Officer Toby bows his head and shakes it. His military cut reveals a shiny, pink bald spot on his crown. Paul flashes through her mind. He was in the Navy years before they met. He kept his hair short like Officer Toby’s, and she loved to run her palms over the stubble when he was fresh out of the shower. By the end of their marriage, his hair had grown longer and would often flop into his eyes. She hated it that way, but Evelyn loved it. Her stomach tightens.

“Here you go.” Someone thrusts a fake candle into her hand.

“Where in the world did Caroline find so many of these on short notice?” Jess sounds impressed. She twists the candle in her hand and lets Baxter play with it.

“Definitely sets the mood,” Beth says.

Jess wrestles the candle from Baxter’s strong grip and waves her candle in the air, as if at a concert. Beth joins in.

Crystal ignores their childish behavior, removes her sunglasses as the sun prepares to set, and turns her attention to the microphone. Caroline waits for silence. Crystal glances at her watch. Seven on the dot.

Showtime.

Finally, the crowd settles. “Welcome, everyone. We are here to raise awareness about Rebecca Gray’s missing son, Jackson Gray.” Caroline holds a flyer in her hand. “Rebecca’s son has been missing since Thursday morning and it’s up to us to bring him back.” She pauses to show the crowd. Behind her, a projector lowers, which startles a few spectators. Jackson’s face expands to the entire width of the screen. Crystal strains to see, since it’s not completely dark yet.

Caroline mentions more details but conveniently leaves out the part about Rebecca believing her son is swapped. She’s leading with the direst facts first—facts that people will believe. A missing baby is serious and warrants all hands on deck. But a swapped child? No one knows what to do with that.

Crystal grows antsier with every passing word, murmur from the crowd, and question flung up to the podium. She turns to Officer Toby.

“Shouldn’t you say something?”

He shrugs. “Not my event.”

Suddenly, there’s commotion in the crowd. Bodies part to make room. Crystal stands to see what’s going on, and then Rebecca appears, red ball cap pulled low over her forehead, sunglasses on, her cane swatting the space in front of her. A baby is strapped to her chest. Jake is right behind her and helps her onto the stage.

Everything in Crystal seizes. Rebecca fumbles, then connects with the podium. She strips the ball cap from her head. Her brown hair tumbles loose and wild around her shoulders. She removes her sunglasses, and her green eyes flash as she stares blankly into the crowd. Crystal glances around her, but everyone is riveted, a few whispering about the baby.