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Back She's Gone Save as PDF
Chapters (95)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Video #1
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Ten
  16. Eleven
  17. Twelve
  18. Thirteen
  19. Fourteen
  20. Fifteen
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-One
  27. Twenty-Two
  28. Twenty-Three
  29. Twenty-Four
  30. Twenty-Five
  31. Twenty-Six
  32. Video #2
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. Thirty-Nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-One
  48. Forty-Two
  49. Forty-Three
  50. Forty-Four
  51. Forty-Five
  52. Forty-Six
  53. Forty-Seven
  54. Forty-Eight
  55. Forty-Nine
  56. Fifty
  57. Fifty-One
  58. Fifty-Two
  59. Fifty-Three
  60. Fifty-Four
  61. Fifty-Five
  62. Fifty-Six
  63. Fifty-Seven
  64. Fifty-Eight
  65. Fifty-Nine
  66. Sixty
  67. Sixty-One
  68. Sixty-Two
  69. Sixty-Three
  70. Sixty-Four
  71. Sixty-Five
  72. Video #3
  73. Sixty-Six
  74. Sixty-Seven
  75. Sixty-Eight
  76. Sixty-Nine
  77. Seventy
  78. Seventy-One
  79. Seventy-Two
  80. Seventy-Three
  81. Seventy-Four
  82. Seventy-Five
  83. Seventy-Six
  84. Seventy-Seven
  85. Seventy-Eight
  86. Seventy-Nine
  87. Eighty
  88. Eighty-One
  89. Eighty-Two
  90. Eighty-Three
  91. The Final Video
  92. Acknowledgments
  93. About the Author
  95. Back Cover

Then someone calls my name.

“Hunter? Hunter, open up.”

Dad?

I pull the pillow away. The room feels chilly. My bladder is full, my mouth dry. I feel a little nauseated. I’m frustrated that the concussion symptoms are still around. Dad says my name again. He even turns the knob a few times. As usual, I had locked it before I went to sleep.

“What?” I ask as I’m walking across the room. I really need to pee, and the floor is cold against my bare feet. The temperature must have dropped to something more fall-like.

Why am I thinking about the weather when my dad is pounding on my door at…

6:11. The alarm doesn’t go off until 6:30. What’s his problem?

I undo the lock and open the door. “What?”

Dad isn’t dressed, either. He’s wearing a robe and slippers. Livvy opens her bedroom door and sticks her head out. Her hair looks like a purple bird’s nest.

“What?” I ask again, my voice lower.

“Get dressed,” Dad says. “The police are here. They want to talk to you.”

“What?”

It seems to be the only word I can say. The only word that makes sense.

“The police are here,” Dad says again, speaking slowly like I might not understand English. He glances back at Livvy, who is wide-eyed and looking even younger than her fifteen years. More like a kid than I’ve seen in a long time. Dad looks at me, up and down. I’m wearing boxers and an old soccer T-shirt. “Put some clothes on before you come down.”

“I will,” I say. “I have to pee, too.”

“Then do that.” He backs away. “Livvy, get ready for school.”

I expect her to argue because she argues about everything, but she just nods and goes back into her room, closing the door.

“What do they want, Dad?” I ask. “Why are they here?”

Dad shrugs. “Chloe, I guess,” he says. “Just tell the truth, and you’ll be all right.”

Before he goes, he reaches out and squeezes my shoulder, and then gives me a little nod.

But the gesture feels forced, and as he goes back down the stairs, I feel more nervous than if he hadn’t touched me at all.

Twenty-Four

I empty my bladder in the bathroom. Sweet relief for a moment.

But the cops are waiting downstairs.

In a daze, I go back to my room and pull on jeans and a sweatshirt. My body shakes more.

My body must be ahead of my mind, because I don’t know why I’m shaking. Then the thought crystallizes. Why would the police be here at this hour?

They found her. They found Chloe.

It can’t be good news. If it was good news, the phone would be ringing. A million texts and calls. A celebration.