Page 40 of Did You See Evie

Paranoia prickles the back of my neck. If Fields is heading the investigation now, shouldn’t she be just as eager to talk to Joanna, the second chaperone that night? I recall the way she looked at me before she left and wonder if our connected past hasn’t placed me at the top of her suspect list.

“Cass!”

I look across the crowd of people. Kyle is amongst them. He comes over, pulling me in for a hug.

“I can’t believe what happened,” he says. “You must have been terrified.”

“I’ve never dealt with something like this before,” I say. “I’m still not sure how I should react.”

“As soon as I heard, I wanted to call you,” he says. “I figured you were a mess.”

I look behind him at the building crowd. “Is Kelly here?”

“She picks up her kids on Sunday afternoons,” he says, “but I’ve talked to her. She’s as shocked as the rest of us.”

“Can I get everyone’s attention?” a voice calls out, taking my focus away from Kyle. It’s difficult to hear over the shushed voices of the crowd, everyone talking at once. I look to the front and see Mr. Lake standing by the entryway. He calls out a second time, “Can everyone please listen?”

This time, his request works. The crowd voices roll into silence, every head turned in his direction.

“On behalf of Manning Academy, we want to thank everyone for coming on such short notice. The more involvement we get from the community, the better.” He pauses, making sure he has everyone’s attention before he continues. “As the school’s athletic director, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Evie, both on and off the basketball court. There’s something special about her, and you only have to attend one of her games to know that.”

Looking over the crowd, I watch as people nod their heads in agreement. A few people bring hands to their eyes, wiping away tears.

“Evie’s sudden disappearance has shaken our school and community to its core, but I’m confident if we all continue to come together, just as we are right now, we can bring our girl home.” He pauses, clearing his throat. I’ve known Lake for four years now, and this is the only time I’ve seen him overcome with emotion. He clears his throat a second time, and says, “I’m going to hand this over to Detective Fields. She’s going to be leading the investigation and has some information she’d like to share with all of you.”

Fields steps forward from the crowd wearing the same navy suit she had on this morning. She addresses the audience with the same vague information she presented to me. No new developments. She simply requests that anyone with information come forward, no matter how small and meaningless it might seem. Her eyes scan the crowd as she talks, and for a moment, I feel as though her stare lands on me, but it could just be my paranoia again. Connor’s arm wraps around my waist and squeezes, centering me.

She steps away and the school principal addresses the crowd, leading a prayer. Every head bows, including my own. It’s ironic that I’ve accepted a position at a private school with such religious ties since I’ve not been very religious since my childhood, but I bow my head out of respect. My eyes closed, I find myself wishing for Evie’s safe return. Perhaps praying. More than anything, I just want answers. I want her to be okay, to know that this entire community, myself included, is committed to finding her.

When I open my eyes, I look across the crowd and spot the rest of my team. They’re all huddled together, their small hands wrapped tightly around their phones. I can see most of their faces are swollen with tears. As Mr. Lake pointed out, the entire community is gripped by Evie’s disappearance. I can only imagine how frightening it is for them.

“Have you talked to any of them?” Joanna asks, her head turned in the same direction.

“Not today,” I answer.

“Tomorrow is going to be tough,” Kyle says. Before walking away, he adds, “If you need anything at all, call me. Doesn’t matter when.”

Truthfully, I hadn’t even thought about how difficult it will be to return to work tomorrow. Evie’s disappearance has rattled me so much, it’s hard to imagine we’ll be back at school like nothing has happened. Knowing our administration, they’ll have extra guidance and grief counselors around to assist throughout the day, but it won’t be enough. Evie’s absence leaves a hole that can’t be filled.

Across the crowd of people, I notice as Tara raises her head to look at me. She whispers something to the rest of the girls, and then they’re all staring in my direction. I give them a small nod, letting them know I see them, that I’m sharing in their fear and uncertainty.

“Let’s go home and get some rest,” Connor says, squeezing me again.

Behind us, I notice that the gathered group is starting to disperse. Despite everyone’s willingness to help, little can be done when there are so few answers. Sometimes just coming together is all we need.

I spot Lynette Nichols and Melinda Terry with their daughters. When their gaze meets mine, both women seem to stiffen, branching protective arms over their children. Their body language alone tells me they blame me for what’s happened.

I take a step forward, stepping on someone’s heels in front of me. When he turns around, I see Reynolds. His face darkens when he sees me.

“Cass,” he says, his voice filled with suspicion and disdain.

“Who’s that?” Connor whispers in my ear, having caught the cold look Reynolds gave me.

“The asshole who’s after my job,” I say, still watching him. I can only imagine how he’ll twist this situation to his advantage.

I feel someone tugging on my elbow. Tara is standing beside me, having wandered away from the other girls.

“Coach, I need to talk to you,” she says.

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