Ray grinning beside a campfire.
But Mark appeared in only two photographs.
In one, he sat at the back of the boat with his left hand tucked inside his jacket pocket.
In the other, the four men stood beside a campfire.
Mark had his right arm around Tommy.
His left hand was hidden behind his back.
I zoomed in.
Nothing.
Then I found a photograph taken Saturday morning.
Ray, Dave, and Tommy sat outside a café, smiling over plates of pancakes.
The sign behind them read:
THE GULL’S NEST — MARINA CAFÉ
I looked closely.
Three men.
Not four.
There were four breakfast plates on the table, however.
One appeared untouched.
I stared at that detail.
Mark had apparently ordered breakfast but wasn’t sitting with his friends.
Perhaps he’d gone to the restroom.
Perhaps he was collecting something from the car.
There were plenty of ordinary explanations.
But none explained the ring mark.
