“I want to look at her coat and see what size it is. She needs a new one, something nice for college visits. We’re going to be doing those when she gets back.”

“We’ll get her a new coat. I promise. But she can pick it out herself.”

“Will we? You want to move. You keep talking about leaving town and starting over. We need to be here, Scott, in this house. For when she comes back.”

“I know. You’re right.”

They move away from the closet. Just as they do, my phone vibrates again. Over and over like someone is calling.

I cup both my hands around it, hoping they can’t hear it.

“What was that?” Laura asks.

“What was what?”

“Didn’t you hear that?”

Scott doesn’t speak. Then I hear the noise, too. Not my phone, but a distant chime.

“It’s the front door,” Scott says.

“Who could be bothering us now?”

“It might be the police. Or maybe the neighbors with more food. Someone brings a casserole or a cake every day, you know that.”

Scott’s heavy steps leave the room. And the bedsprings squeak again.

Everything is quiet. Dead quiet.

Then sniffling from Laura.

“Oh, Chloe. My little Chloe. Where are you, little girl? Where are you?”

This gets to me. Tears burn at my eyes, and I choke them back, trying to keep them from spilling over. Trying to keep from making a sound.

Laura continues to cry softly until Scott comes back.

“Honey?” he says.

“Yeah.”

“You okay?”

“No.”

“Well, there’s someone at the door who wants to see you.”

“Who?”

“A girl from the high school, someone who knows Chloe. She wanted to go to the church tonight but couldn’t, so she came here.”

“Do you know her?” Laura asks.

“No. She says her name is Maria. She’s a Latina girl with purple hair.”

A Latina girl with purple hair?

Gabriela!

“I don’t know if I’m up for it,” Laura says.

“Come on,” Scott says. “Just say hello. It will do you good to see how much these kids care about Chloe.”

There’s a long silence, one that feels like it stretches for days. Then Laura lets out a long, loud sigh. “Okay. I’ll say hi. But, Scott, then I’m coming right back here. I might sleep in here again tonight. What if Chloe comes back, and I’m not in here?”

“That’s fine,” Scott says. “That’s really a good idea, Laura.”

Their footsteps slowly leave the room.

I wait—but not so long I miss my chance.

And when it’s safe, I stand up, my muscles aching now from being squished down in the closet for so long. I slowly push open the door and peer around the edge.

The room is empty. Just the bed and the furniture. And the window I need to get through.