A flash of anger brightened Zoe’s father’s bleak, brown eyes. “We’re frustrated with the police. They say they have a suspect, but they won’t arrest him. If they don’t have enough evidence, how do they know it’s him? I don’t understand why they aren’t leaning on Heath Yeager.” He picked up a paper and handed it to her. “What if this bartender isn’t the right person? It’s as if they’re more concerned with a possible trial than they are with finding her before . . .”

He inhaled sharply, as if the thought of his daughter’s unknown fate stole his breath.

Louisa scanned a printout of Zoe’s texts. All were from the night of her disappearance, and all flowed one way: from Heath’s number to Zoe’s.

U FUCKING BITCH

WHR R U?

DON’T U DARE SAY ANYTHING

U CAN’T HIDE FROM ME

I’LL FIND YOU

Louisa set the paper down. Heath’s texts painted a more damaging picture than he’d led her to believe. Why were the police so convinced of Conor’s guilt when they had threatening texts from Heath to Zoe?

“How can they ignore all this”—Mr. Finch waved his hand at the list of texts—“because his friends say he was with them? Of course they would lie for their buddy.”

Louisa read the texts again. Heath’s messages went beyond what she’d imagined. Had Zoe been afraid of Heath? Is that why she didn’t text him back? “Maybe she was afraid to go back to her apartment alone.” Louisa reached up to her necklace and rolled a pearl between her fingertips. “Did she talk to you about Heath?”

Mrs. Finch sniffed. “She mentioned him, but she never brought him home. We never met him.”

“Did she bring other kids home to meet you?” Louisa asked.

“No.” Mrs. Finch stared at her clasped hands. “She didn’t come home unless school was out. She helped out with chores when she lived here, but farming wasn’t for her. We were so hoping that she’d finally found a place where she fit in. Somewhere she would be happy.”

“Zoe was desperate to have a social life. She never had many friends.” Mr. Finch rubbed his wife’s hand, as if her fingers were cold and he was trying to warm them.

“It must have been hard on her, being so smart, so different from the other kids.” Louisa knew exactly how that felt.