Secret Garden onto the waves. “Goodbye, my friend,” she whispered. “Sorry I never returned your book.”

After the ceremony, as the procession headed back to town, Morrison approached the Petersons with an update on the case. “Steven confessed,” he said quietly. “He told the full story of what happened.”

According to Steven’s confession, he held Mary captive in the cabin for several days after abducting her. He’d been obsessed with her since their brief relationship and couldn’t accept that she’d started dating Daniel Spencer. “He said he promised to make their relationship official if she broke up with Daniel and told everyone she was going on a solo trip to celebrate graduation,” Detective Morrison explained.

But Mary refused. She told him that after years of trying to love him and believe he could change, she finally realized he was hopelessly broken. The detective continued, his voice soft but factual.

“Steven said her words cut him deeply, and they got into a physical struggle when Mary tried to escape. They fought at the cliff’s edge, and according to Steven, Mary nearly pushed him off. In a rage, he overpowered her and struck her multiple times with rocks.”

When he realized she was dead, he panicked and buried her body instead of calling for help. Emily wiped fresh tears. “I remember Mary started asking me about Steven, wondering if he could change. I never understood why she was so interested when she knew how much I disliked him. I didn’t know they had a secret relationship.” She turned to John and Nancy.

“I’m so sorry. If I’d known, maybe I could’ve warned her, protected her somehow.” “It’s not your fault, Emily,” Nancy said firmly. “Steven was manipulative and dangerous. Mary believed she could help him, and he exploited her kindness.” Robert Sullivan, the retired detective who’d searched for Mary for years, shook his head sadly…