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Which was why it hurt so much she wasn’t here with us now.
“I’ve got the keys to her place, and I haven’t touched it. I can’t bring myself to clear it out and get new tenants. Not until I know for sure she isn’t coming back. The cops are finished with their investigations though, so there’s no reason for us to not go over there and get you something to wear. You know she’d want you to.”
I knew she was right. Because Fawn was the sweetest soul to ever have lived. Even now, she wouldn’t have judged me for what I was doing with Zeph. She would have just sat and listened while I talked it out. “Okay,” I whispered. “Can you meet me over there now?”
“Give me ten minutes.”
I agreed, and we both hung up. I left immediately, even though I lived a little closer to the house Fawn had rented from Eve.
I sat in my car while I waited for Eve to get there. When she pulled up, Augie was sitting in the passenger seat. Eve got out and put an oversized cardigan around her arms like she was cold, even though it was still mild out. Augie followed, both staring up at the building like it held ghosts.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Augie.
Eve answered before he could. “He was at the club with me and overheard my end of the conversation. He wouldn’t let me come alone.”
Augie’s gaze flared with defiance, just begging me to have an opinion on his behavior so he could start an argument. But he wasn’t going to find it with me. I knew Augie blamed himself for everything that had happened that night when Eve and Fawn had been abducted from this house and dragged into an unmarked van. I couldn’t blame him for not wanting her to come back here without him.
Frankly, the empty property gave me the creeps. For all I was an independent woman, I didn’t like the vibe. I wasn’t upset we had him as backup. Eve and I had both grown up on the wrong side of the tracks and could put up a pretty good fight, but Augie had the brawn, should we need it.
“I haven’t been back here since that night,” Eve whispered.
I reached a hand toward her and squeezed her fingers when she linked hers with mine. I felt like a jerk for agreeing to this. She didn’t need to be reliving those memories. “If it’s too much…”
She shook her head. “It’s not. I have to work out what I’m going to do with the place anyway. I’ve held it for her all this time—”
“But you can’t do it forever,” I filled in for her.
Eve turned sad eyes on me. “I can’t afford it. If I could, I’d never set foot inside the house again. I’d just leave it exactly as it is until she comes home.”
I didn’t think either of us really believed that anymore. That Fawn was coming home.
“Come on.” I tugged her hand. “Let’s get on with it.”
Eve followed me, but the tremble in her hand wasn’t unwarranted. This was not only the spot where Fawn had been abducted, but Eve too. Eve had been freed, but if it had been me, I probably would have burned the house down already.
Augie strode ahead, keeping us tucked behind him. We didn’t argue about who was going to take the lead, Eve giving up the key when he reached back for it. He fit it to the lock and pushed open the door.
None of us moved. We all just stared into the darkened space. I didn’t know about the others, but I was waiting for something to jump out at us and yell boo.
There was nothing but the scent of must and dust though. Even still, Augie muttered for us to wait, and we did while he quickly scouted the house. His boots thumped down the stairs, and he jerked his head at us. “It’s clear. No one is here.”
My muscles relaxed, but Eve was still tense beside me. We moved slowly through Fawn’s space, Eve running a fingernail over the smiley face tablecloth in the sunny kitchen. Fawn’s laptop and an array of pens, papers, and a calculator all still sat spread out on the tabletop, like she’d just gone for a snack break and was coming back any minute now.
When I glanced over at Eve, she had tears streaming down her face. My own dam broke, and I joined her, the two of us crying and clutching each other, letting loose weeks of fear and sadness.
It helped. At least a little. Some of the weight on me eased just from releasing it. Eve, ever the mother hen, held out an arm to Augie, inviting him to join our huddle.
His eyes were glassy with unshed tears, but his jaw was tight. He turned away. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
We both watched him go.
“He’s not okay, is he?” Eve asked with a wobble in her voice.
“No,” I agreed. “He’s really not. None of us are.”
But what else was there to do but go on with our lives? We had to. We couldn’t stop living because life didn’t make sense without our sunshine girl. I tugged Eve toward the stairs. “Come on. Let’s just get this over with.”
We both trudged up the stairs to the second-floor landing. On the left, the bathroom door was closed, and we left Augie to privately grieve. Eve and I slipped into the room on the right, Fawn’s bedroom.
