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Back The Downstairs Neighbor Save as PDF
Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. PROLOGUE
  4. PART ONE
  5. 1.
  6. 2.
  7. 3.
  8. 4.
  9. 5.
  10. 6.
  11. 7.
  12. 8.
  13. 9.
  14. 10.
  15. 11.
  16. 12.
  17. 13.
  18. 14.
  19. 15.
  20. 16.
  21. 17.
  22. 18.
  23. 19.
  24. PART TWO
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. PART THREE
  45. 39.
  46. 40.
  47. 41.
  48. 42.
  49. 43.
  50. 44.
  51. 45.
  52. 46.
  53. 47.
  54. 48.
  55. 49.
  56. 50.
  57. 51.
  58. 52.
  59. 53.
  60. 54.
  61. 55.
  62. 56.
  63. 57.
  64. 58.
  65. 59.
  66. 60.
  67. 61.
  68. 62.
  69. 63.
  70. 64.
  71. 65.
  72. 66.
  73. 67.
  74. 68.
  75. 69.
  76. 70.
  77. 71.
  78. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  79. THEDOWNSTAIRSNEIGHBOR
  80. Discussion Guide
  81. A Conversation with Helen Cooper
  82. Excerpt from THE OTHER GUEST
  83. 1.
  84. 2.
  85. About the Author
  86. What’s next onyour reading list?

Jess was the obvious first choice, though talking to Freya’s best friend could be hard work. She was so different from Freya, so much flightier, and Steph and Jess always seemed at cross-purposes when they tried to chat. Steph prepared to cut to the chase as she dialed her home number. Jess’s dad answered with a bark of their surname: “McKENZIE!” He seemed disappointed that Steph wasn’t a legal client he’d been waiting to hear from, and passed on the phone with a warning to his daughter not to keep the line engaged for long.

The conversation progressed in echoes from there, Jess repeating the last two words of each of Steph’s sentences with added upward inflection.

“Not home?”

“No answer?”

“Phone off?”

Steph eventually ascertained that Jess hadn’t been in any lessons with Freya that day, so hadn’t seen her since morning registration. They only had one A-level subject in common, business, on Mondays and Wednesdays. Today—Thursday—Freya had psychology and PE.

Jess checked Snapchat. Freya hadn’t been online since posting at 9:17 a.m.: Not sure which to be more thrilled about . . . surprise test or explosion of bright green protein shake in my bag!

“She’s had her location turned off all day,” Jess said, as if Steph knew anything about how Snapchat worked.

“Really?” Steph jumped on this. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, we all tend to keep it off these days. I can let you know if she comes online?”

“Yes, yes, please do!” Steph ended the call, rushing on to the next. None of Freya’s friends had heard from her, nobody whose number Steph knew anyway. No one remembered seeing her leave school, but her volleyball teammate Zadie said she often dashed for the 3:45 bus so she didn’t have to cram onto the more crowded 4:05.

Where would Freya have gone without any of her friends? A brief Back at 8 message would satisfy Steph now; she wouldn’t get upset if there were no kisses on the end. Steph still signed off texts to her daughter with Love you or LU, but Freya’s reciprocation had dwindled lately. She was growing up, and it was hard in lots of little ways that Steph had never anticipated.