“I…I was in a group home up until recently. No phone, no internet, no outside communication, so I had no way to get in touch with anyone. By the time I got out of there, I was dealing with my mom and psycho-stepdad, trying to get in touch with Vera, and when I didn’t hear from Vera through our usual messaging apps, that’s when I started to worry. That’s why I’m here now.”

His tragic story aligned with what Blythe had told us. I had to trust his word…because it was all I had. And it seemed like it was all he had too. He knew what it was like to be a victim with only your word to save you.

“Were you the one who ran her car off the road?” Oliver glared at Austin and pointed at me.

Austin’s hands flew up in defense. “No, sir! You can even check my car. I would never do something like that. I only want to help bring Vera home.”

It was getting late, and all I wanted was to sit down with Vera’s words and absorb them. Find the message within them. Austin left with an awkward goodbye, and I spent the rest of the night reading and rereading the entry, picking it apart, searching between the lines, interpreting it every which way. My answer was in here somewhere, right in front of my eyes.

No matter what Austin thinks, morals are one of the few things I actually value in life. Personally, I believe in “always telling the truth” no matter the situation. Like Alvera did when she stood up to her husband for what was right. I wish other people valued that moral as much as I do. Like Mom and Dad, who lied to me about my past. Anyways, I guess I’m writing this as a release of my guilt. Honestly, I’m more ashamed of myself for breaking my morals than ashamed of what I plan to do. Running away isn’t as bad as lying to everyone. Maybe it’s justified, maybe it’s necessary to protect them. That doesn’t make me a bad person, right? I’ll worry about that later I guess, but right now, I have bigger things to worry about. Like meeting the family my parents kept from me.

The Pittsburg Press

The Pittsburg Press

Pittsburg, PA

Friday, October 21, 1910

MISSING WOMAN’S FRIEND TALKS

Miss Cecile Cianfarra, friend of Mrs. Alvera Fields, who has been missing since April 16, came forward this evening sharing news of Mrs. Fields’ recent stay in a sanitorium in Pittsburg. Letters were produced between Miss Cianfarra and Mrs. Fields where Mrs. Fields requested Miss Cianfarra’s help in excusing her from her stay.

Detectives were sent to the sanitarium in question and demanded to speak with the doctor in charge, who confirmed the rumor that Mrs. Fields had been admitted for a short time: