Page 42 of Did You See Evie

“Like the detective said, any information is helpful. You did the right thing in telling me about it.”

In fact, Tara’s story raises several red flags in my mind. A sudden change in her home environment could be the catalyst for her disappearance. Especially a new man entering the home. Her mom’s boyfriend, who I’ve never heard her talk about, and her mother didn’t mention him or anyone else when we talked on the phone yesterday. And he just got out of prison. There’s no telling what for.

“Tara, it’s getting late. You still have school tomorrow, remember,” Tara’s mother says, holding her car keys in her hands.

“Are you really going to make me go?” Tara whines.

“Yes. Sitting at home won’t help,” she says. “It will be good for all of us to get back into some kind of routine.”

I don’t think Tara’s mother means for it to come off as callous as it sounds. The other mothers are dealing with their own array of complicated emotions. Worry over what might have happened to their daughters’ teammate mixed with gratitude they weren’t the ones to receive that phone call on Saturday morning. Plus, they don’t want their daughters to be further traumatized by how this could play out.

“Goodnight, Coach,” she says, taking Tara by the shoulder and prompting her in the direction of their car. Her tone is cold and sharp, a reminder that the parents likely resent me for what happened. They all trusted me to keep their daughters safe, and I failed.

“What was that about?” Connor says, walking over once he sees Tara and her mother step away.

“She was telling me something Evie said the night of the sleepover.” I barely look at him, my eyes scanning the crowd once again for any sign of Detective Fields. I spot her as she’s opening the driver’s side door to an unmarked police vehicle and hustle over.

“Detective Fields,” I say, reaching her just as she’s about to sit down. “Can I talk to you for a second? I just spoke with one of the girls on my team. Tara.”

I tell her everything she told me about Evie’s uncharacteristic conversation topic the night of the sleepover, and that her mom’s boyfriend had recently moved in and had just been released from prison. Fields listens calmly, but she doesn’t take notes. In fact, her hands never leave the steering wheel.

“Did she say anything else?”

“That was it, but she seemed really bothered by the whole thing. I think she’s too intimidated to talk to the police on her own.”

“Thanks for giving me a heads-up,” she says, shifting her body away from me. “But we’re already looking into the boyfriend.”

“So, you already knew?”

“Yes. We’ve been in constant contact with the family since Evie was reported missing.”

I’m frustrated, and I’m not sure why. I’d thought when Tara was talking to me that she was telling me new information, not something that Fields and the rest of the police department already knew. And it makes me even more annoyed with how Fields treated me with suspicion earlier. Surely this man who was just released from prison causes more concern than me, a basketball coach with a few shoplifting reports on her juvenile record, and yet she acts like I’m the one that shouldn’t be trusted.

“I’ll be in touch,” she says, shutting her car door. I sense the same veiled threat from earlier in the day.

“What was that about?” Joanna says, walking over as Fields drives away.

“Just talking about the case,” I say, not wanting to get into everything.

“Are you ready to go home?” Connor says, placing his hand on my lower back.

The three of us start to leave, then I pause and look back at the school. I have the sensation that I’m being watched, wonder if my paranoia over Detective Fields is increasing. Across from the building, I see a car parked against the sidewalk. A woman stands beside it.

It’s Nadia.

“Actually, I might stick around for a while,” I say, trying not to make it obvious I’m suddenly distracted. “There are a few things I need to do.”

“I can give Connor a ride home,” Joanna offers.

“That would be great.”

“Are you sure?” Connor says, watching me closely. “It’s already been a long weekend. You probably need some rest.”

“I’m fine,” I say. “I just need to clear my head before I return to work like nothing happened.”

“If you’re sure.” He leans in and kisses me on the lips before walking with Joanna to her car. I start walking to my own vehicle, waiting for them to leave before I approach Nadia.

“What are you doing here?” I ask her, as I’m crossing the street.

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