My feet move, carrying me out of the kitchen and into the hallway. I put on my Chucks before hurrying outside. It’s drizzling with rain, and by the time I’ve crossed the grass to Mr. Reid’s porch, my hair is frizzy, and my gray Oxford hoodie is damp. I knock on the door and wait. I don’t know what I want to say to Mr. Reid. I just know that I don’t want to be alone right now.

The lock sounds in the door and then it opens, revealing Mr. Reid. He’s unshaven, with bloodshot eyes and a food stain on his white T-shirt. I’ve never seen him this unkempt before. He used to take pride in his looks, but losing his daughter…

“I watched the news.”

He opens the door further and steps aside, a silent invitation for me to enter.

“Can I get you anything?” he asks in a croaky voice. I quickly shake my head, following him into the living room, where we take a seat on the couch. The coffee table is littered with empty pizza boxes and beer bottles. There’s even an ashtray with cigarette stubs. I’ve never seen Mr. Reid smoke in my life.

“I don’t know how to feel,” he admits. “Relieved that someone was arrested? Sad because they believe she was murdered?” He scoffs, elbows on knees.

“Both?” I suggest softly. I’ve never lost a family member. I can’t begin to imagine the pain Mr. Reid is going through right now. I feel lost without my best friend.

“Fuck,” he breathes out, rubbing his face. “I always thought Dylan was a decent guy.”

When he looks at me, tears bead on his lashes. I don’t reply because I don’t know what to say. Mr. Reid seems happy not to be alone. We sit in silence, both deep in our own thoughts.

“Can they arrest him when the only evidence is blood?” I ask him.

“Yeah.”

“What if he didn’t do it?”

Mr. Reid sighs long and deep. “We have to trust that the investigators know what they’re doing. Dylan was the last one to be seen with her. Her blood was in his bedroom.”

I chew my lip. It’s hard to imagine Dylan would ever hurt Chloe, but he was sometimes jealous and possessive.

“How are you holding up?”

Tucking my hair behind my ear, I attempt to steady my shaky inhale. “I miss her.”

He stays silent, waiting for me to carry on.

“She came around every morning, you know?” My vision blurs. When I blink, tears fall, and I wipe them away. “It’s so quiet now. I keep expecting her to walk into my house every morning. She never knocked.” I release a soft laugh. “She just waltzed right in like she owned the place.”

Inhaling a ragged breath, I whisper, “Mr. Reid—”

He shakes his head. “Call me Grayson.”

“Grayson.” I taste the letters on my tongue. “She could still be alive.”

His beard rasps as he drags his fingers through it. “I want to believe it so badly, but the evidence is telling us otherwise. The police changed it to a murder investigation the day after her disappearance. It’s not an abduction, Willow. I’m sorry.”