TherightofS E GreentobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhasbeenassertedpertheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1976 Allrightsreserved Nopartofthis publicationmaybereproduced,transmitted,orstoredinaretrievalsystem,inanyformorbyanymeans,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,norbeotherwise circulatedinanyformofbindingorcoverotherthanthatinwhichitispublishedandwithoutasimilarconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpurchaser Allcharacters inthispublicationarefictitiousandanyresemblancetorealpeople,aliveordead,ispurelycoincidental
PROLOGUE
TEN YEARS AGO
KEATON YOUNG PRESSED akisstohisfour-year-olddaughter’spalebrownbirthmark,justbelowherleftear.Shesmelledlike coconutandtheocean.
Viviangiggled “Daddy,whydoyoualwayskissmethere?”
“Becausethat’swheretheangeltouchedyouwhenyouwerestillinyourmommy’stummy.”Hedouble-checkedthefloaties securedtoherarmsbeforenotingthebeginningofapinknose “YoustayherewhileIgogetyourhatandmoresunscreen” Her curlyblackhair bounced as she nodded. She gotthathair fromher mother. Now windblownand tangled, it’d be a boogertocombthroughlatertonight
KeatonleftViviansittinginthe shallow tide pool surrounded bytoys and a sand castle inthe making. He waved to his friendLeooutintheoceanholleringashebodysurfedthewaves.
His wife, Cora, looked up fromher book, simultaneously sipping froma large straw fed into an insulated mug. “I do believeyourbrothermakesthebestmargaritas.”
Keatonand his identical twin, Zane, had grownup withCora, whose parents had formed a tight-knit bond withtheirs AlthoughCora and Zane maintained a sibling-like relationship, itwas differentwithCora and Keaton. Theyhad harbored a mutualcrushoneachotherfromthebeginning
Beyond the cabana, Cora’s mother and Zane laughed while playingpaddleball. The rhythmic thud ofthe ball againstthe paddlesfilledtheair Underthecabana,Cora’sfathernappedinabeachchair Keaton’smotherrelaxedinherownchair,eyes closed,immersedintheworldofanaudiobook.
Zanesatonthecouch,drinkinggreenjuiceandscrollinghisphone.Onthecushionbesidehimrestedasparepillow and folded blanket. Not glancing up fromhis phone, he started rambling, “Coffee’s on. Thanks for letting me crash last night. Remindmenottohavewhiskeyeveragain Iputyourmailonthecounter What’supwiththepastduestuff?We’vegottobeat thejobsiteatnine.Don’tbelate.Theownerwantstomeetbothofusseeingashowit’s Brothers’Painting.Wegetthisjoband we’resetformonths”Zaneputhisphonedown,lookingup “Dude,really?Yousaidyou’dshaveandcutthatmop”
In the kitchen, Keaton had already poured his coffee and put a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich in the microwave. It smelledlikedeliciousgreaseandcheese Hisstomachgrowled
“Mycholesterol is fine.” Keatonhad no idea abouthis cholesterol. He peeled the sandwichapartand squirted mustard. “Tellyouwhat,youstopdrinkingwhiskeyandcrashingonmycouchandI’llstopeatingshitlikethis”
In his truck, Keaton plugged the worksite address into his phone. Situated forty miles up the coast fromSt. Augustine, the sprawlingestatecarriedtheupscalePonteVedrazipcode.
He drove the long way, cutting through the historical downtown area, and taking the bridge over to the coast where HighwayA1Astretched endlessly.Keatontookhis time, enjoyinghis coffee, soakinginthe Atlantic’s vibranthues, and idly watchingseagullsfloatonthebreeze Trafficmovedslowlywithcommutersandschoolbackinsession.
Upahead,a school bus signaled.Vehicles stopped.Teenagers dressedinkhaki pants or skirts andburgundyshortsleeve tops stood in a clump They began to board In the distance, a girl sprinted down the sidewalk, waving and yelling Her crossbodybagbounced.Long,darkcurlyhairwhippedoutbehindher.Sheleapedontothebusjustbeforeitsdoorclosed.The buspulledaway
Vehiclesresumedtheirjourney,butKeatondidn’tmove.Hisheartraced.Hisbodygrewnumb. It couldn’t be. Behindhim,someonehonked
“Ugh Ican’tdraw a stickfigure tosave my ” The friendnotedKeatonstandingjustbehindthem The dark-hairedgirl turned around. Her brown eyes met his. She tucked a clump of curly hair behind her left ear. He sucked in a breath. The birthmark.
“Sir!” A teacher hurriedly approached. “Do you have a child who goes here? You can’t be on this campus without permission”Shesurveyedhispainter’soveralls,confused “Oh,areyouaworker?”
“Yes, um, sorry. Iparked inthe wronglot.” He turned away. “I’ll go move mytruck.” Quickly, he walked, ignoringthe curiouslooksofstudents,parents,andstaff
Abellrang.Teenagersdispersed.
Seconds later, he climbed backinto his truck. Atthe school, the dark-haired girl had gone inbutthe teacher still stood there,staringathim
CorafacedKeaton “Youhavegottostopcominghere It’sdrivingLeonuts I’mgladwe’refriends Iam But ” “IsawVivian.”
“Comeagain?”
“Isawher,Cora.Idid.IwasupinPonteVedraheadingtoajob.Isawherrunningdownthesidewalktryingtocatchthe bus I followed the bus to school I approached her It’s her The dark curly hair your hair The brown eyes my eyes” Keatongrabbedhershoulders.“Thebirthmark.She’sgotitjusttherebelowherleftear.”
Tall,dark,andhandsome.Atthis momentshe couldn’trecall his name.Honestly,she didn’tknow whyhe messagedher. Maybeshehad“easysex”writtenalloverherface.
Withapackedcrowdpressinginonthem,theydidtheusualquestions: What do you do for a living? “Dataentry,”shesaid.Shecouldn’trememberhisresponse. Have you always lived in Portland? “Yes,”shesaid Noclueabouthim Are you from a big family? “No,”shesaid,hermooddipping. How old are you? “Thirty-five,”shesaid.Forty-oneforhim. Ever been married? “No,”shesaid,hermooddippingevenmore Hehad,twice Theyshared one more shot of tequila, thenstumbled to the men’s bathroom. He tookher ina stall frombehind as she bracedherselfonatiledwall Shedidn’torgasmbutboydidsheputonagoodshow Soloudinfactsomeonebangedonthe stalldoor,yelling,“Jesus!”
Shewenttobed,butdidn’tsleep.Shestaredattheceiling,disgustedwithherself.Thiscouldn’tbeherlife.Onceupona time she helddreams ofcollege,a husband,andthe biggestfamilyever Her realitycenteredaroundagingoutofthe system witha highschool diploma, a data entryjob thatgave her justenoughmoneyto paythe bills, one boyfriend thatlasted five years,entirelytoomanysexualpartnerstocount,andaboxoframennoodlesinherkitchen Thereshouldbemore.
Dana gother laptop and broughtup a new site she’d recentlysigned up for Facebook She clicked onMia Ferguson’s profile.They’dgonetothesamehighschool.Miaranwiththepopularkids,sure,butshealwayshadakindwordorlookfor Dana.Beautiful,prosperousMiawholivedinPonteVedra,Florida,andsoldmillion-dollarestates.
Manyminutes later, the tall and curvywomanstrolled throughthe secure door thatled to the back. She wore darkwash jeansandatuckedinpolo whatshealwayswore,atleastwhenKeatonsawher Shegreetedhimwithforcedpatience.“Keaton,howareyou?”
There was no time for pleasantries “I saw her,” he said “I promise I did I’ve alreadytalked to Cora I know where Vivianis.Youhavetogogether.”
DetectiveSparksmotionedhimovertoacornerofthelobby.Theysatbesideeachotheronabench.Tenyearsagowhen Viviandisappeared, Detective Sparks searched endlesslyto find her Keatonwished she maintained thatlevel ofdedication now,butsheonlytookhiscallsandvisitsoutofpity.
Shesaid,“YouknowhowinvestedIwas Iworkedtirelessly Thekindofgriefthatcomeswiththelossofachildisdeep Igetthat.It’sbeentenyears,butfor youit’sstill raw andnew.You’renotmovingon.Didyoucontactthatgriefcounselor I toldyouabout?”
“No,theydidn’t.PeoplerememberedwhereIleftherinthetidepool.Noonewitnessedhergointhewater.They thought theysawalittlegirlgointhewater WhataboutthatsilverSUV?Atonofpeoplereportedthatitdroveoffthebeach”
“Because the silver SUVwas goinghome. Whoever was initdidn’trealize somethinghappened. Alotofpeople didn’t realize.Theplacewaspacked.”
Thewomangaveachuckle.“Well,that’snicebutitdoesn’tquiteworkthatway.Youhavetofilloutanapplicationonline. Thenyou’ll be invited infor aninterview. If after that you’re accepted, you’ll need to pass a securityscreening. We are a schoolafterall;wecan’tjusthaveanyonewalkin Youunderstand”
Keatonshotup.Herushedouttheadministrativedoor.Teenagerspouredfromroomsandconnectinghallways.Footsteps pounded down stairs Lockers banged open Laughter echoed Voices lifted He walked forward, his gaze bouncing, searching…searching…searching. Somanykids.
Thelightturnedandshetrottedacross,cuttingawayfromKeatonanddownthesidewalktowardasmallstripmalldonein rich brown and crisp blue to match the surrounding buildings. Communities like these maintained a strict and consistent buildingandcolorcode.
Hekeptoneeyeonthegirlashecrankedthetruck’sengineandcutacrosstheconvenientstore,enteringthestripmall.The girl picked up pace, weavingthroughthe parkinglot. His truckcrawled along, following. She entered a store withcolorful bubblelettersthatread, Paint Away the Day! Keatonparked.
Seconds later, he walked into the store Elementary aged children packed the place, there for a painting party Parents roamedthenoisyclumps,supervising.Oneadultwithagreenapronhurriedaround,gettingsupplies.Thesmellofcookiesand freshpaintdriftedthroughtheroom.
“Okay!” Emily called back She gathered plastic bowls, and as she began distributing them to the tables, she spotted Keatonstandingjustinsidethedoor. Hesmiled.
The door to the store opened. Withpixie short blond hair, a tall and slender womanaround fiftystepped in. She wore skinnyfadedjeans,awhitescoopnecksleevelessblouse,andbeigewedgedsandals Shehadanimpatientlookabouther Emilyletgoofhim.“Mom?Whatareyoudoinghere?”
“Sorry,” Emilymuttered. “Well, anyway, nice to meetyou, Mr. Young. Good luckwiththe job thing. Maybe I’ll see you around”Sheuntiedherapronandwenttogatherherthings
“Idid.”Keatonfeltgiddy.“She’sgreat,Zane.Youshouldseeher.She’sgotCora’shairandmyeyes.Thebirthmark.Her voice is raspy and deep. It’s not at all what I imagined it’d be. But remember Grammy’s raspy voice? Vivian must have inheriteditfromher”
“Youcanbarelypaywhatbills youhave!Stopspendingyour moneyonprivate investigators Stopdiggingall ofthis up again.”Cora’svoicecracked.“Weneedtoheal. I needtoheal.MyGod, you needtoheal.Stopdrivingeveryonewholoves youmad.”
“Ipromised thatwe’d always be a family Ivowed to protectbothofyou Childrenare takeneverysingle day Butthey comeback.It’snotunheardof.It’sher.Won’tyouatleastcomeandsee?You’rehermom.”
Around noonthe followingday, Keatonwalked into the Presbyterianchurchhe’d attended mostofhis life the lastseveral years…notsomuch.Heslidintothebackrow ofhisex-mother-in-law’sfuneral.UpfrontCorastoicallysat,listeningtothe pastorgivethefinalprayer Leooccupiedthespotbesideher,hisarmcradlinghershoulders Herfatherwasontheotherside ofher.
Slowly, the churchemptied Whispers and looks cutKeaton’s wayas word spread thatthe unstable ex-husband showed afterall.Heheldhisheadhigh,resistingthenaturalurgetoduckoutasidedoor.
KEATON REPORTED to his firstshiftat Paint Away the Day! While he tied ona greenapronand affixed a name tagthatread Zane,third-gradekidspouredin,excitedforalesson.
Keatonopenedit,findingasketchpadontop.Hethumbedthrough,delightedshefavoredcharcoal hisfavoritemedium as well He noted the rich black, the pale and wispy greys, the dark pressure points that gentled, bringing a lighter, more powderyconsistency.Shedrewwithlooseexpressiveness,favoringwildlife birds,turtles,crabs… “Youareverytalented,”hesaid.“Doyougetthatfromyourdadoryourmom?” “Beatsme.I’madopted.”
Keatonmade quickworkof gettingto his truck Inthe dark, he waited, watchingthe restaurant Minutes later Mia and Emilyemergedcarryingto-gobags.TheycrossedthelotandclimbedintothewhiteLexus.
Hestayedacarefuldistanceashedrovefromthelot,throughagreenlight,downoneblock,andcametoastopatagated community Aheadofhim,Miaopenedthegate Hegavehertimetodrivethroughandthenfollowedbehindatacarefulpace She curved around a drive thatfollowed million-dollar estates, finallypullinginto a starkwhite stucco home withdark graytrimandmatchingroof Hepulledovertothecurbandcuthislights Manicuredbusheslinedthefrontofthehousewithan expertlyplaceddatepalminthefrontyard.Lawnlightstrailedthegraystonedrivewayleadingtothegarage.
Thegaragedoorwentdown.Secondslater,MiaandEmilyenteredthehome.Lightscameon,allowingKeatontoseewhite leather furnitureandwhitewalls decoratedwithpristinesilver art.Miawentstraighttothekitchendecoratedwithits white marblecounter,silverbarstools,andstainless-steelappliances.
HebetEmilyhatedallthatwhiteandgray Hesureashelldid Emily disappeared down a hall. Mia lifted a remote, pointing it at the front windows. Blinds slowly closed, cutting Keaton’sview
NoproblembecausehenowknewwhereEmilylived.
HAVING JUST PICKED Emilyupfrom Paint Away the Day! Mia walkedalongside her daughter towardthe Chinese restaurant SheonceagaingottheweirdsensationZanewatchedthem.Sheglancedbackattheartstudio,butallseemedfine.“Whatdid thatmanwhisperinyourear?”sheaskedEmily.
Mia picked at her steamed chicken and mixed veggies, her mind ping-ponging with an unexpected email she received earlier today the content of which required a lot of thought and planning in a short amount of time. More importantly, it necessitatedhandlingEmilywithfinesse.ShewantedtotalktoEmilyaboutitbutMiadidn’thavetherightwordsyet.
“Don’tyouhaveashowingtomorrow?”Emilyasked “Ido.Iknow tomorrow is Saturdayandwe usuallygotothe beachfirstthing.Letme dothe showingandthenwe’ll go afterthat Okay?”
KEATON JOLTED UP IN BED.Sweatslickedhisskinandcoatedthesheets.Heslidfromthecoversandlefthisroom.Downthe hall,Vivian’sdoorremainedclosed Inthekitchenthetimeonthemicrowaveread5:02a.m.Hepreppedcoffee. Whilehewaitedforittobrew,hecheckedhisphone,seeingatextfromhismother:
Cora’s invited us all to her house for dinner. You need to come. It’s the right thing to do.
Awhite Lexus came throughthe exitgate withMia driving.She stopped,lookingbothways,thenturnednorthandaway fromKeatonontothemainroad BeingSaturdayandarealtor,heassumedshewasheadingtowork
WhichmeantEmilywouldbehomealone.
Hetookthebizarrecoincidenceasasign.
Keatonmadequickworkofscootingthroughtheexitanddrivingthewrongwayintothecommunity Acoupleminuteslater, heparkedalongthecurbtoEmily’shouse.Withtheblindsopen,daylightstreamedthroughshowingher sittingatthekitchen island
Emilyledthewayacrossanimmaculategrandroomandtothekitchenwheresherecappedherpolish.Openblindsgavea viewofabackyardwiththickgreengrassborderedbyawhitefencethatseparatedthemfromtheirneighbor.Beyondthatthe oceanspread to the horizon. Apadded swingcovered instriped fabric sat centered inthe yard witha sunshade stretched aboveit
“Quiteahomeyouhavehere,”hesaid.
“Youwantatour?”
“Sure.”
Withthreebedroomsandbathrooms,ahomeoffice,andagrandroom,thehomedécorstayedconsistentthroughout white ongraywithasplashofsilverhereandthere.MyGoddiditborehim.
Until Emilyled the wayinto her room. Awashofprimarycolors assaulted him purple walls, greenbedding, and red furniture
Hedriedhishands,tookalongsheetoftoiletpaper,andpulledthehairfromthecomb.That,too,heputinhispocket. Keatontookhis time walkingbackto the kitchen, lookingineachroomagain Inthe office, he noted a framed mural of photos,trackingEmilyovertheyears.Thefurthestonebackshelookedtobeaboutfive.Herlittlefaceheldsomuchsadnessin thatphoto Thoughthenextfewyearsherexpressiongraduallytransformedintosweetandhappy
Keaton washed his remaining breakfast down the disposal. Emily returned with a yearbook. She opened it to a page alreadymarkedwithaPost-itnote.“Thisisherhighschoolpicture.”
Severalpacesdownthedriveway,heturnedtolookather.“Iapologize.It’sexactlyasEmilysaid.I’mdoingamuralinthe area IsawEmilyandstoppedtosayhi I’llleave”Hehurriedtherestofthewaytohistruckstillparkedatthecurb Ablockaway,hechancedaglanceintherearview,seeingMiastilloutside,staringathistruckwithEmilybesideher. He’dlikelygetblowbackforthis,buthedidnotcare He’dfoundhisdaughter
MIA STARED atZane’struckashedroveaway,notingBrothers’Painting ontheside Afterheroundedtheblock,MiaturnedonEmily.“Areyouinsane?Whydidyoulethiminourhome?”
“I’msorry.”Emilytearedup.“Pleasedon’tbemad.”
Mia’sbloodpressurehittheroof.“Heisastranger.Weknownothingabouthim.Emily,wehavetalkedaboutthis.There are people outthere who will hurtchildren. Bad people menand women who take advantage ofkids. Theyabuse them. Theykidnapthem Theytradethemtootherbadpeople”MiagrabbedEmily’sshoulders “Thisisserious Youcannottrustso easily.DoyouunderstandwhatI’msaying?”
At one that afternoon, Keatonwalked into Paint Away the Day! to find Sharontyingballoons to chairs. Keatonjumped in, settingupeaselsandlayingoutsuppliesfortoday’sbirthdaypartywherekindergartenkidsplannedondoingpaintbynumbers
As the children and their parents began to arrive, Keaton noticed Emily’s absence. He asked Sharon, “I thought Emily
