Page 82 of The Lake of Lost Girls

I thought about telling Lieutenant Higgins about the things in Jess’s hiding spot, but after seeing how exhausted Mom was, I knew she couldn’t handle any more shocks. I would make sure to call the detective later and let her know.

Mom seemed unsettled once we were back in the car. As I drove us home, she looked out the window, her lips quivering. “I’ve devoted my entire life to my family. First, with my parents, and then later my husband. Then when Jessica came along I felt I had a new purpose.” Tears slid down her cheeks. “But she never cuddled me. Never wanted to spend time withonlyme. It was always her dad from the moment she was born. I tried not to be hurt by it, but I was. She broke my heart day after day when she chose him over me. So I tried to be a different kind of mother to her. The kind that could be a friend. And when that didn’t work, I was the disciplinarian.” She pressed her fist to her mouth as if to choke back a sob. “It never mattered, though. Because she never loved me. Not like she loved him.” She glanced at me, her eyes bloodshot and puffy. “I’m meant to be the backbone of our family. The foundation. That’s who I’m supposed to be.”

“And you are,” I protested, trying to make her feel better, even if it wasn’t the truth.

Lies were my family’s love language.

“I’m not, Lindsey. And it’s obvious I didn’t know anything about Jessica,” she whispered, pressing her face to the glass and closing her eyes.

Once back at the house I watched Mom sluggishly climb the stairs with barely a backward glance.

Despite Mom being kept out of Dad and Jess’s relationship, I knew she had loved my sister deeply. She may have had me to fill some kind of void, but it was obvious that Jess had not only been the apple of my dad’s eye, but my mom’s, too. It was sad that three had been a crowd.

I went to Mom’s car and retrieved the file box from the back seat. I sat down on the porch step and pulled out the stack of papers I had already gone through, stopping on the copy of the photograph of Jess and Daisy that Lieutenant Higgins had shown us earlier.

I flipped to another interview I had only skimmed. This one was with Daisy Molina, Jess’s roommate.

I read it quickly. It wasn’t long, it seemed to last only about ten minutes. Apparently, the police department was able to identify an ID card used at multiple locations around campus. It appeared they were trying to make a connection between the individual using this ID card and the last known sightings of each of the missing women.

I was surprised to see that the ID card belonged to Daisy.

She claimed that her card had been missing for months and she had no idea where it was. She became hysterical, and the interview ended abruptly. I flipped through the file trying to find where Sergeant O’Neil followed up on what seemed like a solid lead.

But, of course, he hadn’t. Like with Ryan, Dr. Daniels, and even my dad, something that seemed important was dropped completely and never revisited.

Daisy’s name obviously came up frequently in the file. Not only because she was Jess’s roommate and Phoebe’s pledge sister, but also because she was Ryan’s alibi. She was intrinsically connected to these women and this case.

Of anyone, she was the person most likely to have some insight into what was going on back then. I couldn’t count on Ryan to be honest, but maybe Jess’s friend would give me some answers.

I pulled out my phone and googled Daisy. Daisy Molina wasn’t a very common name, but unsurprisingly, there were more than a few matches. I started clicking on links, hoping it would point me to something useful.

Then, I found it.

It was an article from last year about a new dating violence prevention program at Southern State University that had received grant funding. There was a picture attached tothe story of a woman in her forties with shoulder-length golden brown hair who apparently worked at the college. I recognized her immediately. She hadn’t changed much.

Daisy Molina.

I went to Southern State University’s website and looked up their current staff list, and sure enough, there was her name. She was listed as a college counselor at the Student Health Services Office on campus.

She was only a few miles away. It felt ironic that the one woman who could provide me answers had been so close this entire time.

I checked the time. It was just before five. Not wanting to waste another second, I decided to drive over there in the hopes that I may be able to catch her before she left for the day.

I got into my car and headed up the hill toward the school. If anyone could fill in the blanks from that time in my sister’s life, it was her best friend.

Once there, I checked the map of the campus on my phone and made my way toward the Health Services office.

I had never stepped foot on the Southern State University campus before. It felt surreal to be there now, walking in my sister’s footsteps. It had always been a distant point up on the hill. A chapter in my missing sister’s story that seemed a million miles away.

I felt a shiver as I made my way along the same graveled paths as Jess once had. The air around me suddenly felt warm and something brushed against my hand. I stopped and looked around, but I was alone.

There was a whisper of breath against my ear and my heart started thudding erratically.

I could almost feel Jess. She was in the very molecules of this place. I could smell the jasmine blooming like echoes of her ghost.

I rubbed my arms, feeling both comforted and unnerved.

Eventually, I found the small, brick building that housed the health and counseling services for the college. Inside, the small reception area was empty, but I could hear the sound of raised voices coming from an office down the hall.

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