Page 7 of See How They Hide

Ken agreed, though he seemed both confused and irritated.

Kara ran across the street and knocked on Ashley’s door. She answered, surprised to see Kara again. “Hi?” she said cautiously.

“Have you seen or spoken to Riley Pierce since Jane died?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“She hasn’t called or texted or emailed? Have you seen her around town?”

“She lives in France. She wasn’t my friend—I only met her once.”

“If she contacts you, call me, day or night, okay?”

“Sure,” she said in a tone that suggested she thought Kara was asking for the impossible.

Kara walked back to Ken and got into his car. “We need to find Riley Pierce.”

3

Ashland, Oregon

Why, why, why did you come back?

Riley had been safe in France, far from anyone who would do her harm. Yet, she’d returned to Ashland because Jane was dead.

If she had been here, Jane would still be alive. Riley may have been paranoid, but it kept them safe. Jane was too trusting, too kind, and now she was dead. Guilt filled her, drowning her with grief. She’d left, now Jane was gone.

Riley had to stop thinking about it. The what-ifs, the guilt, the regrets. The present was all that mattered. One day at a time. Pushing forward because looking back would shatter her.

Remembering the past only brought sorrow and rage. Thinking about what could have been created a whirlpool of doubt and regret. The future was uncertain, so thinking about what might happen would only bring anxiety.

Especially when you must be extra careful so they never find you.

Stay quiet, stay humble, stay free. That was the only way to survive.

Jane was dead and Riley had to accept it, move forward. But in the back of her mind she knew that somehow, someway, her mother was responsible. Her mother had found Jane.

If she had found Jane, did that mean she knew Riley was alive?

No. Impossible.

Riley had been dead for nearly four years, so why now? She hadn’t even been in the country for the last eight months! There was no way her mother knew she was alive. No possible way.

For half a minute she thought about telling the police why Jane had been killed, but they wouldn’t believe her. Her story sounded so outrageous they might think that she was guilty of murder, or that she made up the story for attention.

Even if they believed her, even if she could convince them of the truth, they couldn’t help because she didn’t know whospecificallycame here to lure Jane to her death. She couldn’t tell the police where her mother lived or how to find her.

The Rocky Mountains was a big area to search.

She knew how that conversation would go.

“My mother wanted Jane dead, but she didn’t kill Jane herself because she never leaves home.”

“Where can we find her?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure. Somewhere in Colorado, in the mountains, but I don’t have an address. I can’t even take you there because I left in the middle of the night. There were tall trees, big rocks, and miles of land before I even saw civilization.”

If only she’d gotten here earlier, she could have grabbed the box before the police. Everything had just become a lot more complicated.

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