None of us said a word as we sat crowded into the small living area of Anna’s cottage. Cain and Kennedy squeezed together on an oversized armchair, Cain’s arm wrapped protectively around his wife, whose eyes were rimmed in red. Walker perched on a barstool, his jaw tight. As Sutter Lake’s chief of police, he’d already reached out to the detective in charge of Anna’s sister’s case to see if he could glean any additional information. So far, there wasn’t much.

I leaned back against the small couch, looking up the stairs, straining to see or hear any signs of life. Little Lyla’s broken sobs from an hour ago had quieted. Now, there was only silence.

But Anna’s voice still rang in my ears. Her words about an overdose. Justin and Lyla being left without a mother. Images flashed in my mind. Ones I desperately tried to burn out of my brain but never seemed to succeed at. Our SUV crashing through the fence on the side of the road. Slamming into the water. Juliette’s wails.

“Those poor kids,” Kennedy whispered, bringing me out of my freefall.

I moved my jaw from side to side, trying in vain to loosen some of the tension there.

Walker looked up from his phone. “Does anyone know if their father is in the picture?”

“I don’t think so.” I hadn’t heard Justin or Lyla mention him once. Anna, either.

“He’s not. He signed over his rights when he left my sister.”

All of our heads turned as Anna appeared at the bottom of the stairs. There was only one word to describe her. Ravaged. She had always hidden her emotions so well, so it was startling to see them displayed so clearly on her face. As if they were carved into her bones, never to leave again.

“Oh, Anna.” Kennedy pushed to her feet and pulled her friend into a tight hug, rubbing a hand up and down her back.

I fisted and flexed my hands, my fingers itching to comfort her. It was stupid. Anna didn’t know me. Not really. She certainly didn’t trust me. Yet, I still wanted to be the one pulling her into my arms.

Kennedy ushered Anna over to the couch. “Here, sit. Do you want some tea? Something to eat?”

Anna sank down next to me, just a foot away. “No. Thank you. I’m sorry you guys hung around so long. You can go. Really.”

Cain scowled. “We’re not going anywhere until we know what you need.”

The corner of Anna’s mouth twitched. As if she wanted to smile but couldn’t quite get there. “Good to know the bossy streak doesn’t go away, even in a crisis.”

Kennedy rolled her eyes. “It’s even worse in a crisis.”