Page 96 of The Lake of Lost Girls

He was shaking, his face flushed red. The vein on his forehead popping in a way it did only when he was angry.

But my dad didn’t look angry.

He looked terrified.

Ten Seconds to Vanish: The Unsolved Disappearanceof Jessica Fadley

Episode 12

Stella:Hi everyone. Welcome to our penultimate episode. I’m your host Stella—

Rachel:And I’m Rachel.

Stella:And this isTen Seconds to Vanish: The Unsolved Disappearance of Jessica Fadley.

*Theme music plays*

Stella:We should address something before we get started. There’s been a lot of blowback in regard to the interview we did with Erica Stead last week. It seems a lot of our listeners were pretty upset with how she characterized Jessica, a woman who isn’t around to defend herself.

Rachel:We get it, guys. And we totally agree. As much as we loved having Erica on the show, it’s important to note that those wereherimpressions, which are completely subjective.

Stella:And we received several emails from acquaintances of both EricaandJessica who claim that many of the things Erica said during her interview were blatantly false. We are sosorry we didn’t vet her better. But, we’re human, and in the rush to get the scoop, we let you all down.

Rachel:More importantly, we let Jessica down. That’s not to say Erica didn’t provide some important insight. And it’s always good to get an eyewitness account, no matter how skewed it may be.

Stella:That’s right, because it turns out Erica did provide some accurate info. Like the fact that Jessica had, in fact, been kicked out of her sorority.

Rachel:And she had broken up with her boyfriend the same day she went missing.

Stella:That’s a big one. Because all this time we’ve been looking at the professor. But we also need to look at the other men in Jessica’s life. Men that were connected to the other missing girls as well. We mentioned earlier in this podcast that this hottie boyfriend had a history with our four girls, and Erica did confirm that.

Rachel:This is a week of big surprises. So let’s get to it.

CHAPTER17

JESSICA

April 23, 1999

The Day of the Birthday Party

EVERYTHINGWAS FALLINGapart.

I got the official letter telling me the school had put me on academic suspension. I wouldn’t be able to return in the fall. I would have to complete any outstanding work for my current classes and then undergo a formal hearing before I’d be allowed to resume my studies in the spring.

How was I going to tell my parents?

I knew my mother’s reaction would be extreme. But I couldn’t summon the energy to care.

School no longer felt important. Grades didn’t matter.

Because every decision I had made since coming to Southern State University was coming together to destroy me.

I packed my duffel bag, throwing items in, barely paying attention to what they were.

To my relief, Daisy wasn’t there. Since our argument, she had been spending the night elsewhere.

I knew she didn’t trust me. Didn’t believe a word I said.

---