Chapter 2 - A Name I Already Knew
My fingers went cold around the mug.
"What did she find?" It barely came out.
Nicole took a breath. "She told Lily there was a bag in the trunk. A big one. With women's clothes inside." A pause. "She said they weren't yours. She was very clear about that part."
The kitchen seemed to shift under me.
"She's seven," I said. "She probably got confused."
"That's what I figured too," Nicole said. "But then she described it. Pink bag. Zipper broken on one side. And a luggage tag on the handle."
I set the mug down before it slipped out of my hand.
"Did she say what the tag said?"
Another silence, longer this time.
"She said the name on it was Kristen."
I couldn't answer. My throat had closed.
Because I knew that name.
Ethan had mentioned a Kristen exactly once, maybe two years back. A coworker from the Denver office. Someone he said he hadn't talked to since she transferred.
"I'm sorry," Nicole said softly. "I went back and forth on calling. But I have a daughter too. I'd want to know."
We hung up. I sat still for a long time, the coffee going cold in front of me.
Then I walked out to the garage.
Ethan's car was gone. But on the concrete, near where the back bumper would sit, something small caught the light.
I crouched and picked it up.
May you like
A hotel key card. The date printed on the little paper sleeve still tucked behind it: last Thursday.
Last Thursday, Ethan told me he'd be working late.
