Page 61 of Someone Just Followed You

Shit. Uber. ‘Her location isn’t showing,’ I say. ‘Either she’s turned it off or her phone has run out of juice. And I’ll check Uber now.’

But Garrett is already ahead of me, opening the app on his phone. ‘Yeah, she booked one,’ he says, nodding, a look of relief crossing his face for split second before it vanishes. ‘At half past eight last night. The driver has marked it as complete, with our address as the destination.’ He looks up. ‘So why didn’t she come inside?’

I swallow. Possibilities rush into my head, but I can’t let myself catastrophize. Maple has run away, caused a fuss for me to resolve, like always. That’s all. She’s not in danger, not hurt. No one has grabbed her from our doorstep.

I’m not sure I want to speak to Dylan now, to hear a truth I can’t handle. But then my phone starts to ring, and as I look at the screen, I see that he’s calling me.

Chapter 70

Kirsten

@RubyRoccsVox, TikTok

It’s funny how no one’s talking about Ella anymore. The poor girl is all over porn sites and still missing, but suddenly all the tea is about why Maple didn’t show up for a Live. Honestly, you guys have the attention spans of jellyfish #findElla

‘Hey, Dylan, we’re really worried about Maple,’ I say quickly, needing to control the conversation. ‘Is she with you?’

‘Me? No,’ he says, his voice rising. ‘That’s why I’m calling you. She didn’t show for the Live, now she’s not responding to my messages, and her Snap Maps hasn’t updated since last night.’

‘And you’re not lying to me?’ I ask. ‘Because if you’re covering for her.’

‘I’m not!’ he calls out. ‘I haven’t heard from her since yesterday, around mid-morning, I think. She sent me a voice note about today’s show. She sounded a bit quiet maybe, thinking back, but she was totally up for this morning. She had some new information about Ella but wasn’t sure that she should share it after Selena Hart’s latest video.’

‘What new information?’

‘That’s the thing: she wouldn’t tell me either. And now she’s missing. I guess I was hoping she’d decided to keep it to herself, and that’s why she didn’t come online. But if you’re worried about her too …’ His voice trails off. ‘I mean, have you spoken to her friends? Could she be with one of them?’

‘Of course I have!’ God, why is everyone acting like I’m either clueless or heartless? ‘They don’t know anything.’

‘Have you tried Coco?’ he asks. ‘Maple tells her everything.’

‘Coco?’ I frown. The name is familiar, but I had no idea they were close. ‘No, because I don’t have any contact details for her. Do you?’

‘No, sorry. She has a YouTube channel, but I’m not even sure what it’s called. Something about searching for a killer.’

‘Wait, what?’ Now I think about it, Maple has mentioned Coco a couple of times, but I assumed she was a typical teenage YouTuber, trying to make it big by pouting into a mirror like all the others. But searching for a killer is something entirely different. Almost like searching for a missing teenager. Is it actually Coco who’s to blame for Maple’s new wayward behavior? And why am I only finding this out now?

‘Mommy.’

I twist at the sound of Aspen’s voice. She’s standing with her brother – Garrett must have let them into the kitchen, pushover that he is. And actually, he must have done more than that because the two of them are holding hands and blinking a lot.

‘Please just find Coco for me,’ I bark down the phone at Dylan. Then I end the call and turn to my youngest daughter. ‘Yes, sweetie?’

Aspen bursts into tears, which is so out of character that the sight makes my stomach clench. I look at Ash.

‘Daddy said you don’t know where Maple is,’ he mumbles, bowing his head.

I throw my husband a death stare, then turn back to Ash. ‘Well, we don’t right now,’ I say, trying to keep my voice light. ‘But we’re sure she’ll be home soon. She’s probably just visiting a friend.’

‘But what if she doesn’t come back?’ he murmurs.

‘Of course she—’

‘She knows Daddy’s not her real dad!’ Aspen bursts out. ‘We all do! We heard you say it yesterday!’

Her words bounce off the walls like a sonic boom. I feel instantly sweaty, like every pore has leaked simultaneously. I shake my head, but in a manic way, like a crazy person. I try to slow it down, but it won’t stop. ‘No,’ I say. ‘No, Daddy was pretending. Weren’t you, Garrett?’

I beg with my eyes, but Garrett’s face is so white, his expression so fixed, that I wonder for a moment if the shock of Aspen’s outburst has killed him. Do I wish it had? This man who I thought would be my rock in a good way, but who seems to have done nothing but weigh me down?