Again, she nodded, keeping her lips pressed together, fearful that if she spoke, she’d cry. Having the police here in her home made everything feel so real. All day Whitney had been expecting Amelia to walk in the door any minute. Natalie rested a hand on Whitney’s arm. Whitney breathed out through her nose, her bottom lip quivering.

“You said that she’d been asserting her independence lately.” Officer McAvoy turned to Natalie. “What did you mean by that?”

“She’s been kind of pushing Whitney away a little, trying to make her own decisions. You know, like all sixteen-year-olds.”

Officer McAvoy nodded, turning his attention to Whitney. “Is it possible that Amelia ran away?”

A few months ago, she would’ve offered an emphatic no. But now she wasn’t sure. It had been her own first guess, after all. “I honestly don’t know. She’s been different lately.”

“Different how?” Sandavol jumped in.

“For starters, she stopped hanging out with the friend group she’s had for years.”

“Would you mind making me a list of those friends?” Sandavol thrust a pad of paper in Whitney’s direction.

“Sure.” Her hand shook so badly it was difficult to write legibly. The words kept coming out like slashes, as if she was ripping the paper, rather than writing on it.

“Thanks,” Sandavol said when Whitney handed it back to her. The officer scanned it, then lifted her head.

“What about Amelia’s dad? Is he in the picture?” One of Sandavol’s eyebrows cocked.

“Yeah. He used to see her a couple of weekends a month. But a year ago, he went to live in Amsterdam for a work project. He and his new wife. They’re expecting, actually.” She clamped her mouth shut, wondering why she was rambling. Calming herself, she continued, “I talked to him a couple hours ago. She’s not there.”

“And he hasn’t heard from her?”

“Not in the last few days. I thought maybe she would go to him, but I don’t think she has her passport, yet.” She paused, drew in a breath. “She did pull a chunk of money out of her bank account recently, though.”

“We’ll need you to provide Dan’s information, as well.”

Whitney nodded.

“Does Amelia have a job?” McAvoy asked.

“No, but she babysits from time to time.”

“What about hobbies?” His eyebrows raised slightly.

“She dabbles in a lot of things. Drawing. Fashion. She loves music. Movies. She sometimes helps Natalie with the designs for the business. But her biggest hobby has always been swimming,” Whitney said. “She’s competed on swim team since she was seven.”