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
It remained half a block behind Emma’s SUV, allowing several cars to stay between them as it followed her.
Nineteen
Cielo Valle, Orange County, California
Present day
Kayla arrived home hungry and went straight to the fridge for yogurt.
“I’m home!”
No one responded.
She replaced her key on the wooden rack on the wall. Kayla had made the rack for her parents a summer long ago, painting little hearts on it. Her mom loved it. The last peg held the keys to their cabin. Above it was a small photo of the place. Kayla touched it tenderly.
Sliding off her backpack, she saw a note posted on the fridge door: Gone to the dentist for a checkup, it said in her father’s handwriting.
Oh my God, he’s so old. You could’ve just texted, Dad. You know how to do it.
Kayla rolled her eyes and began eating banana yogurt when Tug shuffled into the kitchen, ball in his mouth, looking for a playmate.
“No, not right now,” she said.
Tug then went to his electronic dog door in the kitchen door that opened to the backyard and pool. It was activated by the chip in Tug’s collar, unlocking only when he was near. No other animals could pass through it. Tug exited and returned, signaling that he wanted to go for a walk.
“Sorry, buddy.” Kayla scratched his head, then filled his water bowl. She resumed eating yogurt at the counter while reflecting on the episode of Dateline she’d watched on YouTube last night. It was about people keeping secrets and was so interesting with its great detective work. Thinking of it fueled her deepening curiosity about Emma, which had arisen from their recent conversations about Emma’s life.
Do we really know her? Dad’s blinded by his love and busy with his work. It’s up to me to check things out.
Kayla got her laptop from her backpack and again searched for anything about people dying in an explosion and fire at Tony’s Diner in Beltsville, Maryland. Again, nothing came up.
Okay, not everything’s online. And it was, like, twenty years ago. But it’s kinda strange I found nothing.
Kayla finished her yogurt, thinking.
Dad says I have Mom’s journalistic genes. And, like him, Mom was a good investigative reporter.
Putting her empty cup in the recycle bin Kayla considered her situation.
Dad was out. Emma was out. She had the place to herself. She looked at Tug. He barked.
“What’s that, Scooby-Doo? You want to do some detective work?”
Tug barked again.
“Let’s see, where do we start?”