Page 10 of Little Buried Secrets

She batted her eyelashes and had no doubt tried her best to form the question in such a way that sounded charming, but there was an underlying tone.

A tone which made me feel baited.

“Rae has her reasons for asking me to look into the circumstances surrounding Margot’s disappearance,” I said.

Meredith’s face flushed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“There must be a reason why you did—a reason you’re not sharing with me.”

“You got me. You know how much people in this town like to talk.”

“I do. What have you heard?”

She seemed delighted that I’d asked.

“Bronte and Margot had a fight the day Margot went missing, didn’t they?” she asked. “I also heard Bronte may have been involved in her sister’s disappearance.”

“Who told you about the argument?”

“My son. One of his friends texted him. It’s all any of his classmates are talking about.”

“There’s no evidence Bronte is involved.”

Meredith raised a brow. “Oh, no? What about the dent on the front of her car?”

Good grief.

Word travels fast.

I wondered who had leaked it.

Perhaps Bronte’s boyfriend.

“The police are following up on all leads right now, and so far, nothing points to any specific person,” I said. “That’s all I can say.”

I could have said more, but I got the feeling if I did, it would go straight into her ear and out her mouth for all the town to hear.

“Again, I apologize,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be nosy.”

Except she had meant to be nosy, and I was certain she wanted me to know it.

“It’s fine,” I said,

Meredith struck me as the type of woman who, even in her forties, was in a clique, where other ladies came together to keep up on the latest town gossip. I’d been invited into a few cliques in my time, but I’d steered clear of them. The last thing I wanted was to join an isolated group of hand-selected, pretentious ladies who excluded all those they didn’t find worthy enough to be part of their circle.

Besides, I’d never been any good in groups that colored inside the lines. Coloring outside of them, on the other hand, had always made my life a lot more fulfilling.

“I hope y’all find Margot,” Meredith said. “And I hope she’s alive when you do. She’s such a vibrant young woman. We just love her.”

“My wife’s right,” Sean said, entering the room with a reluctant Sebastian in tow. “We were thrilled when Sebastian and Margot started dating.”

“Why?” I asked. “What was so thrilling about her?”

“Let’s just say we weren’t always fond of the girls Sebastian chose to date before Margot came along,” Sean said.

“Dad!” Sebastian said. “Stop.”

Sean looked at me and shrugged like he didn’t understand what he’d said wrong, and he took a seat next to his wife. Sebastian sat on the floor, crossed his legs, and started scrolling through his cell phone.

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