It's been five years since the sudden disappearance of Cora Cadigan's mother. Five years since the case was closed before it even began.
In the final summer before the end of high school, Cora knows it's her last opportunity to find the answers she...
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"Where did you even find this?"
It had kept me awake last night. The need to know the truth. I'd texted Abby earlier, asking if we could meet at New River café.
She stares down at the ring I've produced. It sits idly on the table; the gold glinting from the fluorescent lighting. She reaches out to touch it, but her hands stop midair, shaking.
"In—in Tom's car," I whisper, tentatively.
When she looks back up at me, it only confirms my suspicions. Not only is this her grandmother's ring, but Tom is her attacker.
"Abby," I shake my head, my eyes falling shut on their own accord. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," she brushes a stray tear from her cheek, picking up the ring. She brings it to her pointer finger, sliding is down the skin. "I'm grateful you found it. Thank you."
"I don't want you to feel pressured, but I want to go to the police," I whisper, "if you'd like to."
She looks up, apprehensively. "CeCe..."
"I won't make you," I reassure her, holding up my hands. "But just know that he deserves to be reprimanded for what he did to you."
The feeling of disgust is just as strong as the feeling of betrayal. For years, I have admired Tom. I used to think he was the grandfather I never had. Now, all I see is evil.
"Thank you," she nods. "I'll—I'll think about it."
"You shouldn't have to live your life in fear of seeing him on the daily," I remark. "He's the one who should live in fright of being fucking brought down for his actions."
She grasps my hand across the table. "You're like—like the little sister I've never had."
"It was so hard not to say anything to him in the car," I shudder, remembering the drive home. "That false innocence he upholds, it sickens me."
"It's how he—he lured me," she sniffs. "Innocence. He told me he was too old to climb his ladder and that he needed me to grab something off the top shelf in his storage room. I was naïve."
