A small sign marked the entry to the long driveway, and as I turned in, the lush grass on either side greener than emeralds from the recent rain, I wondered about what I’d find there. I certainly didn’t want to see Blake. If I did, I wasn’t sure what my reaction would be—overwhelming sadness at the loss of our friendship or all-consuming rage at everything he’d put me and everyone else through. I counted on the amount of activity required of a bride and groom before a wedding—the picture taking, the fussing with clothes, the greeting of relatives—to ensure that we didn’t cross paths. All I needed to do was see one friend of ours, one person with insight into Amanda’s whereabouts, and then I’d be gone, zipping back down the driveway and out of the countryside like an alien observer.

“Yes, that’s right,” I said. “That Kroger store. Why?”

“One of my colleagues checked the CCTV footage. It was all right there, and Kroger was more than happy to cooperate with us.”

“So?”

“So Amanda wasn’t on there. She didn’t go to the store at that time on Thursday. No sign of her. Do you have another guess as to where she was?”

It took three tries, but I finally managed to hit the END CALL button with my index finger. And then I saw I was driving too fast and hit the brakes, slowing the car.

The small parking lot was half full. Blake had told me it would be a small wedding, and from previous experience, I knew the Barn sat only about one hundred people. It advertised itself as an intimate setting, one where your closest friends and family could celebrate with you on your special day. I circled the lot, watching mostly young people step out of cars, the men in suits with no ties, the women in floral dresses and sandals. I looked for a familiar face and saw none. I stopped on the far side of the lot, waiting while two more cars came in and gave up their occupants. A young couple and a middle-aged couple, no one I knew.

Was I even in the right place? I found it hard to believe I wouldn’t have recognized someone by now, but maybe Blake led a life I didn’t know about. That seemed to be the theme that had taken over my life—did I really know anything about anybody close to me?

If Amanda hadn’t gone to the store on Thursday, then where had she been?

At the time Jennifer was killed . . .