Emily nodded. There was no arguing that. “So why are you here now? Why didn’t you just stay away?”
Carolyn looked away. “I got a letter. I was afraid if I didn’t come home this time, it might be too late.”
A shiver danced up Emily’s spine. “What are you talking about? Who wrote you a letter?”
“I don’t know. It was just signed A Concerned Friend.” Carolyn’s throat bobbed. “It said you seemed really upset and might do something . . . irrational.” Her eyelashes fluttered fast. “I was afraid I’d never see you again.”
Emily’s skin prickled. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard the suicide rumors, but a letter seemed pretty extreme. “A lot of upsetting things have happened to me, but I’m really okay,” she assured Carolyn.
Her sister looked unconvinced. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” Emily’s throat caught, knowing she had to choose the next words very carefully. “I’d like to see the note, though. Do you still have it?”
Carolyn’s brow crinkled. “I threw it away. I couldn’t stand it being in my room.”
“Was it handwritten? Did it have a postmark?”
“No, it was typed. I don’t remember where it was mailed from.” Carolyn gazed at her curiously. “Do you know who might have written it?”
Emily ran her tongue over her teeth. A Concerned Friend. Ali? Her helper? Who else could it be?
Mrs. Fields popped her head into the hall. “Dinner’s ready!” she crowed.
Emily and Carolyn turned toward the kitchen. Emily’s heart was still banging from the argument, but at least it was all finally out in the open. She snuck a look at Carolyn as they walked into the hall. Carolyn shot her a small, tentative smile. When Emily moved toward her and spread out her arms for a hug, Carolyn didn’t dart away. The hug was kind of stiff and awkward, but it felt like a step in the right direction.
Mrs. Fields passed around plates. Then, something out the window caught Emily’s eye. The black SUV was parked alongside the curb. Clarence sat in the front seat, reading the newspaper. A car drove past, and he lowered the paper and stared hard at it until it rounded the bend.
None of Emily’s family noticed it there. They would, eventually—Emily would have to tell Clarence to park in a more secluded location. But for now, she appreciated his close range. Stay out, Clarence was telling Ali, who was surely watching. From now on, she’s off-limits.
That felt like a step in the right direction, too.
10
A BRAND-NEW DAY
When the squad car pulled up to Aria’s mother’s house, the mowing service was just finishing up. Two brawny, college-age boys loaded the lawn mowers onto the trailer behind their truck. The boys waved to Aria like it was completely normal that she was getting out of a police car on a Tuesday evening.
“Do you want an escort to your door, Miss Montgomery?” the cop who had driven her asked, looking right and left cautiously.
“That’s okay,” Aria answered.
“Well, if you need anything at all, just signal Buzz.” The cop gestured to a minivan parked on the street. Though it had a bumper sticker that read MY CHILD IS A ROSEWOOD ELEMENTARY HONOR STUDENT and a pair of Mickey ears on the antenna, a brawny guy in sunglasses who looked like The Rock’s stunt double sat in the driver’s seat.
“Got it.” Aria smiled. She felt almost airy as she walked across the front lawn.
“Aria?”
Ella stood on the porch. She was wearing the yellow, zigzagged tunic she’d owned since her days in art school, and her silvery-black hair was tied up on top of her head in a bun. There was a horrified expression on her face. “Why did the police just drop you off?” she asked, staring at the cruiser that disappeared down the street.
“Oh, that.” Aria waved her hand. “It’s nothing. I’m not in trouble.”
Ella blinked hard. “You had your interview today, right? Did something happen at the college?”
“Hey, it smells really good in here!” Aria said loudly as she walked into the foyer, hoping to change the subject. “Did you just bake some bread?”
Ella pushed the door closed. “Aria, tell me what’s going on. Now.”
Aria let out a long sigh. “It’s a long story, but I’m not in trouble. Really. And I did have the interview . . . but I blew it.”
Ella cocked her head. “What happened?”
Aria shrugged. “I wasn’t the right fit.” She slumped down on the couch. “I really wanted to go, too.”
Ella sat down next to her and gathered Polo, the family’s cat, into her arms. “Why did you want to go, exactly?”
Aria gave her mom an uh-duh look. “Because art is the field I want to go into. Because I’d get to meet amazing people and help out with cool projects. Because . . .”
Ella placed her hand on Aria’s knee. “But couldn’t you do those things in New York? Philly? Rosewood, even? Why did you have to go all the way to Holland?”