“I can’t even believe this is happening,” Emily said as Kate sat down at the table beside her.
“Have you heard anything? Have the police found something?” Kate asked as Mitch and Greg stepped up beside the kitchen table.
“They’re filing the report as we speak and are having a few of the deputies patrol the area. I was thinking Greg and I could help them out, check around her apartment and downtown,” Mitch said, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.
“Go, go! I’ll stay with her.” Kate nodded, wrapping her arm around Emily.
“I love you,” Greg said as he leaned forward, kissing Kate’s soft, pink lips.
“I love you, too. Both of you be careful,” Kate said as Greg and Mitch turned, rushing out of the kitchen doorway.
“How are you holding up?” Kate asked, nearly whispering, as Emily turned toward her. Kate reached forward and ran her fingers beneath Emily’s eyes, wiping away the tears.
“All I keep seeing is her face,” Emily said as she shook her head. Emily tossed her head back as her eyes stared up at the ceiling, clearing the long brown strands of hair from her damp cheeks. “I just see her smile and her dimples, and the scar and her hands,” Emily cried as she looked to Kate beside her. “My baby is gone. My baby girl is out there all alone and terrified and there is not a God damn thing I can do about it. Mitch wants me to be calm and the police expect me to just shut up and cooperate and wait for answers. But I can’t do that, Kate. I can’t just sit here. You should have seen all the posters at the station. There were dozens and dozens of them, all of them, just forgotten. I won’t sit here and let Blair be forgotten. I won’t sit here and just let her become some statistic, some pretty girl no one could ever find. If Mitch can’t find her, and if the police can’t find her, then I’m going to do everything in my God damn power to find her. I won’t stop,” Emily said, shaking her head as her voice trembled. “I will never stop looking for her until one of us is dead.”
clean
Emily’s tired eyes stared forward at the outside of Zoey Duncan’s apartment door as she lifted her hand into the air and knocked. Zoey was probably going to think she was crazy. They had just spoken yesterday about Blair, and here she was again, on her doorstep, begging for more answers. Emily yawned as she heard the deadbolt turn on the other side. She hadn’t slept a wink last night. She just kept tossing and turning, checking her phone every five minutes. But no calls ever came. No texts ever arrived. Zoey pulled the apartment door open and stared back at Emily as her eyes widened.
“Oh, Miss Keller,” Zoey said, resting her shoulder against the door. “Did you find Blair?”
“No, we haven’t, not yet,” Emily said , fixating on the red carpet. She needed answers. And she knew Zoey had them. “Can I come in? I just wanted to ask you a couple more questions about Blair.”
“Oh, I’m really busy right now. I’ve got a final in two days and…”
“This will only take a couple of minutes. I promise I won’t take much of your time. I just—” Emily stopped as she swallowed, fighting back the tears as they filled her eyes. “I don’t know who else to turn to.” Emily nodded. Zoey tilted her head to the right, watching Emily in the silence that closed in around them.
“I guess I can take a break for a bit.” Zoey smiled as she stepped back, clearing the way for Emily.
“Thank you,” Emily said, stepping into Zoey’s apartment as she closed the front door. “I really am sorry for doing this. I just can’t seem to fit the pieces together, Zoey. Everything you told me yesterday was just shocking.” Emily nodded as she sat on the white sofa.
“I didn’t mean to upset you with all of that.” Zoey swallowed, shaking her head as she sat on the sofa beside Emily. “You are her mother, so I just thought you would want to know.”
“I did, and I thank you for that,” Emily said as she rested her hands on her lap. “I just can’t help but feel like there’s more.”
“What would make you feel that way?”
“Well, I mean, you and Blair were best friends for a long time, all through high school. And now it’s like you’re two total strangers to one another,” Emily said.
“I guess we both just changed a lot.” Zoey shrugged. “We just kind of went our separate ways.”
“Just like that? Over her going out to the bars a couple of times? Sounds like a childish thing to end a friendship over if you ask me.”
“I just don’t really think it’s my place,” Zoey spat out as she stood up and moved toward the window, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared out through the glass.
“What are you talking about?” Emily asked as she stood up, staring at Zoey’s back. “Something else did happen, didn’t it?” Emily asked. Zoey turned, her eyes glued to Emily, as she nodded.
“We had a tiny disagreement,” Zoey said.
“Over?”
“Over a guy,” Zoey said, her jaw tightening.
“Over a guy? Cole?”
“No, not Cole.” Zoey groaned, sticking her tongue out in disgust as she walked around Emily and sat back down on the sofa. Emily turned, sitting down beside Zoey as she grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest.
“It was a professor of ours,” Zoey said, almost whispering. “I went on a couple of dates with him and Blair knew I really liked him; she knew how serious I was about
