From the news stories online that Kat had seen, the investigation had escalated. A couple of miles away in Ripplewood, police had sealed a large section of the woods. They’d taken control, using dogs, ATVs, drones, officers, and helicopters to scour the forest where Jenn’s car had been discovered, while forensic experts processed the scene.
In Trailside Grove, Noble Haven, and half a dozen other neighborhoods across the suburbs, police guided an army of volunteers in the growing search, encompassing parks, playground service lanes, alleys, vacant lots, fields, ravines, and creeks.
The Empire Heights School was less than half a mile from Greg and Jenn’s house. It was adjacent to soccer fields, tennis courts, a basketball court, a playground, and a flat, green expanse vast enough for a football field. Close to a hundred volunteers had gathered and more were arriving.
“See?” Vince took in the sight. “Everyone loves Jenn. Look at this outpouring of support.”
As Kat surveyed the activity, she was stabbed with raw emotion.
This would not happen if I was missing.
Her thoughts twisted and scraped, like an old key in a lock, opening to her true feelings for Jenn. On the surface they were friendly to each other, but deep down, Kat disliked Jenn. Sure, the world thought Jenn walked on water, but as far as Kat was concerned, Jenn was far from perfect.
Kat’s feelings went back years, to Greg and Jenn’s wedding.
Jenn never invited Kat to be matron of honor, or even a bridesmaid, at their wedding. All of it was made worse when some offhand comments Jenn had made on the reason got back to Kat; Jenn saying something about how, “Kat’s got a lot on her plate and seems to be struggling right now. Besides, we want the wedding to go smoothly, right?”
It was true. At the time of the wedding, Kat’s marriage to Neil was crumbling. But, dammit, was that a reason to shut her out of her brother’s biggest day—a day that would have made their mother so happy? Being involved would’ve given Kat some happiness at a time she was struggling. It would’ve meant so much. Why didn’t Jenn see that?
Kat was devastated. The hurt was the first of many Jenn had inflicted on her. There were times when Jenn had made Kat feel unwelcome when she visited their home. Jenn always seemed to grow a little colder whenever Kat, trying to be helpful, mentioned little things about Greg’s likes and dislikes about food, about clothes, and so on. And when Kat and Neil were headed for divorce, there were times when Jenn gave her unsolicited marriage advice, to Kat’s chagrin.
“Did you consider Neil might be...” Or “Kat, I read this article and thought of you...” Or “Maybe you and Neil should go to...”
Then, after her divorce, Jenn offered more unsolicited advice, even tried to set her up on a few dates. All of it may have been unintentional, or innocent, but Kat was rankled by it. She hadn’t remarried. Her life, it seemed, had been a string of less-than-stellar men, and relationships that always dead-ended. Kat was constantly examining herself as a divorced courier driver, worrying about her looks as she got older, concerned that she may never find real love and get married.
Yes, other people had it worse.
And Dad was right. Jenn, orphaned by fire as a child, had certainly had a hard life.
But so have I.
Kat was fifteen when her mother died. The cataclysmic loss nearly destroyed her, but she found the strength to carry on, to honor her mom. Her father was broken. Greg was lost. While grieving, Kat did everything she could to keep her family together by assuming her mother’s role, watching out for her little brother and their dad. She went from being a teenage girl to an adult. Part of her life had been taken from her. Maybe that’s why her relationships went nowhere. Maybe that’s why she secretly resented Jenn.
Stop it! Jenn’s the closest thing I have to a sister. Look around. This is real. She’s missing.
“Are you okay?” asked Bert Cobb, a custodian at Jake’s school.
Cobb was part of the school search contingent. Vince had stepped away to talk to some of them. Brushing at her tears, Kat smiled at Cobb. She’d made deliveries to him at the school a few times. He seemed like a nice guy.
“Thanks. I’m just worried, you know.”
“We’ll find her,” he said.
“I’m praying we do.”
“Just look how massive the searches are getting.” Cobb cast around. “Where’s Greg?”
“Home with Jake. Police stuff.”
“How’s Jake doing?”
“Oh, the best he can.”
“I guess they won’t be moving to Arizona. I mean, with this happening.”
“Arizona?” Kat was now looking toward the group of searchers from Jake’s school and that good-looking man again, talking to some officials.
“Jake was talking about it at school a little while ago.”
“Oh yeah, they were thinking about it,” Kat said. “Say—” she nodded to the man in the distance “—who’s that guy, greeting everybody there from Jake’s school?”
Cobb looked.
“Porter Sellwin. He’s on the school board.” Cobb leaned closer to Kat. “I understand he’s quite the Casanova.”
Kat stared at Sellwin for a long moment as it became crystalline.
She’d definitely seen Sellwin before.
He’d been with Jenn before she disappeared.
Twenty-Two
Buffalo, New York
Coffee rolled over the brim of Laila’s cup and dripped on the table.
“Goodness, honey, be careful.” Alicia reached for napkins, laughed then looked at Laila.
She wasn’t smiling.
Laila’s gaze flitted around the restaurant. The cable guy’s surprise arrival at her home had forced her to rearrange her errands. Some took longer than she had expected. It pushed her coffee date with Alicia at The Pink Mist Mountain Café well into the afternoon. Laila had thought that keeping busy would keep her mind off what had happened.
She’d thought wrong—she was still a bit shaky.
Alicia set the damp, balled napkins aside, her smile fading as she studied her friend.
“What’s eating you? Ever since you got here, you’ve seemed rattled.”
Laila looked at her hands, twisted her rings.
“Something happened this morning, something...disgusting and a little scary.” Tears came to her eyes.
“What?” Alicia put her hand on Laila’s. “Tell me.”
Laila looked at Alicia. They had become friends years ago in college. Laila became a copywriter. Alicia Hughes was now an editor with a New York publisher; she was a smart, kindhearted woman who was one of Laila’s closest friends, someone she trusted.