“I’m asking you to respect where we’re at.”
There was a moment of silence, and then her father stormed out of the room in a huff. Dave’s mom moved over to Eve, clutching her arm.
“Don’t mind him. You’re right. We shouldn’t have come, but I had to see our girl again. I’ll come back once you’ve been able to deal with all of this. And listen, I know you’re tempted to give everything you have to the girls, but take care of yourself too.”
Eve held on tightly to Meme. “You do the same.”
Meme turned and headed upstairs. Eve braced herself for a confrontation with her mother, but she surprised Eve.
“Our girls are together. They’re safe and you’re all together. That’s what matters. I’ll handle your father. The old goat just hates it when he’s not in control,” she said.
Eve could hear her father on the phone with his travel agent, demanding a flight out first thing in the morning. Normally, Eve was the peacemaker. She hated when her father was upset, and she’d do anything to fix things. But tonight, she didn’t care about his feelings. She was exhausted. She sank onto the sofa beside Abby, knowing they needed to talk about Wes and how she’d treated him.
The TV was on, Abby staring vacantly at it, when a picture of Lily and Abby at sixteen appeared on the screen. They were doing a story on Lily’s homecoming. Eve couldn’t believe it. She went to reach for the remote.
“Turn that off.”
But Abby refused, cranking up the volume instead.
Lily’s image was now magnified on the giant HDTV. That damn photo from the memorial Rick Hanson had helped organize. And then the image cut to Lily today as she reached out to grab Sky from Wes. Eve couldn’t help but think that Lily appeared simultaneously like a wounded bird and a powerful warrior. As the camera focused on the over-coiffed reporter, Eve realized that he was standing right outside her house, an expression of extreme concern on his face.
“While friends and family rallied around the Risers today, members of accused kidnapper Rick Hanson’s family are standing by his side.”
The image changed, and Rick Hanson’s wife Missy appeared onscreen. She stood in front of the Lancaster County Jail, surrounded by a sea of reporters. Delicate and weary, in a tasteful but expensive navy dress and pearls, she gave off a respectable vibe, like the wife of a politician. Eve knew that Missy Hanson was a first-grade teacher, exceptionally pretty with long dark hair and a hint of a Southern accent. She’d dropped off a tuna fish casserole after Lily vanished, and sent a card once a year to let Eve know they were thinking about her family and praying for answers. What was she doing on the TV? Eve leaned in, holding her breath as she listened to Missy speak.
“My husband is not evil. I know that would make all of this easier. He made terrible choices but I do believe that there are questions that remain unanswered about the girl he allegedly abducted. In fact, I have evidence that shows there may be a very different side to this story.”
Eve lost her breath as Missy held up a photo. The camera zoomed in on a selfie. God, Eve hated that word. It was so pedestrian. But it was clear that’s what it was. It was probably a year or two old. Lily’s arm was outstretched, grinning as Sky and Rick leaned in. They all wore matching party hats, and cheesy grins. From all appearances, they seemed like an ordinary happy-go-lucky family, not Rick’s captives. Eve was so sickened by the picture she had to look away. Abby sat, clutching her belly, staring unblinkingly at the screen.
“I know some of you may have a hard time understanding why I am here, but I took a vow to stand by my husband through sickness and health, and I will honor that vow. I hope you will wait to pass judgment until all the details of the case are revealed. Thank you.”
Eve reached out for Abby, knowing that this would rock her daughter to the core.
“It’s okay, Abs. No one’s going to believe that story. No one,” Eve said.
But Abby was up on her feet. She grabbed Eve’s keys and raced to the door. Eve tried to block her path.
“Abby wait… calm down.”
Abby whirled around.
“I’m going for a drive. Leave me alone. Just leave me the fuck alone.”