She nodded her head in the direction she was staring. "That woman."
He followed her gaze and saw a woman sitting on the rocky shore, her feet just barely in the edge of the water. She had a plastic shovel in one hand and was methodically scooping up the pebbly sand beside her and letting it stream back down. Occasionally she looked up and glanced around. A couple of yards away, a group of little children ran around in some game only they knew the rules to. Further up on the beach, a couple of teenagers tried to balance wanting to look adult with their compulsion to play in the water.
The woman's long blue sundress stood out against the muted colors around her. It only emphasized the empty space on the ground. Surrounded by families and groups of friends, she was alone. Travis looked at the others who were gathering close to the edge of the lake, then nodded toward the other shore.
"Look."
A man sat on the other side of the water, wearing the same shade of blue, surrounded by the same empty, muted ground. Like Carrie’s and Travis's walk along the path toward the lake, it looked like a set moment just waiting to happen.
Sixteen years ago …
The knock on the cabin door was cautious, but before Adrian could take even three steps toward it, it came again. By the time he reached the door and released the latch, the person on the other side had knocked three times. That couldn't be good.
One set of knocks was a neighbor needing some sugar.
Two was a pissed-off wife looking for her husband.
Three was desperation.
The eyes of the woman at the door told Adrian he was right. They were wide, and a slight sheen of tears had started to form over them. But she was choking it back in that way that people do when they know if one tear falls, there will be no stopping a flood of others.
"Hi," she said in a shaking voice. More knocking was audible somewhere behind her. "My name’s Carrie. Have you seen a little girl? Brown curls. Pink shorts, and a white top with a flower on the front. She's four years old."
"I'm sorry. I just got here this morning. I haven't even left the cabin. I'm still unpacking," Adrian said. "Is everything all right?"
"My daughter is missing. Her name is Violet. I was rinsing out our bathing suits after swimming this morning while my partner was getting things ready for lunch. We both thought the other one had her. But when we met out at the picnic table right in front of our cabin, Violet wasn't there," Carrie said. "We haven't seen her since. Are you sure you haven't seen her?"
Adrian shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. Which cabin are you in?"
Carrie pointed away from Adrian's cabin. "Up on the hill. The one with the green porch light. I've stayed at that same cabin for years. I always felt safe there. I told my daughter to look for the green porch light. If anything happened and she got lost, to find the green porch light. She's so little. What happens when it gets dark?"
"Carrie!"
A man shouting from down the pathway made Carrie run down the steps and toward him. Adrian watched after her for a second, then went back into the cabin to put on his shoes.
On the pathway, Carrie caught up to Travis. His hands reached for her, latching onto hers before she even stopped.
"What did they say?” Carrie asked.
Travis shook his head. "Nobody has seen her."
"What do we do?" Carrie asked. "What do we do?"
"Have you called the police?" Adrian asked, coming down the path from the cabin.
And with those words, everything melted into chaos.
"I'm Detective Fitzgerald. Tell me what happened, Carrie."
"We need to be looking for her. We need to look for Violet."
"In order to search, we need to know what happened, so we know where to start looking."
"In the woods. Start looking in the woods!"
"This is a very big park, Carrie. We can't send people over every inch of it right now. It's important to focus on the area where she is most likely to be so we can find her. Now, tell me what happened."
"We were getting ready for lunch. She was supposed to be with Travis while I rinsed out the bathing suits, but when I went outside with him, she wasn't there."
"What did he say?"
"That Violet was supposed to be with me. That she was in the house when he went outside."
"Was she?"
"No. I just told you, she was with him."
"You said she was supposed to be with him."
"What does that mean? What are you saying?"
"I'm not saying anything, Carrie. I just need to know what's going on."
"Stop saying my name. You're trying to manipulate me. What you need to do is get out there and find my daughter. She's tiny and alone."
"Travis, I'm Detective Fitzgerald. I've just spoken with Carrie."
"Where is she?"
"She's with another officer right now, going through the cabin."
"Why? Violet isn't in the cabin. You're supposed to be looking for her."
"There are people searching the area, but we need to find out exactly what happened. If we can figure out her movements, it will be easier to narrow down a search area. Every minute is important."
"I know that."
"Then why don't you tell me where you last saw Violet?"
"She was in the cabin. Carrie was in the bathroom. The water in the bathtub was running, so she probably didn't hear me tell her I was going outside. Violet was sitting on the floor with one of her dolls."
"And you were right outside?"
"Yes. Getting things ready for lunch."
"And the cabin only has the front door?"
"Are you asking me if my four-year-old daughter walked out of the cabin right in front of me without my noticing?"
"I'm asking if there are other ways she could have gotten out."
"What did Carrie say?"
"I'm interested in what you have to say."
"What I have to say
