Since She Went Away(103)

As clearly and patiently as possible, she explained about Rick Stearns, their conversations online and his firm belief that he had found Celia living in Indiana.

“Someone using the handle ‘Little Bear’ went online and told him that the pictures he took of this other woman were of Celia, even though they clearly weren’t. ‘Little Bear,’ Ian. Ursula.”

“Do you know how many girls in this country are named Ursula? And do you know how many people might call themselves ‘Little Bear’? It hardly seems like proof that my Ursula was involved.”

“But she told him Celia used to go to Indiana when she was a kid, that her grandparents lived there when she was little. How many people know that? I barely remembered.”

Ian tapped his fingers on the tabletop. His nails were neatly manicured and even. “Any of her good friends would remember that. Maybe it was on the news. Knowing that one fact about Celia doesn’t make someone special.”

“Why did she push us to go on TV? Why did she tell Reena about Jared and the alcohol?”

“You don’t know that.”

“Ursula seems to be in the middle of a lot of things. Hell, Ian, she’s friends with the kid whose father was murdered by William Rose. She’s connected in a number of ways. Why?”

“Because her mother disappeared.” Ian’s voice rose, and he thumped the table with his right hand.

Jenna sat back. The volume of his outburst and the display of emotion caught her short.

Ian looked angry. A flush rose in his cheeks.

But he regained control of his voice. “Goddammit, Jenna. Her mother disappeared. Of course she’s involved.”

Jenna didn’t know what to say.

Had she pushed too hard again?

But Jenna was in the middle of it too. And Jared.

She needed to know.

“Let’s ask her, then,” she said. “Natalie, the missing girl, she came back. To my house.”

“She did?”

“She was there when Henry Allen was killed. And Henry Allen and William Rose mentioned Bobby’s name and Ursula’s name. Why, Ian?”

“What are you implying?”

“Let’s go ask her. We’ll just ask her why those men, the men you had following Celia, were saying her name right before one of them killed the other.”

“You want me to wake her up on a Saturday for this nonsense?” His eyes looked cold, skeptical. His voice still maintained an edge of anger. “You say you don’t want Jared dragged into this. Don’t you think I feel the same way about my daughter?” His voice sounded choked. “Our baby. She had a shitty night last night, in case you don’t remember.”

“I had a shitty one too. And you know Ursula has always had a temper. She’s even been violent a few times.”

Ian’s eyes looked like glass. “Really, Jenna? You’d say that?”

“Do you want me to go up there and wake her?”

Ian rubbed his freshly shaven cheeks. His eyes remained cold. “Goddammit, Jenna, it’s always something with you. You’re always shooting off your mouth about something, always pushing people to talk when they don’t want to. Or do things. If you’d left Celia alone that night—”

He stopped. But Jenna’s cheeks burned. She ground her teeth together, holding her tongue.

Ian stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. “I’ll ask her. She’s my daughter.”

She heard him walk to the front of the house, heard his shoes on the stairs, rising above her.

Little Bear. She trusted her hunch.

It was nothing but a feeling. But it felt right.

It made sense. And she didn’t want to wait anymore.

She went out to the foyer where the stairs rose to the second floor.

When she arrived, she saw Ian coming down, his face perplexed.

“What is it?” she asked.

Ian paused halfway. He pointed behind him, somewhere up the stairs.

“She’s not there,” he said. “I thought she was home, but she must have . . .”

Jenna went up, moving past him, and entered Ursula’s bedroom. The bed was made, possibly never slept in. She looked around, pulled open some drawers. It looked as though things had been removed. Underwear, socks. She stepped into the bathroom. No toiletries were visible, no jewelry, no retainer or toothbrush or makeup.

She ran back out. “Ian? She left. Did you know this?”

“No. I swear. She was here last night.”

“So she didn’t hear they arrested William Rose?”

“Not from me.”

“She ran away.” Jenna moved down past Ian. She didn’t know where she was going, but she needed to move. “Her things are gone.”

He stayed rooted in place on the stairs. “My God. What have I done? How did I let her get past me and out of the house?”

“She’s not a baby, Ian. She’s fifteen. You can’t control her.”

“But her mother’s missing. And now she . . .” He fumbled in his pockets, his hands shaking. He brought out his phone. “Let me call her. She wouldn’t just . . . leave. Leave me.”

Jenna watched his face while Ursula’s phone rang. It rang and rang, and Ian’s complexion grew more pale. He hung up and tried again. He still didn’t get an answer, so he left a message.