Dear Roger,

I am sorry for what I’ve put you through. It has taken me all this time to find the courage to write. I feel ashamed for not facing you before I left, but I wanted a different life. I couldn’t be a mother. Please don’t look for me. I hope you can forgive me. Daisy

“She doesn’t say where she went or who helped her get rid of the baby. I’ll never understand it. We were in love. And I could have given her things—my family had resources. We could have moved from here. I told her I would work and take care of the baby so she could go to college. I promised to take care of her and our child. And she believed me. I know she did.”

Nic finished the letter. It was short, and lacked any trace of the sentiments Booth claimed existed between them.

“There’s no postage or return address,” Nic said.

“It was left in my mailbox. Whoever helped her leave must have helped her get it to me. She didn’t want me to see where it was mailed from.”

“Her sister said she went to New York. Did you know that?” Nic asked then.

Booth waved her off. “She told me. But she didn’t know about the baby and I never told anyone. Until now.”

“But you don’t think she went to New York?”

He shook his head then. “She hated the city. She wanted to go north—to a place like Woodstock, a quiet place. People think I didn’t know her. But I did. You can’t hide love. Not the love we had.”

Nic felt it again—pity, sadness for this man. She had never been in love, but people could hide anything if they wanted to. Her father included.

“I should go,” Nic said.

“I’m sorry about before.” Booth spoke softly now. “I thought you knew something about Daisy. I thought maybe you weren’t telling me. It caught me off guard, how desperate I still am to know what happened to her.”

“I understand,” Nic said. And then, “Why don’t you just ask Chief Watkins? You’re not the only one who thinks he helped her leave.”

“I did. He swore he didn’t drive her, but he did say she’d asked him for a ride to Boston. What am I supposed to do? Put a gun to his head? I have to live in this town. Run a business here.”

He stopped her one last time as she began to leave.

“Has anyone told you?” he asked.

Nic shrugged. “Told me what?”

Now his eyes, dancing across her face, then over her breasts and hips. All the way down to her feet, then back up to meet her eyes.