Page 40 of Little Stolen Memories

A few minutes passed, and there was no sign of Cora.

“I’m heading back to her room now,” Aunt Laura said. “Care to tell me what on earth is going on?”

I took a deep breath in and said, “When we were at the cabin, we saw an ominous message written a message in red marker on Millie’s bedroom wall. I believe the person responsible for the murders twenty years ago knows Cora is back in town.”

“Oh, dear. I’m entering her room as we speak.”

A door was opened, and Aunt Laura said, “Cora, are you here?”

“Is she there?”

“I don’t think so. Let me check the bathroom.”

After a brief pause, Aunt Laura said, “She’s not in the bathroom either. It doesn’t make sense. She didn’t go with Ginger to the store, and like I said, her car is in the driveway, so …”

“Look around the bedroom. Tell me what you see.”

“Let’s see … I’ve just walked over to her bed. There’s an open yearbook on top of Cora’s pillow, and, oh, even more strange. Her cell phone is here. I can’t imagine Cora leaving home without it.”

There was a loud gasp, and I said, “What is it? What’s happening?”

“The window’s open, which wouldn’t alarm me, except the screen is missing. I’m sorry to say I don’t know where Cora is, Gigi. But I can tell you one thing for certain—she’s not here.”

CHAPTER 19

As Giovanni and I pulled to a stop in front of the Callahans’ house, I identified a few cars parked outside: Foley’s truck, Whitlock’s car, and a patrol car. We rushed to the front door, and as we walked inside, Whitlock was there waiting for me.

“I … we got here as fast as we could,” I said. “Have you heard anything from Cora? Do you know what’s going on?”

Whitlock placed a hand on my shoulder. “We haven’t heard from her. Why don’t you take a breath? Looks like you need it.”

I did.

I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling the quickened pace of my heartbeat. I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. What happened in the past couldn’t be changed, and I was no use to Cora if I couldn’t keep my anxiety in check. My focus belonged in the present.

I reopened my eyes, and Whitlock said, “Feel better?”

“A little,” I said. “What can you tell me?”

“Not much. There is one thing, though. There’s a note tucked beneath one of the windshield wipers on Cora’s car. Said something like: ‘Welcome back. Gone but not forgotten.’”

The same words written on Millie’s bedroom wall.

“We’ve been through the house, inside and out,” Whitlock said. “Officers Higgins and Decker are canvassing the area, knocking on doors. Other than the note, there’s no other information to report.”

“I don’t even want to think about what may have happened to her. After what Cora’s been through, to come back to town all these years later only to relive her worst nightmare … it’s?—”

“Hey, I understand how you feel, but there’s no use jumping to conclusions until we have a better idea of what happened here. Silas is on his way to dust her room, the window, and the area around it for prints.”

Down the hall, I heard my name being called.

Whitlock and I followed the voice to Cora’s bedroom, where Foley was waiting.

He pointed at me and said, “Before you say anything, we’re doing everything we can to locate her.”

“I know you are. It’s my fault. I feel like I’ve failed her. I was supposed to keep her safe. I shouldn’t have assumed she would be.”

“Look, this isn’t about fault. No one’s to blame. It’s been a long time. None of us had any way of knowing the perpetrator might still be in the area, let alone if he was still alive.”

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