Page 27

T he gentle breeze blew in through the Carolina porch screen. Riley tucked her hair behind her shoulder, and then dropped her fingers to smooth over the soft leather of Hanna’s journal. Ethan was inside, still talking on the phone.

She closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders.

If Ethan hadn’t been there when she’d found the snake, should would have lost her shit.

The only thing that had kept her sane was his steady calm and the way he’d taken over.

Willies raced over her skin, leaving raised goose bumps.

She’d never be able to stay in that house again.

She pushed all thoughts of the morning from her mind, tucked her feet under her, and cracked open the journal.

She thumbed through the pages and pages of Hanna’s cursive writing that she’d already read.

She had more than half the book left to read.

Oh well, best to get started. The rough timber of Ethan’s voice drifted out of her thoughts as she sank into her best friend’s world.

Stories from her work as a kindergarten teacher made her smile. Hanna had loved teaching. In this entry, she had mused about what birthday gift to get one of her students. She turned to the next one, but the smile faded from her lips as she read.

I miss Riley so much. I’m kicking myself for encouraging her to move to Boston.

It just isn’t the same without her, nothing is.

We text here and there and have a monthly phone date, but its light-years away from seeing her every day.

I won’t be able to make the surprise trip to Boston for her birthday anymore.

Stupid car needed new brakes. Maybe I can convince her to come home.

“You okay?”

Her head shot up. The screen door closed softly behind Ethan, two glasses of lemonade occupied his hands. He sat the glasses on the patio table and sank down next to her. She dashed a tear away from the corner of her eye.

“Find any other clues yet?” His arm slipped behind her shoulders, his fingers toyed with the bare skin of her arm.

She rested her head back against his forearm and met his gaze. “There’s a lot of entries, I’m hoping to find something else that’s more helpful than the one creep at the bar.”

“Do you want me to leave you alone?” His knuckles traced lazy circles over her shoulder, then down to her elbow and back up, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

“No, I want you to stay.”

“All right, maybe I’ll grab my tablet and work beside you, and if you find anything interesting let me know.” He pushed himself off the seat, and then disappeared into the house.

She leaned forward, sipped the ice-cold lemonade, letting the sweet and sour liquid tickle her taste buds and run down her throat. Ethan returned a minute later and settled back beside her. The gentle inhale and exhale of his breath next to her while he worked gave her a feeling of calm.

She returned to the entry and they sat in silence for well over an hour. Her eyes ached from scanning the pages, trying to read quickly but at the same time savoring every word. It was as if a small piece of Hanna had returned to her. She rested the book on her lap and rubbed her eyes.

“Getting tired?”

“No, it’s just a lot to take in.” A weight settled on her chest. This was all she had left of Hanna, and while she read, she could hear Hanna’s soft voice as if she were talking to her on one of their many phone calls.

“I’m going to read one more entry and take a break.

Maybe we can get something to eat?” Her stomach rumbled and Ethan grinned.

“Absolutely.” He flicked his wrist to glance at his watch. “It’s going on five already. I’ll see what I have in the fridge, but we may have to run out or grab takeout if that’s okay with you.”

“I’m good with anything.” His hand rested on her knee, and then he stood and entered the house.

She lifted the book again and turned to the page she’d left off on. One more entry and she would give her mind a breather. The next one was short.

Someone sent me a huge bouquet of red roses to work.

They’re gorgeous, and I should be flattered…

but I have no idea who could have sent them.

The creepy guy from the bar a few weeks ago sticks out in my mind, but I’m almost positive I didn’t give him my last name.

The card read, “You’re always on my mind.

I can’t wait to see you again.” I’m starting to think there was some kind of mix up.

Riley’s mouth went dry. She sat up straight and planted her feet on the floor, the journal on her lap.

She scanned over the next entry, nothing unusual.

Could it be a coincidence? No. Ethan had said he didn’t believe in coincidences.

She turned the page again, and a small piece of paper slipped out and landed on her lap.

Her breath caught and her heart thumped against her breastbone.

Her fingers hovered over the worn, faded paper.

She plucked it between her fingers and opened the tight fold.

I need to see you. Meet me on the beach near the pier at nine p.m. tomorrow night. I’ll be waiting xo.

Blood roared through her ears. She stood, but her knees shook beneath her.

“Ethan,” she called. Her breath came out in sharp breaths.

The writing was the same as the notes that had been left for her.

This was it. They had something. The door swung open and Ethan stopped at her side, his eyes wide and fixed on her, their intensity burned her soul.

“This fell out of her journal.” Her voice croaked over the words.

He took the paper from her hands and read. “Sonofabitch,” he breathed. “It’s him. It has to be.”

He set the paper on the table and turned back for the house. “Don’t touch that.” He returned a minute later with a small plastic bag and carefully eased the note into it. His eyes raked over her and his jaw clenched. He pulled her to his chest and pressed his lips against her hair.

“We need to go through the rest of her journal. There could be more. Have you given this to Joe?”

She swallowed over the raw ache in her throat and shook her head. Her hunger had vanished. “No. I know I should have, but he’ll confiscate it when I do. I just wanted to read it myself first.”

Ethan grimaced in clear disagreement with her choice.

Oh well. She couldn’t give away the journal without reading it first. If anyone should be dissecting Hanna’s journal it should be Riley.

The police wouldn’t rush to go through all the entries, and they likely wouldn’t give it back to Riley either.

“I’ll order something to eat and we’ll get through all of it, okay?”

She pulled out of his arms and took a deep, shaky breath. “I feel so stupid. This whole time, Ethan…I could have had the answers a long time ago if I had—”

“Shhh.” His palm gently kneaded the back of her neck, tension eased beneath his touch. “Don’t think like that. You also could have not found it at all. Let’s not get our hopes up though, okay? But this is a damn good clue.”

She took a deep, shaky breath. He was right. The note could very well be a dead end. She had to be prepared for that possibility.

“Why don’t you keep reading and I’ll order a pizza? Any preference?”

“Vegetarian is good for me, thanks.”

“Perfect.” He disappeared inside the house and she sat back down on the patio sofa. Her eyes that had felt grainy before were now wide. Her heart beat steadily against her breastbone as she read the entry that had gone with the slip of paper.

Now I’m getting a little freaked out. He wants to see me again?

It’s possible this is the same person who sent the flowers, but I’m stumped.

I’m debating on whether I should go to the police, but the note isn’t threatening, and it could very well be a harmless prank.

If anything weird happens, I’m not taking any chances.

She exhaled and lowered the journal. So even Hanna hadn’t had any inclination or suspicions. That wasn’t very reassuring. They needed a name. She flipped through the next few entries, but nothing else came up. Please god, don’t let this be a dead end.

She made it through five more entries, and still nothing.

Hope deflated in her chest like a popped balloon.

Her throat tightened as grief bubbled up the back of her throat, its acidic taste threatened to gag her.

Ethan’s gentle touch traced over her knee as she curled against him.

He hadn’t touched his tablet since her last discovery.

She turned the page, and another note slid out and onto Ethan’s lap. Her breath sucked in and she whipped her head to meet his’s gaze.

“Don’t touch it.” He grabbed a napkin from beneath one of their glasses, and the plastic bag. Carefully, without touching it, he used both to open the fold.

“You’re ignoring me, Hanna. And I don’t like it. This is your last chance to meet me at the pier, tonight at nine p.m. Don’t be late.” Ethan read aloud.

Riley leaned forward to get a better look at the note. The writing was neat, with perfect spelling and punctuation.

“What’s the date of that entry?” He nodded to the journal.

The date was written at the top right-hand corner of the page. “June twenty-sixth,” she whispered. The words fell from her mouth with the weight of an anvil. Her fingers curled around the edges of the book. “She went missing on June twenty-eighth.”

“I think we have our guy.” His jaw worked beneath the light shadow that grew. Nausea swelled in her stomach. She set the book down and tunneled her hand through her hair, her elbow rested on her knee.

“This is awful, Ethan. How on earth are we going to tie the notes to anyone? Hanna didn’t even have a suspicion and if she did, she didn’t write it down.”

“There are still more entries, right?”

She nodded. “I remember noticing that the last few entries were written in the last week. That’s a lot for her.”