“That’s all,” I say.
“You can do it, Emma. Tell them you know her name. Let them know they aren’t going to get away with it,” he says.
I get off the phone and go to my computer to send the email. He’s right. I’m letting myself get too lost in the game aspect of this. I need to remember what this is really about. This is a person. A woman whose life took a sharp turn when she was only eighteen. As much as I want to think that she followed her heart and left the life people were telling her she should live to find the one she wanted, I know that’s not what happened.
It’s hard to stay hidden now. There’s a possibility. There’s always a possibility. But the chances that Angeline was able to run off with her boyfriend, start a new life, and live happily but without ever being noticed again, are very low.
Something happened to her. Something she probably never could have imagined.
I don’t know what, but I’m sure as hell going to find out.
And the closer I get to Angeline, the closer I get to Julia.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Thirteen years ago…
Julia pulled the scarf out of the laundry basket but hesitated before putting it into the washing machine. She ran her fingers over the fibers and thought about what Lynn said. This wasn’t a mass-market scarf. It wasn’t something somebody tossed into a shopping cart as a last-minute Christmas gift, or grabbed on an unexpectedly cold day. It wasn’t a cheap bit of acrylic.
But it also wasn’t anything overtly luxurious. Just good quality fibers and skilled craftsmanship, the muted colors unisex and universally flattering.
Julia looked down into the water filling the machine and the soap starting to bubble up. She thought about dropping the scarf in along with the rest of her clothes, then hesitated. After a second, she folded it back up, put it in the basket, and closed the top of the washer.
She checked her phone and realized she was running short on time. She rushed back to her apartment and changed her clothes, pausing only long enough to freshen her makeup and add a slick of red lipstick that seemed appropriate for the sparkling December afternoon.
She tucked the scarf into her purse before waving goodbye to Lynn, where she still sat on the couch. Her roommate gave her a look that seemed to indicate she thought she had transferred something valuable to Julia, as if she had given Julia a responsibility.
There wasn’t much time when Julia got into her car, but she still took the right turn out of the parking lot rather than the left. She drove out of the busy section of the city to the picturesque neighborhood, with the slumbering playground and cold, bare vines on the brick wall.
There was only one car in the driveway, which she expected. She didn’t pull into it. Instead, she drove past it a little and parked on the other side of the street. It wasn’t unusual for her to rush when she was getting up the sidewalk and onto the brick porch, but this time she was trying to get inside.
The door opened and Marissa looked out with a confused expression.
“Julia,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you today. Iris isn’t here.”
“Oh, I know. I just came by to return this,” Julia said, reaching into her bag and pulling out the scarf.
Marissa took it but looked down at it as if she didn’t even remember that Julia had it. Something must have clicked, because she nodded and patted the scarf as if she was acknowledging it.
“Yes. Thank you,” she said.
“It was really warm, thank you again for letting me borrow it,” Julia said.
Marissa nodded, taking a step back as if she was trying to get back inside the house.
“Of course,” Marissa said. “It was a cold night. Thanks again for bringing it back.”
She started to close the door, but Julia stepped forward to stop her.
“Actually, I wanted to ask you. With Christmas coming up and all, do you happen to know where I could get one of those scarves? It’s so nice, and I really think my father would like it.”
“Oh,” Marissa said, looking at the scarf again as if it would help her answer the question. “To be honest, I don’t even remember who this belongs to. I do so much laundry around here, and sometimes it’s hard to remember what belongs to who. Things like this I just hang up in the closet and anybody who uses it, uses it. As far as I know, it’s been around for a while.”
“It has? Like how long?” Julia noticed the strange look Marissa was giving her. “I just mean, so I could ask around at stores. If I know what season it’s from, they might be able to get one for me.”
“It’s been around for years,” Marissa said. “I don’t even know if they would carry it anymore.”
“Oh, well,” Julia said with what she hoped it was a convincingly cheerful smile and a shrug. “I guess I’ll find something else for him. I’m going to head out now. See you soon.”
“Have a good night,” Marissa said.
Julia got back in her car and drove away. She knew she would have to hurry if she didn’t want to be late. Curiosity was tempting her to take out her phone and do a quick search, but she didn’t. This, she didn’t want to be late for. It was far more important than any class or job.
She was thankful for easy traffic and managing to hit every light on her way out of the city and across town. That very rarely happened, and if there was going to be a time for it to happen, this was the time.
When she got to the parking lot, she
