I think about Daniel, the way he was staring at her. The words he said to Shannon, words I once thought were reassuring, their meaning now much more sinister.
One day, they’ll just be distant memories.
“I mean, she’s gone.” She takes three little breaths in quick succession. “We woke up this morning, and she wasn’t in her room. She snuck out again, through the window, but she hasn’t come home. It’s been an entire day.”
“Did you call Daniel?” I ask, hoping the tension in my voice doesn’t give anything away. “I mean, when you couldn’t reach me?”
“Yes,” she says, her voice tense now. “He was under the impression that we were together. At your bachelorette party.”
I close my eyes, lower my head.
“There’s obviously something going on with you two. You’ve been lying to us about something. But you know what, Chloe? I don’t have time for it. I just want to know where my daughter is.”
I’m quiet, unsure of where to even begin. Her daughter is in trouble, Riley is in trouble, and I’m pretty sure I know why. But how do I break that news to her? How do I tell her that Daniel probably has her? That he was probably there, waiting, when she tossed her sheet out her bedroom window and climbed down into the dark? That he knew she would be there because Shannon had told him herself, that night in our home? That he chose last night because I was gone, giving him the freedom to roam around as he pleased?
How do I tell her that her daughter is probably dead because of me?
“I’m going to come over,” I say. “I’m going to come over now and explain everything.”
“I’m not home now,” she says. “I’m in the car, driving around. I’m looking for my daughter. But we could use your help.”
“Of course,” I say. “Just tell me where to be.”
I hang up with instructions to drive down every side street within a ten-mile radius of their home. I stand up from the bed and look down, my duffel bag resting by my feet, Daniel’s receipts piled on top of that white envelope. I reach down and push everything back into my bag and grab the handle, flinging it over my shoulder. Then I look back down at my phone, at the texts from Daniel.
Chloe, can you call me, please?
Chloe, where are you?
I have a voice mail, and for a second, I consider deleting it. I can’t hear his voice right now. I can’t hear his excuses. But what if he has Riley? What if I can still save her? I press the recording and lift the phone to my ear. His voice seeps into my brain, slippery like oil, filling every corner, every gap. Coating everything.
Hi, Chloe. Listen … I don’t really know what’s going on with you right now. You’re not at your bachelorette party. I just talked to Shannon. I don’t know where you are, but obviously, something is wrong.
The line is quiet for too long. I look down at my phone, to see if the voice mail is over, but the timer is still ticking forward. Finally, he speaks again.
I’m going to be gone by the time you get home. God knows where you are right now. I’ll be gone by tomorrow morning. This is your house. Whatever it is that you’re trying to work through, you shouldn’t feel like you can’t do it from here.
My chest constricts. He’s leaving. He’s running.
I love you, he says. It comes out more like a sigh. More than you know.
The recording ends abruptly, and I’m left standing in the middle of the motel room, Daniel’s voice still echoing around me. I’ll be gone by tomorrow morning. I glance at the alarm clock again—it’s ten thirty now. Maybe he’s still there. Maybe he’s still home. Maybe I can get there before he leaves, figure out where he’s running to, and notify the police.
I walk quickly toward the door, stepping into the parking lot. The sun has already descended below the trees, the glow of the streetlights turning their branches into gnarled shadows. I stop in my tracks, instinctively uneasy of the darkness. The cloak of night. But then I think of Riley. Of Aubrey and Lacey. I think of Lena. I think of the girls, of all the missing girls out there, and I force myself to keep walking toward the truth.
CHAPTER FORTY
I turn my headlights off as soon as I pull onto our street, though I quickly realize it’s pointless. Daniel won’t see me coming, because Daniel is already gone. I can tell the minute my car creeps past our empty driveway. The lights, both inside and out, are off. My house, once again, looks dead.
I lean my head against the steering wheel. I’m too late. He could be anywhere by now—anywhere with Riley. I rack my brain, trying to imagine his final movements. Trying to visualize where he would go.