Page 96 of Before Now

The last two days, he’s been on another level. He’s wanted to go climbing, bungee jumping, and to the bars every night. I think he’s trying to cheer me up or distract me. But nothing will work until I find her. I can’t let it go. I can’t let her go.

I park on the street in front of a two-story, white with black accents. My breaths shallow when I spot a trellis against the side of the house, barely visible through hedges and tree branches. She mentioned it once, how she sneaks in and out. Seeing it in person unsettles me because where the fuck is Remi?

Less and less sure about this, I climb out of my car. A black BMW sits in the driveway. Extra antennae, lights on the side mirrors, and a radio inside when I walk by it tell me it’s an unmarked police car. I step up to the door, look at the brass knocker. Fuck, my pulse is thundering in my neck, chest weighing me down.

I skip the knocker and rap my knuckles on the door.

After a few seconds, a middle-aged man answers. “Can I help you?”

The piece of shit stepdad. He has a hardness to him, light brown hair, jeans, and a gray button-down.

“Uh, yeah,” I say, the doubt seeping through my pores, but the wrongness overpowers. “I’m looking for Remi.”

His forehead barely creases before returning to neutral, eyes quickly scanning me. “You know Remi?” I nod, and he steps back, opening the door wider. “Come in out of the cold, son.”

I hesitate for a moment, then step inside. I only go far enough he can shut the door behind me. Two vases of flowers sit on a table in the entryway. An archway off to the side leads to what I guess is a living room. I only get a glimpse from here of a table with more flowers by the window. A woman waits beside it, hands folded in front of her. The blonde’s probably in her forties, a kindness to her face but something commanding underneath.

Remi said her mom’s an addict, but nothing tells me one way or another with this woman. Not that appearances always matter in that regard. If the chief of police’s wife is using, it makes sense she’d hide it well.

The door shuts behind me, and her stepdad slips around me. “Give me just a second.” He approaches the woman, touching her elbow as if to turn her. Whatever he says makes her eyes flash to me, and then she nods before the two of them walk farther into the house, out of sight.

Blowing out a breath, my head falls forward for a second. Fuck. I have no idea what the hell I’m doing here. Actually, in need of the distraction, I decide to check Chase’s messages. And I instantly regret it.

Happy dude-bro day, my dude-bro.

We have a busy agenda. Then we’re re-releasing your dick into the wild tonight.

Fuck that chick. She’s hot but not worth the trouble.

I bet she’s completely different in person. We’ll find you better in a heartbeat.

The opposite of helpful. I shove my phone away without finishing them and pace the space. I scrape a hand through my hair and grab the back of my neck, turning around. On a sigh, my arm drops to my side, and I glance down at the table with the vases. A roar fills my ears, the floor dropping out from under my feet. My eyes jerk from the paper program to the flowers. Both have white cards tucked in plastic holders.

I go back toward the door and step into the archway to the living room. Other than the flowers by the window, I notice more on the end tables. Arrangements line the mantel of the fireplace. They cover the stone hearth.

With a rough swallow, I stride to the entry table and snatch up the program. The woman on the front has golden hair and a too-soft smile—Rebecca Kane is printed beneath her picture along with a birthdate. And her death date.

What the fuck?

My brows draw in as I flip open the funeral program for Remi’s mom. The first page has her obituary but only says she died unexpectedly in her home. It gives the same date as the front, a match to the last time I heard from Remi. As I scan through the rest, my attention snags at the bottom.

Rebecca is survived by her husband, Daniel, and daughter, Remi Sinner.

Sinner. Sinner. Sinner.

Not Saint, but Remi Sinner. The name cinches my chest tight, thoughts racing.

“Please let us know what we can do, Chief,” the woman says. My head jerks up as she and Remi’s stepdad reappear. “We’re all here for you, whatever you need.”

He nods. “Thank you, Julie. I’ll be back next week.” He gestures to the vases. “Take a bouquet for the front desk, would you? They posted my address at the coffee shop, and people keep stopping by with food and flowers. Rebecca would have wanted them to be enjoyed.”

“Yes, sir.” Her mouth tilts in apology, and then she gives me the same look as she grabs flowers from beside me.

With a sigh, he shuts the door behind her and turns his attention on me, noting the program still in my hand.

“Is Remi okay?” I clear my throat, swallow through the dryness and anxiety curling through me. “I haven’t heard from her since the day her mom died. Is she here?”

The man’s jaw tics. “She’s not here.”She’s not.“I was kinda hoping you’d know something about where she went.”Where she went. “I’m Daniel, by the way.”

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