They continued reading him his rights. Rick didn’t resist or show any signs that he was in trouble. He didn’t show any emotion at all. As they cuffed him, he spoke to his students, his voice filled with the same quiet confidence in which he taught his classes.
“Guys, get back to work. I’ll be back in class soon, and I expect you to have read the last three chapters.”
His students weren’t listening. They were holding up cell phones, snapping pictures, and taking videos. Lily took great pleasure in knowing that soon everyone in the world would be aware of Rick Hanson’s true nature.
They’ll know, Rick. They’ll all know what you are.
She was so caught up in this moment, in seeing Rick finally get what was coming to him, that she completely forgot about Abby. Glancing over at her, Lily found no joy on her sister’s face. Instead, Abby’s expression revealed a dawning sense of disbelief, then horror. Abby doubled over, an anguished scream ripping through her. For the first time, Lily wondered what she’d been thinking. Why was she so selfish? Why hadn’t she considered her family? Her sister?
Lily moved forward to console Abby but her sister raced past her, descending into the classroom. Bursting past the cops, Abby flew at Rick like a street fighter, hitting and punching him as he tried to shield himself from her blows.
“You son of a bitch. You motherfucker. You stole her life. You stole our fucking lives.”
It took both Sheriff Rogers and another deputy to pull Abby off him. She was inconsolable, slumped on the linoleum classroom floor, weeping from the depths of her heart. Seconds later, a handcuffed Rick Hanson was marched out of the classroom and down the hall. As he passed Lily, she heard him softly whisper, “You’ve made a big mistake, Baby Doll.”
Lily should have known that he’d never let her have the last word. And as she rushed over to Abby, as she watched her sister come apart at the seams, Lily wondered if maybe, just maybe, Rick was right.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ABBY
Rick Fucking Hanson. His name didn’t just rattle around in Abby’s brain; it bounced off of her skull, exploding like cannon blasts. Over and over again, Abby kept hearing his name but she couldn’t believe it. Mr. Hanson? My English teacher?
There was noise all around her but Abby couldn’t focus on any of it. She saw an EMT, someone she worked with at the hospital, but she couldn’t remember her name. She was kneeling beside Abby, asking her a barrage of questions.
“How far along are you? Are you on any medications? Abby, squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”
The EMT kept talking, but Abby was overwhelmed, paralyzed by this discovery.
Time faded. Maybe it was minutes or hours. Weightless, Abby was lifted onto the paramedics’ stretcher. Lily gripped Abby’s hand tightly as the paramedics began to wheel her down the hallway.
“I’m here, Abs. I’m here.”
The black hole was claiming her. Abby realized what a piece of shit she was for not being stronger. Even as she tumbled into the abyss, she could hear Lily’s voice.
“I’m sorry, Abby. I’m so sorry.”
Wait… Why was Lily apologizing? She wanted to ask, but Abby was plummeting at rapid speed, the darkness pulling her down, down, down.
Abby could still remember one of the earliest search parties. Lily had been missing for only a few days, but hundreds of people had gathered in the center of town, gathered together in the rain. Teenagers. Middle-school children. Parents. Interspersed were cops and FBI agents, busy scanning the crowd, searching for answers.
As the rescue dogs barked, the crowd headed out in all directions, flyers in hand, flashlights lighting the way. Other volunteers handed out coffees. Then there were the Jesus freaks, with their prayer cards. Abby was grabbing a coffee before she headed back out, when a frizzy-haired woman thrust one of the cards at her.
“Prayer will bring Lily back to us. God will hear your prayers,” the woman had said.
“Fuck you,” Abby had replied, smacking the card from the woman’s hand. “Fuck. You.”
“Abigail, what’s wrong?” Mr. Hanson had appeared by her side. He’d offered a rushed I’m sorry to the woman and ushered Abby away.
“She’s going on and on about God. I mean, God didn’t take Lily, he sure as shit isn’t going to bring her back.”
“I know, Abby. I know.”
“I don’t care about God. I just… I want her back. I want my sister back.”
Mr. Hanson had hugged her. She’d let him hug her!
“I do too, Abigail. But it’s early days. Don’t give up hope. You can’t give up.”
She’d wanted to believe what he was saying, needed to believe him.
“You think that’s true? That we’ll still find her?”
“I have no doubts about it. Come on. We’ll keep searching together.”