Chapter Forty-One

Rolling out of bed Saturday morning, I stumbled into the bathroom and winced at my image in the mirror. My eyes had dark circles underneath, and my hair was tangled. Time for damage control—but all I had patience for was some moisturizer and a few swipes with a hairbrush.

Abel and Jenny had organized a poste ring blitz for this morning, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I knew it was important to get the posters distributed widely, but my energy was at a low ebb.

The sky was overcast, with flat gray clouds hovering low overhead as I locked my front door and headed toward the local church where people were gathering. I trudged along the sidewalk, the air cool on my face, my hands in my pockets.

I got to the church about ten to nine. A crowd had already gathered inside. People were standing around, chatting in small clusters, sipping coffees. More people arrived as I watched. Scanning the crowd, I saw that Jenny and Abel were at a table at the far end of the room. I tried to slip through the crowd to them, but people kept wanting to speak to me. Nicole introduced a group of friends from her gym, and she’d also brought other parents from Maddy and Emma’s school. Some of our clinic staff had showed up, full of concern. Members of Jenny’s book club had come, as well as several people from her office. Tom and Amy were there, with two of Amy’s cousins and a few neighbors. Several had brought friends along.

I made a point of thanking everyone for coming out, but it took effort.

When I got to the front of the room, it was clear that Abel and Jenny had everything under control. They had set up a table, with piles of posters at one end and a city map laid out flat at the other. As people lined up, Abel assigned a neighborhood to each person or team, while Jenny wrote down their names and assignments and handed them a stack of posters.

I slipped in next to Jenny. “Do you really need me here?” I whispered.

She gave me a sharp glance. “No, we’re fine. Why don’t you go have a coffee, or take a walk…”

“Thanks, I think I’ll just go back home.”

I scuffed along the sidewalk with my head bowed, retracing my steps. Sudden wind gusts were lifting leaves from the gutters and sending them scudding along the sidewalks. A sense of dread was filling me, a sense that Maddy’s time was running out.

Daniel was on my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Somehow his alibi just didn’t seem enough to eliminate him as a concern. On an impulse, I decided I had to go to his house and confront him.

I’d have to get his address from Bob.