Chapters 19-24 Summary

In chapter 19, Tempe and Ryan canvas the businesses in Beaufort asking if anyone recognizes the young couple. They have no luck. However, Tempe and Ryan encounter Kathryn, a young woman from the commune, and her baby, as well as another woman, El. Kathryn offers regret for the murder of the young woman but again denies having met her. Tempe notices something inconsistent about Kathryn's statements, however, and offers her a business card with the hope Kathryn will contact Tempe with more truthful facts. That night, Tempe and Ryan have dinner on the boat where Tempe is staying and end up in a lover's embrace that is interrupted when Kathryn calls, leaving a brief message on the answering machine. In chapter 20, things are awkward between Tempe and Ryan for a while the next morning. They return to the commune where they insist...