Never Knowing

message. I wasn’t ready to go home and face the possibility of another phone call from my supposed father, so I picked up a vanilla latte and walked along the seawall — obsessing about everything Sandy and Billy had said. We wouldn’t see the results on the DNA test for another three to six weeks, but I got the feeling the police were sure I was the Campsite Killer’s daughter.

Before I left them I’d asked about the other cases, what kind of evidence they had, but they wouldn’t give me details — not even on Julia’s. They said it was better I didn’t know too much so I wouldn’t accidentally reveal anything. They also told me to call them right away if I saw anyone who looked suspicious. Problem was, now everyone did.

When I’m out for a walk I generally stop and talk to anyone and everyone, but now I avoided eye contact and watched middle-aged men warily. Was it him? What about that tall man under the tree? Was that man on the bench staring at me?

It was sunny for a change, but still cool for the middle of April, and the wind off the ocean was biting. After I walked the seawall twice, my cheeks stung and my hands felt like ice cubes. Evan hadn’t called back yet and I couldn’t avoid home any longer — Moose needed out and I had a ton of things to do before I picked Ally up from school. I took a deep breath and headed to the Cherokee. If he called I was just going to have to deal with it.

But nothing happened for the rest of the week. By Friday evening I was starting to wonder if the call was a hoax after all. Sandy or Billy checked in every day, their voices more falsely casual with each call, and I wondered if they thought I’d made it up. The initial flurry of calls from reporters died down, and when I checked online there were no new comments on any of the blogs. A few people asked Evan and Lauren about it, but they told them it was just a rumor. No one dared ask me. But I caught a few odd looks from parents at school when I dropped Ally off. I’m sure people are still gossiping, which drives me nuts, but as long as it doesn’t get back to Ally, I can deal with it. I talked to Dad, and the private investigator hadn’t called him back either. He was still talking about suing that Web site, but it sounded like he was losing interest as everything died down and his lawyer bill went up.

It was all going away. I’d never been more relieved.

By Saturday morning I was missing Evan like crazy and couldn’t wait for him to come home Monday. While Ally played over at Meghan’s, I hit my shop for a few hours and got more done than I had in a week. Still riding the high of getting so much accomplished, I took a quick shower before I picked up Ally.

While I soaped sawdust out of my hair, I made mental plans for the rest of the day. Maybe we’d tie-dye some T-shirts and go to a movie later. We hadn’t had a girl’s night for a while. When I was single we used to get dressed up and go on dates together every weekend. As much as I loved my life now, I missed our special times. After she was asleep I could make a rough guest list for Evan to go over. How long had it been since we’d done anything special together? While I pulled on some jeans and one of Evan’s T- shirts, stopping to sniff for any lingering traces of his scent, I daydreamed about a candlelight picnic, then a bubble bath for two, followed by — The doorbell rang.

I peeked through the side blinds and spotted a delivery truck. The name painted on the side was a local company, but I kept one hand gripped on the baseball bat Evan had tucked in the corner and cracked the door.

A short man with black hair and droopy jowls stood on the steps, a small box in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

“Sara Gallagher?” I nodded. He thrust the clipboard toward me. “Please sign at the bottom.”

I rested the baseball bat on the wall behind the door, signed the clipboard, and took the box. As he started backing down the driveway I glanced at the return address.

Hansel and Gretel Antiques4589 Lonesome WayWilliams Lake BC

It was addressed to my business, Better Than Before, Furniture Refinishing and Antique Restoration, but I didn’t recognize the other store. In the kitchen, I cut the tape down the center of the package. As I rummaged through the foam kernels my hands touched something square. I pulled out a blue velvet box and opened it. Resting on satin was a beautiful pair of — Pearl earrings, they were pink pearl earrings.

I dropped the box.

Sandy answered on the first ring.

“I think he just sent me her earrings.…” I struggled to get my breath. “But there’s no note or—”

“He sent you something?” Sandy’s voice was too loud, then she caught herself and it smoothed out. “Just leave everything as is — don’t touch anything, we’re on the way.”

I stared at the box on the counter, my entire body shaking.

“The address said it’s from Hansel and Gretel Antiques.”

“Do you recognize the company?”

“No, but ‘Hansel and Gretel’ was one of Ally’s favorite stories.” My mind filled again with an image of a woman running for her life. “The children, they were lost in the woods.”

Sandy paused for a moment, then said, “Just hang in there, Sara, we’re on our way. Are you home alone?”

“I’m supposed to get Ally. She’s at her friend’s, and I was just going to—”

“Call and arrange for her to stay longer, we’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Ten minutes later tires crunched on gravel. I peeked out the front window — I’d been lurking in the living room, as far from the box as I could get — and watched as a black Chevy Tahoe pulled up, with Billy at the wheel. It was barely parked before Sandy climbed out. Even though it was cloudy, they were both wearing sunglasses.

I whipped open the front door. “You have to get that box out of here.”

Billy said, “We’ll be as quick as we can.”

Inside the house, they pulled on gloves and examined the box and the earrings while I sat at the table. Moose rested his round bottom on my feet, growling at the police under his breath.

My cell phone rang on the table. Sandy and Billy turned and looked at me.

“It’s probably Evan.” I picked it up and checked the call display, then jumped to my feet. “I think it’s him.” I held the phone out like I was hoping one of them would answer.

Sandy’s voice was clipped. “Is it the same number as before?”

“I don’t think so. But the prefix looks the same — I don’t know how he got my cell number.”

The ringing stopped.

I said, “What do we—”

Sandy grabbed the phone out of my hand and checked the call display.

“Pen?”

“Drawer behind you.”

She yanked open the drawer, found a pen and paper, and scribbled something down. She handed Billy my cell, then went into the other room with her phone. She was talking quickly into it, but I couldn’t hear the words. Her hand moved in the air in rapid jerks.

I sat back down with a thud and stared at Billy. “It’s him. I know it.”

Now Billy checked the call display on my cell. “Let’s just wait and see if he calls back.”

“What if he senses you’re here and flips out and—”

“One step at a time. Looks like he might’ve called from a cell this time, so right now Sandy’s contacting a service provider. Hopefully, they’ll be able to triangulate the call.”

“Triangulate?”

“If he’s in a populated area near multiple cell phone towers we can narrow down his location to within a two-hundred-meter radius, about the length of two football fields. But if he’s in a remote area where there’s only one tower, or on the move, that zone could be several miles. If he calls back, just take a deep breath, pretend we aren’t here, and let him do the talking. It’s going to be fine. You can handle this, Sara.” Sandy moved farther into the living room. Her voice sounded angry.