Bel swallowed her drink in one go, knocked the empty glass against her head.
โAnnabel,โย Grandma Susan gasped.
โCheers!โย Yordan smiled, because he must not have heard theย ๏ฌrst part.ย โThatโs not funny, Bel, sit down,โย Dad said.
โDonโt speak to her like that!โย Rachel snapped, eyes ablaze, slamming one hand against the table.
Her wineglass tipped over, spilling a pool of blood over the white tablecloth, a red fork in the stain, reaching for Bel.
Grandpa burst out laughing and Sherry burst into tears.ย โDinnerโs over.โย Charlie got to his feet, waving o๏ฌย the cameras.
โDad?โย Bel called after him. But heโd disappeared into the hallway, two more seconds and the front door slammed behind him. Bel was sorry, because maybe sheโd been the one to push him out. No, it was Rachel. This whole thing was Rachel. Bel glared across at her.
โCome on, Carter, letโs go,โย Sherry sni๏ฌed, taking Carterโs arm, pulling her up from the table.
โIt was supposed to be a nice evening,โย Rachel said, quietly, almost to herself. Almost, if there wasnโt a microphone attached to her.
Saba went after Sherry and Carter, catching them in the hallway.
Yordan stood up, reaching for the handles of Grandpaโs wheelchair.ย โDonโt worry, Yordan,โย Je๏ฌย said, hurrying over.ย โIโll get Dad settled in
the car. You stay,ย ๏ฌnish your dessert. No rush.โ
Je๏ฌย wheeled Grandpa o๏ฌ, toward the side door with the ramp.ย โHere we go, Dad,โย he said loudly, guiding him outside.
Grandma Susan left next, pausing just long enough to shake her head in Belโs direction.
โAlways a pleasure.โย Bel raised her hand.
Rachel moved o๏ฌย into the kitchen, speaking in a low voice to Ramsey and the caterers.
โGood pie,โย Yordan said to Bel, awkwardly, theย ๏ฌnal two at the table.ย โThe best,โย Bel replied, walking away, leaving Yordan the last man
standing, and he wasnโt even family.
Bel narrowed her eyes at Ash, gestured toward the hallway. He abandoned the camera, three steps behind her.
Sherry and Carter were gone now, the front door left open behind them.ย โHey,โย Ash said, sounding almost breathless.ย โThat wasโโ
โCan you turn me o๏ฌ?โย She spun around to show him her ass.ย โWhat? Oh.โ
Ashย ๏ฌddled with the radio pack attached to her jeans. He spooled it up and unclipped the microphone from her shirt,ย ๏ฌngers brushing against her collarbone. Bel shivered; the breeze from the open door.
โThat wasโโย he tried again.
โI know.โย She chewed her lip.ย โKeepย ๏ฌirting with me and youโll have to marry into that family.โ
โWouldnโt dream of it,โย Ash swallowed.
โI need air,โย Bel said, heading for the dark rectangle of outside.ย โYes, IโI also breathe air.โย Ash followed her out here too.
There were two news vans still parked in the street outside, no sign of any reporters.
Up the road, Uncle Je๏ฌย had gotten Grandpa inside his yellow car, the one Yordan now used, since Grandpa couldnโt drive. Je๏ฌย was folding up the wheelchair, leaning over to speak to Grandpa.
Across the street, Bel could see Ms. Nelson silhouetted against the yellow glow of her front door, standing there shamelessly, watching. Enjoying the show, as always.
โThis way,โย Bel said, down the steps, leading Ash past the garage and into the backyard.
โThat wasโโย Ash said again.
โI know it was, you can stop saying that,โย Bel replied.ย โListen, I found something else a couple days ago.โ
โWhat?โ
โOne of my baby socks, in Rachelโs nightstand. Which means thatย A:ย She hid that somewhere when she returned, so the police didnโt take it into evidence. Andย B:ย If she took a souvenir from her daughter sixteen years ago, kinda makes it look like she planned to disappear in theย ๏ฌrst place, doesnโt it?โ
โKindaโฆ,โย Ash said, parroting her.ย โOr it could mean that she had the sock on her when she was taken, in her pocket or something, kept it the entire time.โ
Bel glared at him.
โJust playing devilโs advocate,โย he said.ย โIf youโre looking for evidence, that still isnโt it. You need something that canโt be explained away.โ
Bel glanced at the glow of the kitchen windows, the shape of Rachel and Ramsey moving around inside.
โHow did her interviews go this week?โย Bel asked.
Ash cleared his throat.ย โNo inconsistencies,โย he said, knowing what she wasย reallyย asking.ย โNo details changed when Ramsey repeated questions. She got emotional in the right places. Explained when she couldnโt answer something because the police told her it would interfere with the investigation. Talked a lot about you, actually.โย Ash paused to scratch his head, like he was almost sorry about it.
โAbout me?โ
โThat thinking about you and needing to get back to you is what kept her going. Her motivation for staying alive, forย ๏ฌghting. That sheโs missed so much of your life, but sheโs determined to make up for every day she lost.โ
โBullshit,โย Bel hissed, turning back to the dark silhouette of Rachel in the window.ย โYou can tell, canโt you, somethingโs not right since she returned?โ
Ash stood beside her.ย โEveryone in the family does seem to be on edge, yes. But I guess itโs a tense situation.โ
โI need to get her out of the house.โย Much more urgent, now she could feel her dad pulling away. She chose him, she would always choose him, so Rachel had to go.ย โThe only way to do that is to prove sheโs lying. Expose her. If I canโt prove that she planned her reappearance yet, then I need to shift focus. Concentrate on her disappearance.โ
โNo o๏ฌense,โย Ash said, which was a shame because Bel liked trading o๏ฌense, especially with him.ย โBut didnโt hundreds of police o๏ฌcers and federal agents and journalists already try that? They couldnโtย ๏ฌnd anything; thatโs why her disappearance was always such a big mystery.โ
Bel ignored that, aย ๏ฌash in her eyes, like they might just glow in the dark.ย โWhat would you need to truly disappear for that amount of time? Money.โย She checked o๏ฌย oneย ๏ฌnger.
โQuite a lot of it,โย Ash said,ย โat least initially. But Rachel didnโt have any money when she vanished. Her wallet was left in the car with you, her bank cards at home, and she hadnโt taken any cash out of her accounts for several weeks.โ
โMaybe she gradually took money out over a longer period of time,โย Bel said,ย โso it wouldnโt raise anyย ๏ฌags. Or maybe she got the money from somewhere else. Someone else. Next: A new identity?โ
Ash nodded.ย โShe would have needed a new identity with a new name. To live freely for sixteen years, to earn money. Change her appearance too. A driverโs license. Maybe a passport if she wasnโt in America. All that would have cost money to set up.โ
โSo we circle back to money,โย Bel said.ย โWhat else? Someone who maybe helped her?โ
โA reason,โย Ash said, darkly.ย โHuh?โ
โShe would have needed a reason, Bel, to go through all that e๏ฌort. People donโt just decide to disappear. Sheโd need a motive. A reason.โย The wordย ๏ฌzzed like a trapped bee.ย โSomething sheโd done, or someone else had done, or was about to do. Something she was running away from,โย he added.
Bel thought of Grandma Susan, of the Gorham Police Department, and where that kind of thinking had taken them, wrongly pointing theย ๏ฌnger at Dad.
โMaybe she wasnโt runningย awayย from something, but runningย to.โ โWhat do you mean?โย Ash ran a hand up his tattooed forearm, rubbing
it against the evening chill.
โDid you hear what Sherry said, when Rachel was grilling Dad about Ellen?โ
Ash shook his head.
โShe said:ย At least he waited until after you were gone.โย Ashโs mouth dropped open.ย โDe๏ฌnitely missed that.โ
โHopefully the microphones didnโt. And that makes it sound likeโโ โLike Sherry thinks Rachel had a relationship with someone else before
she disappeared,โย Ash completed it for her.
โExactly,โย Bel said.ย โA reason.โย The wordย ๏ฌzzing in her mouth now, another trade.ย โI need to know who she was talking about. Sherry knows something, something sheโs kept secret all this time. She didnโt tell the police, but I bet I can get her to tell me. I know exactly what buttons to push.โ
Bel had spent her whole life learning how to push people, and there was already something between Rachel and Sherry, buried beneath sixteen years. She just needed toย ๏ฌnd it.
Bel slotted herย ๏ฌngers together, cracked her knuckles like a snapped twig, watching the shadow in the shape of her mother. Another silent promise made in the dark.
