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Back When the Stars Go Dark Save as PDF
Chapters (83)
  1. Epigraph
  2. Maps
  3. (prologue)
  4. Part 1: Signs and Vapors
  5. (one)
  6. (two)
  7. (three)
  8. (four)
  9. (five)
  10. (six)
  11. (seven)
  12. (eight)
  13. (nine)
  14. (ten)
  15. (eleven)
  16. (twelve)
  17. Part 2: Secret Things
  18. (thirteen)
  19. (fourteen)
  20. (fifteen)
  21. (sixteen)
  22. (seventeen)
  23. (eighteen)
  24. (nineteen)
  25. (twenty)
  26. (twenty-one)
  27. (twenty-two)
  28. (twenty-three)
  29. (twenty-four)
  30. (twenty-five)
  31. (twenty-six)
  32. (twenty-seven)
  33. (twenty-eight)
  34. (twenty-nine)
  35. (thirty)
  36. (thirty-one)
  37. (thirty-two)
  38. (thirty-three)
  39. (thirty-four)
  40. (thirty-five)
  41. (thirty-six)
  42. (thirty-seven)
  43. (thirty-eight)
  44. (thirty-nine)
  45. Part 3: Time and the Maiden
  46. (forty)
  47. (forty-one)
  48. (forty-two)
  49. (forty-three)
  50. (forty-four)
  51. (forty-five)
  52. (forty-six)
  53. (forty-seven)
  54. (forty-eight)
  55. (forty-nine)
  56. (fifty)
  57. (fifty-one)
  58. (fifty-two)
  59. (fifty-three)
  60. Part 4: The Bent Grove
  61. (fifty-four)
  62. (fifty-five)
  63. (fifty-six)
  64. (fifty-seven)
  65. (fifty-eight)
  66. (fifty-nine)
  67. (sixty)
  68. (sixty-one)
  69. (sixty-two)
  70. (sixty-three)
  71. (sixty-four)
  72. (sixty-five)
  73. (sixty-six)
  74. (sixty-seven)
  75. (sixty-eight)
  76. (sixty-nine)
  77. (seventy)
  78. Dedication
  79. (acknowledgments)
  80. (author’s note)
  81. BY PAULA MCLAIN
  82. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  83. What’s next onyour reading list?

“I know most of you,” he says, “and I know what you’re capable of. Where your hearts are. On September twenty-first, Cameron Curtis went missing from her home in the middle of the night. We have reason to believe she was coerced to do so. Two other girls have been reported missing since then, as you no doubt have heard, both within a hundred miles of us. There’s no way of knowing if Cameron’s disappearance has anything to do with them, but I’ll tell you this. All of these girls need us now. Everybody in this room and all over the county, up and down the coast. I’m asking you to sign on to help with the search. You’re working. I get that. You have lives, but maybe you go out one afternoon a week with an organized search party. Maybe you send out flyers from your kitchen table. You answer phones, you go door-to-door, you spread the word.

“Some of you know Cameron, but many of you don’t. Her mom and dad are private people, and they’ve kept to themselves. But even if you’re just seeing Cameron for the first time on these posters, I want you to take a good look.” He turns to the bulletin board. “Someone’s hurt this girl. We don’t know who, but it’s our problem now. She’s a kid and she deserves better. Let’s make sure she gets that, okay? Let’s bring her home.”

In the charged applause that follows, Troy Curtis stands up and comes to the front of the room. I barely recognize him. He looks ten years older than when I last saw him, ashen and wooden as he reaches for the microphone. For the first time, I don’t note any arrogance in him.

“Cameron is a special person,” he says, clearly working to keep his voice steady. “She came to us that way when she was four years old. It seems impossible that anyone could ever want to hurt her. Any crime like this against a child is an outrage. Any child. She’s an innocent girl. Please help me find her.” His voice cracks with strain. “I know she’s got to be alive somewhere. I can feel it.” Overcome with emotion, Troy passes the mic to Will and returns to his chair as hands begin to go up, and the questions start coming. I scan the faces nearby for Emily, but she isn’t here with her husband. She’s not ready after all.

—