I stand slowly while holding the back of the bench, like an old woman testing a walker, not certain if her legs will hold. Goose bumps dot my legs. I feel something crawling on me and swat an ant away. The little buggers kill fifty people a year, if I remember correctly. Accidental death by ants sounds gruesome and I try not to imagine it. But I do, and shudder at the thought.

The remaining mourners, celebrators, whatever you’re called a year later, are a cheerful, drunk bunch, including my husband. I see the woman reporter from the local television news, remember her impassioned pleas for information, her somber reporting of the facts. Day one: Missing. Day two: Still missing, meet the parents. Day three: Horror washes ashore.

And there’s Kylie, Saran-wrapped in a light pink dress that matched the sand an hour or so ago, presumably why I haven’t spotted her until now. The fact she blended in is impressive. Intuitively, she knows to stay out of my path. She ducks behind David, trying to become one with the bar. The bartender, for one, seems happy to claim her.

“There you are, Jane,” David slurs. Is he drunk?

“Here I am. It’s time to go, don’t you think? I left my purse on the chair out there.” I point but don’t look toward the ocean. “Would you mind grabbing it?”

“I’ll get it for you!!” Kylie leaps into action, a shrink-wrapped superwoman hopping through the now-cool sand. David watches her go as I watch him. She’s so happy, almost like she’s celebrating something as opposed to attending the memorial of a dead girl.

“Here.” David hands me a glass of white wine. “You okay?”

I smile. Take a sip. It’s good wine. Of course, the Harris family would serve nothing but the best for all of us missing Mary, or all of us who pretend to, like Kylie.

“Fine. Nice ceremony except for the appearance of Elizabeth James. By the way, did you consider asking me to address the crowd? I should have stood up there with you.” I stare at David as he picks up his drink and sips.

“No, not really. I figured I could speak on behalf of our family since I’m the one who wanted the ceremony. As for Elizabeth attending, my parents invited her. Not me.” He squints at me.

“Funny that you’re comfortable having her here, given the fact you broke your promise to me and helped Mary find her. There’s more to the story, isn’t there, David?”

David smirks, clearly unsure what to do with that. “It’s not the right time or place to discuss this. But I didn’t mean to hurt you, Jane. It was a mistake.”