“Nobody blames you, Emily.” Sheriff Ross nodded as he sat down across from her inside the dimly lit interrogation room inside of the Elwood police department. “But I do have to ask: Did you know? Did you know what he was doing to Blair?”
“God, no,” Emily said in disgust. “I found the pictures in her apartment earlier. I went over there to confront him, to convince him to turn himself in. I couldn’t just pretend I didn’t see them. I couldn’t just pretend nothing happened.”
“Did you ask him about Blair? Did he take her?” Sheriff Ross asked as the fluorescent light that shimmered down from above flickered against his bald head.
“He said he didn’t.” Emily shook her head, staring at the table.
“Did you believe him?”
The truth was that Emily didn’t know what to believe anymore. She had never imagined that Mitch could be capable of such a horrific act. How could she not have seen it? How could she not have noticed the signs? She knew this was her fault. She knew that if she hadn’t had her head stuck on the bottle, she would have noticed. Emily couldn’t help but feel like this was all her fault. If she had been there, in her right state of mind, she could have stopped this.
“I don’t think he could kill her,” Emily said as her voice quivered. “He was clearly sick, but I don’t think he had anything to do with this.”
“I do want you to know that we are doing everything that we can, Miss Keller. We’re still watching for activity on her phone and credit cards. If she’s out there, I promise you we will find her,” Sheriff Ross said.
“Just bring her home,” Emily said as her teary eyes lifted. “Just bring my baby home.”
***
Emily closed her eyes as the hot water rained down on her from the showerhead. All she wanted to do was scrub the blood off. All she wanted to do was to scrub this entire night off her body. Emily’s eyes fluttered open as she grabbed the shower handle in front of her and turned it all the way to hot. She closed her eyes, inhaling the hot steam. Emily turned, letting the hot water rain down her bare back as she lifted her hands, staring down at the pieces of dried blood peeling from her soft, tender palms.
Emily hung her head forward as her long, wet hair draped her face, the tears flooding down her cheeks as she lowered herself down, sitting on the shower floor as the water rained down on her. She brought her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly as she rested her chin on her right knee.
Mitch was dead.
Blair was missing.
How much more could she handle? How much more heartache and pain and damage could her body take before it shut down? How many more sleepless nights could she endure? How many more days, or months —years, even — was she going to spend wondering exactly what happened to her daughter? The waves of doubt rushed inside her, crashing and rolling, shattering every positive thought that tried to swim through her mind. There was nothing else she could do. She had nothing else left to give.
***
Emily tied the straps of her white robe closed as she squinted in the bright, blinding light shining from the open refrigerator. She tossed her wet hair behind her shoulders as she reached inside, grabbing a bottle of wine.
She couldn’t pretend that everything was okay.
She couldn’t pretend any more that she didn’t need it. The thirst ravaged her, inside and out, slashing through her as she pulled the cork off. It was her favorite sound. Emily rested her back against the fridge and wrapped her lips around the bottle. She lifted the bottle, ready for its quenching power, as her eyes settled on the black, wooden box on her kitchen table. Emily pulled the bottle from her lips as she swallowed.
She shouldn’t have brought it home.
She should have left it in the drawer back at Cole and Blair’s apartment.
But it was another piece of Blair that she could have, another piece she could hold onto until she was found. Emily stared at the bottle in her hand and closed her eyes. She could still hear Blair’s giggle. She could still see her bright smile. She could still smell her sweet coconut shampoo. Emily’s jaw tightened as she took a deep breath and turned toward the sink. She flipped the bottle upside down as she watched the precious, red liquid splash into the sink, circling the drain.
She was done feeding her demons.
She was finished with the cage she had locked herself inside. Enough was enough. Emily turned from the sink, slamming the empty wine bottle into the trashcan beside the kitchen doorway. She sat at the kitchen table, rubbing her tired eyes. She had to figure this out. She had to understand.
Why would Blair lie about all of this?
Who would want to hurt her, and why?
Emily reached forward and pulled the small, wooden box toward her, lifting the lid. Blair had kept a few photos inside, ones from her seventh birthday at the Ridgefield Park. Emily smiled to herself as she grabbed the photos from inside, staring back at Blair’s smiling face, her bottom two teeth missing. Her soft, blonde curls dancing across her forehead as she held on a pink balloon.
Emily stared into the small, empty box, her eyes studying the brown bottom. Something was off, the dimensions …
Emily lifted the small wooden box into the air in front of her. The box was roughly four inches tall, so why was there only an inch of storage space inside? She put the box back on the table and ran her finger along the edges of the bottom.
It was loose.
Emily pressed her
