Heels clutched in her hand, she hurried through the parking lot, dress trailing behind her; she wasn’t looking back, so she wasn’t running from something, she was just … running. Got into her car. Accelerated through the parking lot, up and over a kerb, forcing herself past the traffic on to the main road in a flurry of shouts and horns.

Leo summed it up. ‘The fuck?’

I didn’t even know what to say.

‘What the fuck was that?’ he asked.

I shook my head. What could I have done? Gone after her? I didn’t know what to do, and something was very wrong, and when I got home she wouldn’t answer my calls or my texts and I knew that Leo was right.

Open it. I had to open the folder.

I went straight to Dad’s office and sat, breathed. I kept stealing glances at the window June had knocked on, and thought of her in here, with me, remembering how exciting that first night had been, then realizing how far away it all felt now. Tonight it felt like the office was watching me. It was sinister now, wondering, gossiping, taking bets on what I’d do next.

Open it. I had to.

I knelt down next to the filing cabinet, key in hand, and turned.

I had to do this. It was for her own good. It was for Dad’s own good. This was going to end, and I would know everything, and it wasn’t because she was some girl I had a crush on, it was because something was truly deeply wrong and I only hoped Dad would have approved.

Byers. Conley. Daniels.

I froze.

What?

Byers. Conley. Daniels.

Copeland. Copeland was missing.

I flicked through slowly at first, not really understanding. Then again, faster, and then through every single folder, thinking that maybe I’d put it in the wrong spot or it had got misplaced somehow. But it wasn’t there. There was no Copeland.

She was gone.

June was gone.

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I thought back: I hadn’t moved her. Of course I hadn’t. I’d made a point of keeping her there. So who could have taken it? Mom?

Then I remembered: New Year’s. The smashed picture. Someone had been in the office.

Someone had been in the files.

Someone had taken her. Someone must have. Whoever it was who smashed the picture, they knew her folder was in there, somehow, and didn’t want anyone else to have it. Someone made sure nobody would read about June …

Or June made sure nobody would read about June.

I wasn’t going to wait until the morning. This needed to happen now.

Nothing. Total radio silence.