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D ad’s house always smelled like cinnamon.

Not an overwhelming amount, but a subtle hint, like someone was sprinkling bits of it in the corners of the house every week.

It was a comforting, nostalgic scent. Pair that with being seated around our six-top dining table with a bowl of freshly made chicken soup, and there was nowhere else I wanted to be.

“I can’t believe any of this.” Zoey stared at Eve’s purse in the center of the table as I slurped my soup. Daddy was biting into a hunk of sourdough bread while Diana topped off our sweet tea. “Why would they have her purse? It doesn’t make any sense, Rose.”

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” I placed my spoon down to take a sip of my drink. “The whole town is shady.”

“Yeah, well, you’re lucky you aren’t missing too.

” Diana pursed her lips as she sat back and folded her arms. I could tell she’d just gotten her hair done.

Two-strand twists that curled at the ends.

She and I had the same complexion. Her eyes were a little bigger than mine, but other than that, we looked very much alike.

“What if Eve is just messing with us? She always liked playing those dumb games where people have to find her.”

“Like the time we went to Carowinds, and she disappeared out of nowhere,” I said.

“Right. We were all in line, ready to get on the roller coaster, and she just disappears on us. Doesn’t show up again until the amusement park is closing.

Didn’t answer her phone, didn’t respond to our texts.

” If Diana could’ve folded her arms any tighter, she would have.

“She’s so extra—sorry, Zo.” She gave Zoey a sympathetic glance.

“No, I get it.” Zoey lowered her gaze to Eve’s purse again.

With shaking hands, she grabbed it by the strap and placed it on her lap to dig through it.

When she pulled out the charred necklace, her eyes filled with tears.

“But if it is one of her disappearing acts, she wouldn’t have done this .

” Zoey placed the necklace on the table. It offered a gentle clatter.

“That’s the one your grandmama gave her?” Daddy asked, leaning forward and studying it.

“Yes. She would never try and burn it. She never took it off.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Daddy murmured.

“I’m with Zoey on this one, Diana,” I said.

“Even though we know how Eve is, this feels different. Not answering her phone is one thing, but booking a trip to Thailand and not having her passport? Her favorite necklace in a fireplace? Her car in a random sheriff’s garage? No, this isn’t like her at all.”

“No, it’s not,” Zoey insisted, her eyes welling with tears. She started breathing heavily but I slid my chair closer to hers and began rubbing her back to calm her down. She did . . . only a little.

“But the good thing is I spoke to a good deputy there,” I said, looking into Zoey’s eyes. “Her name is Kennedy. I think we can trust her to look into this. She said she would speak to a friend of hers who knows their district attorney. Hopefully that will help figure this out.”

Zoey’s glossy eyes swam with a pinch of relief.

“Now district attorneys are getting involved?” Diana’s eyes expanded as she dropped her arms. “How crooked is this sheriff?”

“Very,” I answered. “I don’t trust him. He seems more like someone who hurts more than he protects.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you have the good cop helping you.” Daddy wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“I probably shouldn’t have left,” I said.

“You absolutely should have left,” Diana countered with furrowed brows. “We can’t have two people we know in trouble. You were smart for coming back.”

“Hopefully this is all just one big misunderstanding,” Daddy offered.

“Hopefully Eve is fine but really needed time to herself and decided to leave everything behind. Maybe she knew you all would see that trip she booked to Thailand and take the bait. I never said it, but I worry about her mentally. Eve isn’t well. We all know this.”

That was true. Eve had a lot of mental issues—things that I told her she needed to seriously look into. She’d always shrug off the way she acted, saying things like This is just who I am , or Gotta love me or leave me, right?

But being as attention-seeking as she was, wasn’t normal.

Coming to my house crying because she felt lost and heartsick for no apparent reason, wasn’t normal.

Waking up in the middle of the night because of night terrors about being abused wasn’t normal.

Sleeping with your best friend’s husband wasn’t normal .

Eve needed help, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

It wouldn’t have surprised me if perhaps she did suddenly just snap and said fuck it all .

But if she did, that made this situation even more dangerous.

A woman going through a mental crisis wasn’t safe.

And if that were the case, we needed to find her as soon as possible.

Of course, I didn’t voice this to my family. Zoey would’ve freaked out. Diana and Daddy would’ve told me to let it go. As badly as I wanted to drop it, I couldn’t. “I think I’m going to head back home,” I said after we ate some of Diana’s apple pie. “I haven’t been sleeping well and I miss my bed.”

“I can imagine you haven’t.” Daddy stood when I did. After delivering hugs to Diana and Zoey, Daddy walked me to my car. “Rosette,” my father said when I was seated in the driver’s seat. The door was still open, and he was clinging to it, looking right at me.

“Yeah, Daddy?”

“I know how your mind works better than anyone else.” He looked me deep in the eyes with his warm brown gaze. “Promise me that whatever you decide to do, you’ll be careful.” His features were hard, unwavering.

My throat thickened as I nodded. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”