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He hadn’t heard from my mom, which is getting stranger as time continues to go on. I tried calling her again, but there was no answer. I sent her a text, asking her to call me and saying that it’s urgent. I only went to lunch in hopes that he had an update on her whereabouts.
On Monday, I send a text to my aunt, requesting a phone call. Right after it shows that it was delivered, my phone begins to ring.
“Hey, Aunt June. How are you?” I answer it while dabbing my face with a beauty blender. I’m getting ready to head to the ranch for work.
“Well, hi, deary. I haven’t heard from you in ages. How’s that hunky boyfriend?”
I smile, shaking my head. “I’m not with anyone right now actually. But he and I are friends. I work on his family’s ranch.”
“Oh! That’s a shame. Hard to find a man who’s tall and employed. When are you and your mother going to come see me? I’m in need of a girls’ trip. We should do Miami, or—oh! A friend of mine has a house on St. Thomas. We could …”
Her voice fades out as my anxious thoughts go into overdrive. My mother isn’t with her?
“Hold on, Aunt June. Mom isn’t staying with you?” I interrupt her vacation planning.
Her rambling pauses for a moment. “Oh, well, no. She’s not here. I haven’t seen her since, well … last Thanksgiving? When did we go skiing in Breckenridge?”
My palms grow clammy. I stare at my reflection as my bottom lip begins to quiver.
Where is she?
“It’s your father, isn’t it?” Aunt June’s voice filters through my mental breakdown.
I nod before realizing she can’t see me. “He was cheating again. She was drinking a lot. I thought she was with you.” The words spill out in a rush as I brace myself against the cheap Formica countertop. “She mentioned visiting you. I’ve been texting, calling her. She just … she does this disappearing act sometimes, but it’s been weeks this time.”
“Okay, okay, deary. We’ll find her. She probably met someone. I can’t tell you how many times, before Clay, she would fall into the arms of some guy and be out of touch for weeks, months sometimes. You already know about all the disappearances since then. I’m sure she’s fine!”
A tear slips down my cheek. I wipe it away forcefully. “Do you think we should file a missing person report? I mean, what if something happened?”
My father’s reaction to my concerns yesterday flashes through my mind. His expression was … guilty.
“I would say give me a few days to make contact with our mutual friends first. We don’t want to panic before we’ve talked to who she could be staying with. If Clay did what Clay normally does, she’s very likely just making her rounds until she builds up the courage to go back home.”
From the sounds of it, this is a long pattern that my mother has established. Aunt June doesn’t seem nearly as concerned as I am.
“Okay, let me know, please. Keep me updated on whatever you hear.”
“I will, deary. Just go to work, flirt with that hunky ex of yours, and try to forget about it. I’ll call you in a few days. Love you, honey.”
I know she’s trying to downplay it to make me feel better and not panic.
“I love you too.”
The line goes dead, and I let the tears fall.
22
HOLDEN
The putrid smell of human excrement, body odor, and bleach brings on a wave of foul memories from my time spent in this prison. My throat constricts. I don’t know if I can continue walking through the metal detector without vomiting.
You’re not stuck here. They can’t lock you up. You were freed. You served your time.
Time for the crime of protecting my sister from a rapist.
Cash goes through before me. I follow him, making eye contact with the guard who doesn’t seem to recognize me. We never had any significant interactions, but I’ll never forget any of their faces.
They lead us through the sterile white hallways toward the visiting room. We’re surrounded by women and children, here to visit husbands and fathers. There are a few older couples who are most likely seeing their sons. This isn’t a maximum-security prison, so we’re able to meet with my buddy Connor face-to-face at a plastic white table.
