Chapter 2
The man crossed the ballroom before Evelyn could stand.
“Mother,” he said, “what is going on?”
Evelyn kept one arm around me.
“Adrian. This is Sarah’s daughter.”
His eyes moved over my coat, my wet hair, and the locket in my hand.
“That isn’t possible.”
“I’m right here,” I said.
He ignored me.
Evelyn rose, helping me to my feet.
“Sarah came to this hotel today,” she told him. “Did you see her?”
“No.”
He answered too quickly. Even at nine, I heard it.
A waiter brought a clean napkin. I wiped my face while the guests began murmuring around us. I wanted to leave. I also wanted to search every hallway until I found Sarah.
Evelyn looked down at me.
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“This afternoon. She said she had a meeting here.”
Adrian touched his mother’s elbow.
“This is no place for a family discussion. We should find someone from the hotel.”
“Then find someone,” Evelyn said.
He walked away, though he kept glancing back.
Evelyn guided me toward a small room off the ballroom. The waiter came with us and brought bread, soup, and a dry towel. His name was Luis.
I had intended to stay awake and watch the door. Instead, I ate half the bread before Evelyn finished making a phone call.
“I’ve asked a friend to help find her,” she said.
“Who?”
“A woman who knows how to ask difficult questions.”
I studied Evelyn’s face.
“Mom said you were far away.”
“I have been.” She looked at the glass of water beside her. “Farther than I should have been.”
“Why didn’t you come see us?”
“I didn’t know where you were.”
“Mom did.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“No. She doesn’t talk about you much.”
Evelyn closed her eyes briefly.
I did not want to comfort her. I was still wearing the clothes she had soaked in front of everyone.
“Are you going to apologize?” I asked.
Her eyes opened.
“Yes. I’m sorry I threw water at you. I saw a child who needed help, and I treated you cruelly. You did nothing to deserve it.”
I looked at the towel in my lap.
“I was only looking for Mom.”
“I believe you.”
Luis appeared in the doorway with a hotel manager. Adrian stood behind them.
“We checked the guest list,” Adrian said. “Sarah Bennett wasn’t invited.”
“She may have come by the service entrance,” I said.
The manager asked what Sarah looked like and what she had been wearing. I told him about her dark green dress and the shoes with a loose buckle.
He radioed someone to check the cameras.
Adrian’s gaze sharpened at the mention of the dress.
“You’re sure it was green?”
“I watched her put it on.”
“I thought I saw someone like that near the loading area. It was probably one of the caterers.”
“My mom isn’t a caterer. She cleans offices.”
Evelyn turned to him.
“Did you speak with her?”
“No, Mother.”
A woman entered carrying a black umbrella. She introduced herself as Detective Helen Price. Evelyn had known her for years, though Helen no longer worked for the police. She was a private investigator now.
Helen crouched until her eyes were level with mine.
“Rosie, I’m going to help look for Sarah. Can you tell me what she said before she left?”
I repeated her words about a meeting that might change things for us.
“Did she carry anything?” Helen asked.
“A brown envelope. She wouldn’t let it get wet.”
Helen made a note.
Evelyn called Mrs. Vega with me beside her. My neighbor answered on her break and promised to come to the hotel. Evelyn also called the police to report Sarah missing. When the operator asked how long she had been gone, Evelyn told the truth and explained why we were worried.
Adrian paced near the door.
“This is becoming a spectacle,” he said.
“My daughter is missing,” Evelyn replied.
“You haven’t seen Sarah in twenty years.”
The room went still.
I looked at her.
“Twenty years?”
Evelyn’s voice was quiet.
“Yes.”
Sarah was thirty-nine. They had stopped seeing each other long before I was born.
I suddenly felt foolish for leaning against Evelyn in the ballroom. She could be my grandmother and still be a stranger to my mother.
The manager returned with news. A camera showed a woman in a green dress entering through the service door at 4:17 that afternoon. She had walked toward a private corridor used by gala staff.
At 4:24, someone had escorted her out of the camera’s view.
“Who?” Helen asked.
The manager hesitated.
“The person’s face is partly turned away.”
“Show us,” Evelyn said.
We went to the security office. I recognized Sarah immediately on the small screen. She looked nervous but determined. She held the brown envelope beneath her arm.
A man came toward her. His back was to the camera, but I could see a silver band around his wrist as he raised his hand.
He led Sarah around a corner.
May you like
Adrian went very still beside me.
He was wearing a silver watch with the same dark strap.
