“I told her I was her Uncle Cal and she was my Junie-bug. I’d always love her and I’d always take care of her.” He paused, a sob sliding out of his mouth. “I promised her she’d always be safe.”

“You did take care of her,” I managed. “You kept her safe.”

“Before.” His hands dropped to his sides. “But then today came along and made a liar out of me.”

And what could I say to that? We hadn’t kept her safe and there was no arguing the fact. Junie’s split-open body was the undeniable proof. “Are you going to find out who did it? Are you going to catch him?” I paused. “Or her?”

Cal looked at me, and I saw the truth swirling in his tear-bright eyes. This is a slippery part of the world. People dart in and out of existence like minnows in a shadowy pool. It’s not uncommon for someone to show up in town who everyone thought was dead, it’s been so long since they’ve been around. Folks here are hard to pin down, even harder to catch. The land itself serves as its own kind of hiding place, full of nooks and valleys, tucked-away places where no one would ever think to look. It’s a place for people who don’t want to be found. But Cal nodded. “Yeah. Sure. Of course. We’ll get him.” The vow came too fast, too easily. The kind of promise it’s easy to make because you’ve already broken it before the words are even spoken.

It was the first time he’d ever lied to me.

• • •

Cal woke me in the morning, bright sun streaming in from behind my pale curtains. “What time is it?” I muttered, putting one hand over my aching eyes. I still hadn’t cried, not a single tear, and my lids throbbed. My whole face felt swollen with unshed grief, like an overfilled balloon waiting to pop.

“Almost eight,” Cal said, holding out a mug of coffee that I waved away. “I called and talked to Thomas, told him you wouldn’t be in for a while.”

I shoved myself up onto my elbows. “I can’t miss work.”

Cal shook his head. “I’ll cover you if you need some money. Thomas said he’d help, too. You can’t go to work, Evie. Come on, you know that.”

He was right, of course. I could imagine what a mood killer I’d be. No one wanted to eat pie and shoot the shit with a murdered girl’s mother hovering around, eyes red-rimmed and soul cut out.

“I’ve gotta go in, though,” Cal said. “But I’ll come back tonight.” He paused, looked away. “Can I trust you alone?” he asked quietly. “Trust you not to do anything crazy?”

“Are you asking me if I’m going to kill myself?” I asked, voice even. I waited until he looked at me, his brow knotted up with worry. “No,” I said. “I won’t do anything crazy. Not today.” That’s all I could give him. One day. I didn’t know about tomorrow. I was done making promises. I’d made Junie a thousand and not one of them had mattered in the end.