Page 31 of All the Missing Pieces

“I do know.”

The spark of anger in those eyes shifted to curiosity.

I knew what I had to do. There was no way the people of this town would trust me enough to talk unless they knew my own scars, understood that I was one of their own, that we were members of a club no one wanted to be a part of.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself. I pulled that layer of numbness over me so I could say what I had to without losing it. “My twin sister went missing the night before our college graduation. One moment we were at a party, the next she wassimply gone. Nothing left but her key chain smeared with blood. Police never had any leads.”

Trey didn’t move or speak, that silence he was comfortable with wrapping around us both for a few long moments. “You never found her.”

It wasn’t exactly a question, but I answered it anyway. “No. And trust me, I’ve tried. I’m still trying. But in the meantime, I’m also trying to help others. I’m not always successful. Life doesn’t guarantee grand movie endings. But every once in a while we get one. We put the bad guys away so they can’t hurt anyone else.That’swhat I’m trying to do.”

Trey let my speech wash over him, taking in each revelation. I thought he’d say something about that loss, about my mission, but he didn’t. He gave me something else entirely. “I was the one who found her. Emmie, I mean.”

My jaw went slack. That hadn’t been in a single article I’d read. All they’d shared was the road she’d been discovered on. “How?”

Trey’s throat worked as he swallowed. “I’d been camping. Spotty service. So I didn’t get the text from Colt that Emmie was gone until an hour or so after he’d sent it. But the moment I did, I packed up and got back in my truck. Everyone was out searching, and I told them I’d do the same. Pure dumb luck I hit the road she was walking down.”

He let out a shuddering breath, and suddenly it was like he wasn’t looking at me at all. “I’ll never forget it as long as I live, my headlights hitting her. She was limping, blood staining one side of her clothes, holding her arm close to her body the best she could. Terrified out of her mind.”

He worked his jaw back and forth as the memory played out in his mind. “People think she’s weak, even Colt sometimes, no matter how much he doesn’t mean to. But they’re all dead fucking wrong. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known.”

“You’re right. Because she got out. Got free.”

Trey blinked a few times, clearing his vision. “Yeah.” His voice was more of a rasp now, laced with the pain the memory brought on.

Colt’s accusations filled my mind. I was causing pain. There was no way around it. So in some ways he’d been right. But I also knew that sometimes pain in the here and now was your only chance for true healing. I’d seen it in Marsha and John. Seen it in countless others.

And more than that, wasn’t some pain worth it if there was a chance we could keep innocent lives from being lost in the future? A chance that we could stop others from having to mourn their loved ones?

“Can you tell me where exactly you found her?” I asked. “I want to retrace Emerson’s steps from that night.”

Trey stiffened. “Not sure she’s ready to share that with you.”

I met his stare dead-on. “I’m not asking her to. I’ve got enough information to piece it together. I just didn’t know the exact final spot. I won’t press Emerson. She’ll talk to me if and when she’s ready. If she never wants to, that’s okay too. It’s whatever she needs.”

Some of the tension left Trey’s muscles. “It was on Country Road 33. Between Pine Butte and Cattle Run Road.”

I pulled out my phone and plugged in the information. “Thanks, Trey.”

He nodded, mulling something over. “Go easy on Colt.”

My brows lifted at that. I’d expected a warning to stay away from Emerson, not Colt.

Trey met my gaze, not looking away. “Colt was the one who was supposed to pick her up that night. He was late.”

A heaviness settled in my stomach, as though it was suddenly filled with liquid metal. I’d felt for Colt before. Understood what it was like to watch someone you loved disappear. But we hadeven more in common than I’d realized. The noxious monster that was guilt, eating everything around it alive.

Trey swallowed hard as he pushed off the bar. “If he comes off as an ass, it’s just because he thinks he already failed Emmie and doesn’t want to do it again.”

And wouldn’t I do the same damn thing if I found Avery now? I’d be a bulldog keeping away anyone who might cause her any sort of harm or discomfort.

Only I knew deep down that I wasn’t going to find Avery breathing. I just wanted to find her at all.

13

RIDLEY

I spreadthe map out over the picnic table, taking in Shady Cove and its surrounding areas. It had cost me ten dollars and fifty cents at the local gas station and was well worth the price. The paper version would’ve annoyed Baker, but there were times tech just didn’t give you the same perspective.

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