Horns andย hey watch its as Ash pulled o๏ฌย the main road, into a parking spot by the North Conway library.
โAmerican roads are hell,โย he said, waving an apology out of his window, turning o๏ฌย the engine.
โTo be fair,โย Bel said,ย โyouโre a terrible driver.โ
He glared at her, pulling his cap back on.ย โTo be even more fair, youโre a terrible passenger. Could give a bit more warning before yelling at me to turn.โ
โThat wouldnโt be as fun.โย Bel grabbed the backpack between her legs and opened the car door.
โYou are something else,โย Ash muttered under his breath, though he never speci๏ฌed what that something else was, climbing out the other side. He collected the camera from the backseat, running hisย ๏ฌngers over theย ๏ฌu๏ฌย of the microphone, checking the battery. Then he grabbed his bag, one of those mini leather backpacks. It looked stupid on him.
โNice bag.โ
โMy mumโs,โย he said.ย โGet the best hand-me-downs from her and my sisters.โ
Bel nodded, eyes wide and unkind to contradict her smile. Sheโd never had or given hand-me-downs, only hand-me-sidewayses to Carter when they
were kids and Bel outgrew her jeans.
They crossed the road, Bel looking ahead at Baa-Baa Boutique. A quaint storefront: wooden slats painted seaside white and blue, though the sea was a very long way away. Next door to a store called World Magic Gifts, with window displays full of dream catchers and antlers, sculptures that stared as Bel and Ash approached.
Ash pressed record on the camera, centering the shot on Bel, panning up to show the name of the boutique and the little sheep logo.
โDonโt you need to sayย Action,ย orย Rollingย or something?โ โAction, or rolling or something,โย he said with a lopsided grin.
Bel pushed open the door, a small bell jangling above her head, not holding the door for Ash, letting him struggle with it. She walked past a rack of clothes, a cropped yellow T-shirt at the front readingย Pugs Not Drugsย with a sad, chubby pug in the middle. The kind of thing Ash would probably wear. She turned back and caught him eyeing it, reaching out.
โFocus,โย she hissed, batting hisย ๏ฌngers away.ย โWeโre not here to shop.โ โHe just looks so sad, little guy.โย Ash stuck out his bottom lip.ย โNeeds a
loving home.โ
Bel rolled her eyes at the camera lens, the two of them in cahoots, right under Ashโs nose. She led them up to the register, where a woman in her forties was writing out labels, wearing a white-and-blue-striped top that matched the front of the store.
โWelcome to Baa-Baa Boutique,โย she said, bored, glazed behind the eyes, until she saw Ash. Then she straightened up and lengthened her neck, pushing her dark hair to one side.ย โHow may I help you?โย she asked him.
โWeโre here to see the owner, Alice Moore,โย Bel said, failing to get the womanโs full attention back from Ash.
โThatโs me,โย she said, lines forming around her mouth as sheย ๏ฌnally noticed the camera in his hands.ย โWhatโsโโ
โWeโreย ๏ฌlming for a documentary,โย Bel explained.ย โThe Disappearance of Rachel Price.โ
Ash coughed.ย โActually,ย The Reappearance of Rachel Priceย now.โ
โOh, I, the news, itโs just amazing, reallyโฆ,โย Alice trailed o๏ฌ,ย ๏ฌnally looking at Bel, eyes circling.ย โBut you look so much likeโฆyou must be h- herโฆโ
Bel let Alice stutter, left her and her aborted sentences hanging there.ย โYes, this is Bel,โย Ash stepped in.ย โRachelโs daughter.โ
โOh, sweetie.โย Alice gave Bel her full attention now.ย โYou must be so happy toย ๏ฌnally have your mom back home with you.โ
โYeah, I must be,โย Bel said, leaving another awkward gap for Ash.ย โCould I get you to sign one of these release forms?โย he said, pulling one
out of his comically small backpack.ย โTo consent to having your face and voice in the documentary.โ
โYes, of course.โย Alice took the form, signing it after one quick glance, without reading it, handing it back.ย โThough Iโm not sure why youโreย ๏ฌlming me. I donโt even know anyone who knows Rachel.โ
โActually,โย Bel said, taking charge,ย โweโre here to talk to you about something you posted on your Facebook in January. That you thought you saw Rachel Price here, in your store.โ
โOh yes.โย Alice dropped her face, a breathy laugh, letting them in on the joke.ย โObviously I was wrong, it couldnโt have been her, now we know where poor Rachel really was.โ
โBut could you tell us about the sighting, about the woman you saw?
Even though we now know it canโt have been Rachel,โย Bel pushed.
The woman narrowed her eyes.ย โI donโt understand.โ
โYou know,โย Bel pulled back, speaking behind her hand like they were old friends. That was how old friends spoke, right?ย โItโs justย ๏ฌller for the documentary, some background stu๏ฌย to pad out the juicy bits, show how widely known Rachelโs case was before she came back.โย Bel didnโt leave her any more room to not-understand, pushing again. This woman might have the answers that unlocked Rachelโs lies, and Bel was damn well going to get them.ย โSo what can you tell us about this woman you saw?โ
Alice paused to clear her throat.ย โI mean, I couldnโt see a lot of her, maybe thatโs why I convinced myself it had been Rachel. She was wearing a mask, you know, a surgical mask, a Covid mask, so I could only see her
eyes, really. And she was wearing a beanie; it was freezing out. Her hair was long, though, almost down to her waist, a darkish blond, like Rachelโs when she disappeared. We didnโt interact much, just when she came up to the register, there was nothing remarkable about it. But I looked at her eyes, and I just had this thought, likeย โOh my God, she looks like Rachel Price.โย I didnโt say anything, and I kicked myself later when I convinced myself it was her. I had to tell someone, just in case, so it didnโt feel like a secret. So I put it on Facebook. Although, now Iย wouldย be kicking myself if Iโd said anything to her, because it clearly couldnโt have been your mom.โ
โSure,โย Bel said, but she didnโt mean it, because it was possible that that woman might just have been the real Rachel Price, and who was supposed to kick themselves then? But if it was Rachel, Bel needed proof. Evidence.ย โDo you have any cameras in the store? Would they have recorded this woman?โ
โYes,โย Alice said.ย โI checked the footage the next day to see if I was going crazy.โ
โCan we see the footage?โย Bel pressed.
โI donโt have it anymore; it gets written over every week.โย Bel de๏ฌated.
โBut I took a screenshot of the clearest image, when she was standing right where you are now. Not the best quality, but it might still be on my phone, hold on.โ
Bel and Ash held on, exchanging looks while Alice pawed at her screen.ย โSorry, lots of my puppy,โย she said, swiping up.ย โHere it is.โ
She held out the phone to show them the photo, Ash zooming in on it, then out to catch Belโs reaction. She crouched closer, screwed her eyes. A woman in a dark pu๏ฌer jacket and a mask, hair a similar color to Rachelโs, long enough to catch in the crook of her elbow as she readjusted her mask, frozen that way. You couldnโt see much of her face, the beanie covering where the birthmark might be. It could have been Rachel, there was nothing that counted that out, using the mask and hat as a disguise, blending in in plain sight. Or it could just be another pale woman with the same color hair. They werenโt in short supply around here.
โCan you AirDrop that photo to me?โย Bel said.ย โPlease,โย Ash added for her.
Alice stared blankly.ย โI donโt know what that means.โ
โHere,โย Bel said, impatiently, taking the phone out of Aliceโs hands. She pressed the blue spiral button, waiting for it toย ๏ฌnd her, then clicked to accept the photo on her device. Handing Aliceโs phone back without looking.
โThank you,โย Ashย ๏ฌlled in again, but Bel was only half listening, zooming in on the pixelated face, barely a third uncovered. It was impossible to tell for sure, her gut swaying between yes and no. There was one way she wanted to push it. But if this was Rachel, what was she doing here?
โShe came up to the register?โย Bel asked, but that wasnโt her real question.ย โDid she buy something?โ
Alice nodded, like that was answer enough.
โAnd?โย Bel said, annoyed that she had to.ย โWhat did this woman buy?โ โJust two things, if I remember right.โย Alice rubbed her face like Belโs
gaze had burned her. Oh, if only.ย โShe paid in cash, even though we have a sign saying we prefer card.โย She paused to point at said printed sign.ย โI think she bought a pair of jeans and a top, that was all.โ
Belโs ears pricked, so did the ball of tension in her gut, listening in.ย โWhat kind of top?โ
โA plain long-sleeved top. Red, I believe. I donโt do boring colors.โ
Belโs heart picked up.ย โA red long-sleeved top,โย she said, repeating it to make sure sheโd heard right.
โYes.โ
โAnd were the jeans black?โ
โI think so. Bit more versatile than blue, isnโt it? Can wear them in the evening too.โ
Bel stalled, thinking it through. Alice didnโt realize what sheโd just said. Maybe she only recognized Rachel Price from that one photo, the one they used on the missing posters and the news: Rachel wearing a white shirt. She couldnโt see the signi๏ฌcance of a red long-sleeved top and a pair of black
jeans. The clothes Rachel was wearing when she disappeared. The same clothes she had on when she reappeared, falling apart; tattered and stained.
โBel?โย Ash said, not understanding her pause, or understanding it and checking she was OK.
Bel ignored him.ย โDo your items have labels in them?โ
โOf course.โย Alice beamed.ย โBaa-Baa Boutique, too good a name to not put it in all the clothes. Can I help you look for something, sweetie? Is it for your mom?โ
Bel didnโt speak, so Ash did again, awkward and shu๏ฌing.ย โI like that pug shirโโ
โActually, we need to go,โย Bel said, holding on to Ashโs overalls to spin him around, camera getting an undershot of her chin.ย โBye, thank you, bye,โย she called behind her, falling into the door, the bell clattering above them, frenzied and shrill.
Silence enveloped them until they reached the car, Bel only then realizing she’d been clinging to him throughout. She released her grip as they entered the vehicle. Ash continued recording, the camera aimed at her from his lap.
“What?” he sniffled. “Did you think it was her? The photo seemed too blurry to be certain, and she’s heavily obscured.”
“Yes… no… I’m not sure,” Bel stammered. “The photo’s unclear, it could be her, or not. She must have cut her hair since. But the items she purchased…”
“A red top and black jeans?” Ash queried, uncertain.
Bel turned to him, exasperated. “Ashโno offense, well, maybe someโhave you been paying attention to this documentary you’re making? Those are identical to Rachel’s clothes when she vanished. The same outfit she wore when I found her walking home Saturday. Filthy, torn, riddled with holes, as if she’d worn them for sixteen years straight. But what if she hadn’t? What if that’s just the impression she wanted to create?”
Ash’s expression shifted. “You mean…”
“I’m suggesting that if she no longer had her original disappearance outfit, she’d need to buy something as similar as possible for her planned reappearance. If so, that could’ve been her here in January, nearby but disguised. A Covid mask would explain how she’s been moving aroundโat least for the past four yearsโconcealing her identity. Is it possible to distress clothes that muchโreduce them to tatters in just a few months?”
โProbably,โย Ash said.ย โIf you were motivated enough. But itโs not, you know, solid evidence, what that lady remembers that unknown woman buying.โ
Bel knew that, she knew sheโd need more, something more concrete if she was going to expose Rachel as a liar. Convince Dad and the police. But this was stronger than a coincidence, she was sure. She could allow oneย ๏ฌuke: the timing of the documentary and Rachelโs return. But she couldnโt allow another. The clothes meant something; a match lit under her, burning in her belly, proof enough that her gut feeling had been right all along.
โTell me what youโre thinking,โย Ash said.
โI think you sound like Ramsey,โย she replied, a surge of new energy climbing up her spine. She rolled her head to let it out, cracking her neck.ย โI donโt know about her disappearance yet, but itโs starting to look like Rachel planned her own reappearance, that sheโs been back for more than just a few days. Which means the basement canโt be real. The man canโt be real. And for some reason, she wants the world to think they are.โย She hesitated.ย โDoes that sound crazy?โ
Ash shook his head.ย โNo. I mean, youย areย de๏ฌnitely crazy. But not for that.โ
She smiled at him, a real one that she didnโt think twice on.
โMate, I reckon we did an all-right job back there, you and me,โย he said, scratching his nose.ย โThe old good cop, bad cop routine.โ
โWhich oneโs the bad cop?โย Bel asked, still smiling, on purpose this time.
Ash gaped at her.ย โCome on. Seriously?โ
