Page 5 of Little Buried Secrets

Over the last few days, Foley and Whitlock had knocked on doors and spoken to friends, neighbors, and classmates, trying to come up with a timeline for the day Margot went missing. So far what they knew was minimal.

Margot’s sister, Bronte, told Whitlock she’d spent the first part of the day with Margot while their mother was at work. At around four in the afternoon, they’d made popcorn. Margot asked Bronte if she could borrow one of her sweaters to wear later that evening. It was then Bronte learned Margot planned to meet up with her ex-boyfriend, a fellow high school classmate named Sebastian.

Bronte claimed Sebastian had cheated on Margot at a party with another classmate named Kaia over the summer. Before long, the sisters’ conversation became heated. Bronte didn’t approve of Margot’s plan to see Sebastian. Margot didn’t care. She was seeing him anyway, whether Bronte approved or not. Frustrated, Bronte had stormed off, refusing to speak to her sister.

It was the last time Bronte saw Margot.

Bronte also stated she did not leave the house on the day of the argument, which meant there was a period of time before Rae arrived home when Bronte was alone, with no one to back up her story—a fact I found interesting. I had no reason to doubt her version of events, but it was in my nature to do so. I also wondered if there was more to Bronte’s story, bits and pieces she may have left out.

Sebastian was next to be questioned. He said he planned on meeting Margot at a restaurant at half past seven. When he realized she was late, he sent Margot a text message, asking if she was still coming. When she didn’t respond, he assumed he’d been stood up and that Margot was a no-show because she was still upset with him over his alleged infidelity.

There was over a three-hour gap of time between Margot’s argument with Bronte and the time she was supposed to have met with Sebastian. And then a barmaid at the Untamed Shrew came forward to say she’d seen a girl matching Margot’s description around six o’clock. The girl, if it was Margot, was walking from the boardwalk at Moonstone Beach toward the highway.

It made sense.

Bikes weren’t allowed on the boardwalk.

I theorized Margot had left her bike somewhere, taken a walk along the boardwalk, and returned to retrieve the bike sometime later.

I was contemplating everything Whitlock shared with me when Dr. Rae walked through the office door, sniffling, and looking distraught. We locked eyes, and she slapped a hand to her mouth, hunching over as she burst into tears.

I rushed to her side.

“I’m so sorry, Rae,” I said. “We all are.”

“Thank you for the … for the … the flowers.”

“I’ve been meaning to stop by,” I said. “I knew you’d be inundated with calls and visitors, so I decided to wait. I should have come over. I see that now.”

“It’s all gone so wrong, so very wrong, and I just, I don’t know what to do, and I can’t … I can’t …”

I draped an arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay. Take a moment. Breathe with me. Okay?”

We spent the next few minutes doing breathwork, something I’d picked up from a spiritual guide I’d met at a wellness retreat.

Deep breath in.

Hold for count of four.

Deep breath out for the count of four.

It seemed to help.

As Rae became more relaxed, I walked with her to the sofa, and we sat down. Hunter rushed toward the kitchen, returning with a glass of water, which she handed to Rae.

“We don’t need to talk about anything specific right now,” I said. “We can just sit in front of the fire where it’s quiet, and you don’t have to deal with anyone calling or stopping by or pressing you with questions.”

She nodded, and for the next several minutes, we sat in silent solidarity as she worked through her emotions. When the tears stopped flowing, she shifted her attention to a rock water feature at the far end of the office. It had been a gift from my fiancé, Giovanni, to celebrate the opening of the detective agency. It was a gem of a purchase, setting the mood for moments like the one I was sharing with Rae now.

Rae took a few sips of water and turned toward me. “I remember when you lost your daughter a few years ago. I thought I understood the pain you were going through back then. Now I realize I didn’t have the first clue about what it must have felt like for you. I do now.”

“It’s one of those things you never wish on anyone. And hey, I know Margot hasn’t been found yet, but most of the town is out there looking for her. We don’t know what happened. Not yet.”

I felt like a hypocrite as soon as I said it.

I’d just given her hope.

Maybe it was because I wanted to believe Margot would be found.

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