Brooklyn and I didn't talk on the way home. When she turned on the radio, I was fine to just let the music roll through me and try to relax.
When Brooklyn and I walked into the house, our parents were in the dining room. There was a plentiful buffet of food set out on the side table, as well as a coffee and tea service.
My mother was listlessly stirring her tea, a full plate of salad untouched in front of her. My father was on his phone while he worked his way through some pasta.
When we entered the room, my mom looked up, new light entering her eyes. "Did you find anything?"
"No. Sorry, Mom," Brooklyn said.
"Well, I didn't think Kelsey was out there, anyway. She's probably hiding out in a luxury hotel room."
My mother was definitely clinging to that narrative.
"I'm going upstairs to shower," Brooklyn said. "I can't seem to get warm."
I could relate to that. I was shivering, too, but I was more interested in coffee and food than in a shower. I needed some energy. There was still a lot to do. I filled a mug with coffee and then put a couple of sandwiches on a plate and took it to the table.
"Did Lorraine make all the food?" I asked as I sat down.
"What?" My mother gave me a confused look.
"The food." I tipped my head toward the buffet. "There's a lot."
"Oh. People keep dropping things off. Marie came by with a salad. Eileen sent over pasta and sandwiches. Not that anyone feels like eating."
I felt a little guilty that I'd just taken a big bite of a turkey pesto sandwich, but I needed to eat. I needed energy to get through the rest of the day.
The doorbell suddenly rang, and my father immediately stood up. "I'll get it." He waved us back into our seats.
I had a feeling my father wanted to protect my mother in case someone had arrived to deliver bad news. A moment later, I heard a woman's voice, and then my dad and Jenny walked into the dining room. Relief ran through me.
"Oh, it's you, Jenny," my mother said in a less than welcoming tone.
"I'm sorry to bother you," Jenny said. "I just wanted to check in."
"Of course," my father said. "Have a seat. Would you like some lunch?"
"No, thanks." Jenny sat down at the table, giving us a wary look. "I wanted to talk about the wedding."
"No." My mother shook her head, giving Jenny a warning look. "We're not calling off the wedding. We're not changing anything. The rehearsal is still tomorrow at four and the wedding will be Saturday at five. That's what's happening. Kelsey will be back, and she'll want everything to be the way she planned it."
My mother's declaration was met with silence. I didn't agree with her. My father probably didn't, either, but neither one of us wanted to upset my mother any more than she already was.
Jenny tucked her hair behind her ears, then said, "Okay, that's good to know."
"Monica," my father began.
My mother quickly cut him off. "I said no, Larry."
"But I'm sure there are food orders, staff…" My father's voice trailed at the stubborn glint in my mother's eyes. "All right. We'll leave everything as it is."
"Is that all, Jenny?" my mother asked.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Jenny asked.
"You can help by making sure my daughter has the perfect wedding. She'll be home soon, and I want to tell her that everything is set."
My mother was barely holding it together. We could all hear the quiver in her voice.
"It's all set," Jenny reassured her.
"Good." My mother pushed back her chair and left the room.
"Dad," I began.
He stood up. "I'll talk to her, but it doesn't really matter at this point. We'll pay for everything, whether or not it happens."
"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have come," Jenny said, as my father left the dining room. "My boss asked me to find out what I could. But I didn't mean to be insensitive."
"You did nothing wrong. You had to ask the question. There's just not a good answer."
"I was really hoping that Kelsey would be back by now."
"Me, too. I went on a search this morning. It was nice to see so many people looking for her, but it was also difficult. It reminded me of the times we searched for Melanie."
"Those were hard, wanting to find something, but not wanting to at the same time."
"That's exactly how I felt all morning. Can I get you some coffee, food? There's enough to feed an army."
"I'm not hungry, but coffee would be great. I can get it myself."
"No worries." I got up, filled a mug, and brought it back to the table.
"Thanks." Jenny took a sip. "Did you speak to Carter?"
I suddenly had the feeling that this was the real reason she'd come by. "I did. He confirmed that he was in love with Kelsey and that he didn't want her to marry Gage."
"Really? He actually said that?"
"He did."
She blew out a breath. "Well, if Carter loved her, he didn't hurt her."
"I hope not. But if Gage found out…"
"Right. But Willow we are leaping to a lot of conclusions."
"I know, and I don't like any of the conclusions. But I can't overlook the fact that Melanie's disappearance and Kelsey's disappearance involve a lot of the same people."
Jenny frowned. "You really think Kelsey's disappearance is connected to Melanie?"
"I'm leaning that way. I had a long talk with Drake last night. He is absolutely convinced that they're related. And he has a huge box of files on Melanie's case. He's digging deep. He has already found some discrepancies in statements."
"Whose statements?"
"Gage, James…who knows who else?"
"I know Gage lied, but James? What did he lie about?"
"Where he was the night Melanie disappeared. His car was spotted in town, but he was supposedly on the beach. Brooklyn covered for him."
"Wow, I can't believe that. Is James a suspect?"
"I don't know. Maybe down the road, he will be. Right now, we have to focus on Kelsey, and James was too drunk on Tuesday night to do anything to her."
"I heard he was drunk at the bonfire. I didn't see him, though."
"Carter and Rachel got him out of there fast. Anyway, I'm continually being surprised with lies. Drake was right about our group. Not everyone was telling the truth."
"That's true. And Drake is determined to uncover every last lie. He even wants to write a book about Melanie, but I think that's a bad idea. It feels like an invasion of her privacy. She's not here to say if she wants a book to be written about her. And…" Jenny licked her lips as she gazed at me with indecision.
"What?" I asked.
"It's not something I'm sure about, and I've never told anyone, not even Drake, because I don't know if it's true. Or if I saw what I thought I saw."
"What are you talking about? What do you think you saw?"
"I shouldn't say."