Unspeakable Things(81)

She nodded and fished them out of a skinny cabinet. She handed them over. I dug in the back pocket and felt the riffle of paper and the cool metal of Gabriel’s paper airplane necklace. I handed the latter to her.

“Ohmygod.” She held it as if it were made out of tissue paper.

“I found it outside Goblin’s house. I think Gabriel must have thrown it out to help us find him.” I wasn’t sure I thought that, but I desperately wanted to say something nice about Gabriel.

She began weeping again, but softer. “Thank you for bringing my boy back to me.”

Her pain was so big, but she was trying to keep it to herself so it didn’t spill all over me. “I’m sorry he’s gone,” I said.

She nodded, rubbing her fingers over the necklace. “I want you to have this,” she said, handing it back to me.

I held up my good hand. “I can’t!” I didn’t want to take anything from her. She’d already lost too much. Besides, the police probably needed it for evidence.

“No, please,” she said. “It would mean everything to us. You know Gabriel wanted to be a pilot?”

I did.

In the end, I took the necklace, and if me ending up with that doesn’t tell you that there is a grand plan for this life, then you’re hopeless.





CHAPTER 58

Mrs. Wellstone and I ended up talking some more. We promised we’d keep in touch. She left, but Mom and Sephie were still haunting the corners of the room, almost like the three of us didn’t know each other.

A knock at the door saved me from having to figure out what to do about that.

“Cassandra?”

I recognized Officer Kent but not the woman with him. He closed the door behind them both.

“This is Ms. Didier. She’s a social worker. We’d like to talk with you.”

I held Gabriel’s necklace. My jeans were draped over me, the edge of the drug tally sheet showing in my back pocket. Mom moved toward me, but Officer Kent held up his hand.

“We’d like to talk with her alone, if you don’t mind. We have your permission?”

Mom nodded, but she looked wretched. When she and Sephie stepped out, I caught a flash of colors in the hallway. It was Evie and Frank. Frank was holding flowers like he’d come to ask me to prom rather than was visiting me in the hospital. What a dork.

I smiled, even though I couldn’t smell anything but Goblin’s basement.

I was going to tell my story.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It takes a dream team to assemble a book that cuts this close to home, and boy, did I get one.

First, deep and forever thanks to my agent, Jill Marsal, and my editor, Jessica Tribble, for believing in this story. It’s an odd duck of a suspense novel—a thriller for adults but with a teenage protagonist, set in a flyover state—and it wouldn’t have found its audience without those two. Thanks also to Jessica and Charlotte Herscher for zeroing in on the heart of the story and trimming away the distractions. (If you’d like to read the ten scintillating pages of chicken butchering they cut, shoot me an email.) Thanks to Jon for his incisive and encouraging copyediting, Kellie for her supportive proofreading, Carissa for her oversight.

Gratitude to my emotional support creatives: Shannon Baker, Johnny Shaw, and Terri Bischoff, who read early drafts and gave crucial feedback and love; Catriona McPherson, for taking me in at a low point, opening up her warm hug of a home, and shoring me up inside; Linda Joffe Hull for sage career advice; Lori Rader-Day for the title of this book and so much more, including the scream room; Susie Calkins and Nadine Nettmann for the laughs, wine, and wisdom.

To my writing group, Prose before Bros, thank you for providing a sounding board as well as a watercooler. Thank you especially to Carolyn, who’s on this journey with me in so many ways.

Gratitude to my aunt Suzanna, who has waited patiently for me to find my way out of the madness: thank you for leading with courage, kindness, and humor. Zo? and Xander, I am unbearably proud of both of you, and of your compasses that point true north. Amanda, I see your strength, and it’s humbling. Christine, Kellie, and Cindy, thank you for being my sisters. Looking forward to many more adventures. Tony, thank you for growing with me, standing by me, and sharing your creativity and beautiful heart.

And finally, thank you to Patrick, who opened the door to a whole new world.