Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
A long moment passed while Tug ate, and Kayla turned to Emma and gave her another assessment. “That must’ve been a nasty fall. I’ll get the first aid kit.”
“No, no, I’ll take care of myself. Just need a bandage or two. I’m fine.”
Kayla stared at her for a long time. “You don’t look fine, but suit yourself.”
“Tug’s home safe—that’s what matters.”
Kayla shook her head slowly, then looked at Tug, nearly done chomping on his meal. Then she looked at Emma.
“All I know is nothing around here is making sense,” Kayla said. “Come on, Tug.” She led him upstairs to her room.
Alone in the kitchen, Emma reached into her pocket for the ring and pondered it in her shaking hand.
In her room, Kayla got on her phone and wrote her dad a message.
Emma found Tug in the park, like you guessed, but she came home a bloody mess. Says she fell on the trail. She’s acting SO STRANGE! WTF Dad?
Kayla knew he didn’t like her swearing but if ever there was a time…
Minutes went by without a response from her father. She looked at Tug. Then she threw her arm around him, nuzzled and kissed him. “If only you could talk.”
Almost fifteen minutes went by, with Kayla playing games online and thinking. Deciding her dad must be too busy to respond, she returned with Tug to the kitchen to possibly try to talk to Emma—but Emma wasn’t there.
She wasn’t in the living room, or Dad’s office.
Kayla went to the bottom of the stairs and called up. “Emma?”
No response. The house was so quiet.
Did she go out?
Kayla looked in the garage. Emma’s car was there.
Walking through the house, Kayla saw her outside by the pool on a chair and watched her.
Emma appeared to be on her phone texting furiously, then looking toward the hills in the park before covering her face with her hands and sobbing.
Seventy-One
Orange County, California
Present day
Tug was barking the next morning as distant thunder evolved into loud thudding when a helicopter passed over the Grants’ house.
Emma and Kayla went out to the back, standing poolside looking to the sky and the lettering on the chopper: Orange County Sheriff.
“Looks like it’s headed to the park near the trails,” Kayla said after it passed by.
Emma watched it disappear from view.
“What do you think it is?” Kayla said.
“A missing hiker?” Emma said. “I don’t know. We should get going.”