Page 14 of The Summer Guests

“You were here all day?”

“No, I went into town around noon to buy more paper, and I stopped in at the Marigold for lunch. But I was back home by two.”

“And the rest of you? Anyone see her?” Jo asked the family, and was answered by a general shaking of heads. All except the teenage boy, whose gaze remained fixed on the floor, as if he was afraid to look at her.

“How about you?” Jo asked the boy. “Your name is Kit?”

“He was with me,” Brooke answered. “After Colin went out for a hike, Kit and I drove into town. We came home around two thirty, so I could change into more comfortable shoes, and then we went out again. We didn’t see Zoe at all.”

“Okay.” Jo closed her notebook. “Can I take a look at Zoe’s room?”

“Why?” said Elizabeth.

The question irritated Jo. As if she needed to justify every move she made. As if she, just a small-town cop, could not possibly handle this situation to Elizabeth’s satisfaction.

Susan stood up. “I’ll take you upstairs.”

The woman seemed so unsteady that Jo wondered if she could make it up the steps, but Susan doggedly led the way, gripping the handrail as she climbed to the second floor. It took only a glance at Zoe’s bedroom to know that a teenage girl was sleeping here. A suitcase lay open on the floor, spilling out panties and socks and a pink T-shirt, size extra small. The air smelled like soap and suntan lotion, and on the dresser was a stack of young adult paperbacks. A series of fantasy novels, judging by the covers, which featured an aquatic heroine, her red hair swirling underwater.

“Does Zoe have a diary?” Jo asked.

“No. I mean, I don’t think so.” Susan paused. “God, that sounds like I don’t know my own daughter. But I do.”

“She’s fifteen years old, Mrs. Conover,” Jo said gently. “Girls that age, well, they don’t always tell their parents everything.”

“You don’t understand, Zoe isn’tlikethat! I’m a school nurse, so Iknowteenagers. I know how deceptive they can be. I know all the trouble they can get into. My daughter isn’t like that. She’s never been in trouble, never given me any reason to worry about her. She’snota complicated girl.” Susan wobbled and sat down on the bed. “Oh God, I can’t believe this is happening ...”

How many times had Jo heard that phrase,I can’t believe this is happening? She thought of the excruciating visits she’d paid to other households and the words she’d been forced to deliver.I’m sorry, there’s been an accident. I’m sorry, we found your husband in the woods. I’m sorry, your son didn’t make it.No family was ever really prepared to hear bad news from a uniformed officer. No one wanted to believe that their world had just imploded.

But they were not at that point yet. Zoe Conover could be alive and well and merely behaving like a thoughtless teenager who hadn’t a clue what her mother was going through. She still might walk in their door tonight.

“Does Zoe have a cell phone?” asked Jo.

Susan nodded. “Yes. An iPhone. But she hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts.”

“Have you tried locating her using the Find My iPhone app?”

“Ethan tried, but it says ‘No location found.’ I don’t know if that means it’s turned off, or she’s in a dead zone.”

“I’ll need her phone number and her Apple ID. It could help us locate the phone.”

“Of course.”

“Her Facebook page too. And any other social media she’s on.”

“She hasn’t even called me. Why would she be posting anything?”

“We need to check if maybe she’s met someone online. Someone who’s talked her into going away together.”

“That’s not possible.” Susan’s jaw jerked up, and she looked Jo in the eye. Up till that moment, fear had made the woman seem small and defeated. Now, mustering some hidden source of strength, Susan sat up straighter. In happier circumstances, she could be considered a handsome woman in a wholesome New England way, with her sturdy jaw, unplucked eyebrows, and freckled nose. Handsome, yes, but not a beauty like her sister-in-law downstairs. Certainly not tonight, with anxiety pinching her features.

“My daughter wouldnotrun away,” said Susan.

Jo nodded and sat down on the bed beside her. “Why don’t you tell me about your daughter. Tell me what kind of girl she is. Her friends. The things she’s interested in.”

Susan took a moment to consider her answer. “My Zoe, she’s beautiful. She’s sweet and she’s kind.” She lowered her head and whispered, “She’s perfect.”

So many parents believed that about their children.They’re perfect. They’d never do anything wrong.Jo was the one who sometimes had to open their eyes to the truth: that yes, Johnny really did steal that car. Yes, Billy really did set that barn on fire. Parents were so often blind to who and what their children really were. She wondered if Susan Conover was one of them.

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