Page 34 of Silent Road

"I can't believe the school never contacted me about this," Sheila muttered.

Katie twisted her hands in her lap."I can explain that, actually.Star… she said she used your home computer—logged into your email account and deleted the automated attendance notices."She looked down, as if ashamed for not having told Sheila sooner.

"Unbelievable," Sheila said, shaking her head."How long exactly has this been going on?"

"I don't know, a couple weeks maybe?"Katie moved to the living room, sinking into an armchair.

Sheila followed, taking in the college brochures scattered on the coffee table.Katie was clearly planning her future.Meanwhile, Star had been living a life Sheila knew nothing about.

And the thought made Sheila sick to her stomach.

"You said you two had a falling out over a 'mutual friend,'" she began, doing her best to mask her feelings."You wouldn't happen to be talking about a boy, would you?"

"A guy, yeah," Katie said, fidgeting with the edge of one of the brochures."Do we really have to talk about this?"

"This is important, Katie.I have no idea where she spent last night."She paused, giving Katie a moment to compose herself."Is she dating him?"

Katie shifted uncomfortably."I… I'm not sure.It started as a joke, you know?This hot guy we both liked.We sort of dared each other to go talk to him, and I chickened out.But Star didn't."

"And they hit it off?"

Katie nodded resentfully."Yeah."

Well, that explained why the two girls weren't talking.

"Have you seen them together?"Sheila asked.

"A couple times.Jake picked her up after school a few weeks ago, and she hasn't come back to school since."

"Do you have a picture of him?"

Katie's silence was answered enough.

"Please," Sheila said."I need to find Star, and this Jake sounds like my best bet."

Katie stood and went to her backpack, pulling out her phone.After a moment, she held it out to Sheila.On the screen was a social media post—Star at what looked like a party, her arm around a tall, dark-haired young man.Star was fourteen, but by the look of him, this guy was several years older.

Possibly even an adult.

The caption read: "Movie night with my guy"

"That's Jake," Katie said quietly."He lives in those new apartments on River Street."

Sheila stared at the photo, at Star's defiant smile, at the possessive way Jake's hand gripped her waist.How had she missed this?How had she let things get so far?

"Why didn't you tell someone?"she asked."About the skipping school, about Jake?"

Katie hugged herself."Star made me promise not to.She said you were too busy with work to care anyway."

The words hit Sheila like a physical blow.Star had been spiraling, and she'd been too caught up in her cases to notice.She tried her best to keep a poker face.She couldn't allow her emotions to sabotage her now.

"Thank you, Katie," she said, her voice tight."You did the right thing, telling me now."

As she headed for the door, Katie called after her."Sheriff Stone?Please don't tell Star I told you.She's already mad enough at me."

Sheila turned back."I won't.But Katie?Next time a friend is in trouble, don't wait so long to speak up."

Outside, the winter sun seemed too bright, too harsh.Sheila sat in her car for a moment, trying to steady her breathing.Then she started the engine and pointed the car toward River Street, toward the young man who thought it was okay to date a fourteen-year-old girl.

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