I stayed off my laptop for most of the day, spending the whole morning working in the garden, tugging out a nest of weeds that was threatening to choke all my newly planted herbs and veggies.
I pruned the basil and rosemary, piling the cuttings into a colander to rinse and later air-dry from strings of twine in the kitchen window. Because I’d neglected the garden these past few weeks, most of the tomatoes had been pecked by birds, shot through with black holes and drained of their juices. But I managed to harvest a sink full of cherry tomatoes, slicing them in half and tossing them in a salad for dinner.
The work in the garden helped lighten my mood, so before I changed my mind, I called Graham on his lunch break, asked if we could grill and eat dinner outside. I almost texted Erin and invited them over, but didn’t want to pushit. I felt slightly better, but only slightly, and I certainly wasn’t in the mood for light chitchat.
Just before dinner, I was swinging Jack in the tire swing we hung from a gnarled branch of our oak tree when I heard my phone chiming.
“Be right back,” I said, crossing the patio and lifting it from the bench.
A group text from the Hunting Wives pinged across the screen.
Tina:Oh, Jill honey, I just heard. I don’t even have words. Praying for you all.
I felt my throat constrict, and I gripped the side of the bench, steadying myself.
Callie:I can’t believe it. So awful.
I looked over to Graham. He had just lifted the lid off the grill and smoke gushed out, creating a screen between us; I was grateful he couldn’t see the alarm on my face. My cell rang. It was Tina.
“Mommeeee!” Jack cried, pink-faced from the swing. “More! Swing me more!”
“Just a second, honey!” I called to him, stepping inside the back door.
Clutching the phone, my palms slick with sweat, I answered on the second ring.
“Ijustgot off with Callie.” Tina’s voice was shaky and she was talking too fast. “She called like five minutes before I sent that text. I honestly didn’t even know what to say... I—”
But I cut her off before she could finish her rambling. “What’s going on?” I glanced out the glass door, flashed a tense smile at Graham, who was staring at me as he lifted the fish from the grill onto a platter.
“Abby. It’s Abby. They found her body.” Her voice dropped a register. “She’s dead. Shot to death.”
The phone nearly slid from my hand, and all I could hear for a moment wasthe coursing of my blood in my temples. I opened my mouth, closed it. Opened it again to speak but couldn’t form words.
“Sophie,” Tina continued, sounding spooked. “They found her body on Margot’s land, right at the clearing where we shoot.”
The wordclearingwas cut in half by the ding of an incoming call. I glanced at the screen. Margot.
My vision swam and I staggered back from the door a few steps so I could lean against the dining table. I could feel Graham’s eyes on me, so I looked up at him, lifted an index finger, and turned toward the living room so I could take it all in without him scanning my face.
“Oh, god,” I managed to exhale out. “That’s... that’s terrible. Her family must be in shock. Jill must be in shock.”
“We were out there the night she went missing. It’s too creepy to think about what else could’ve happened. To any of us! I hope they catch the bastard that did this,” she hissed.
My phone kept chiming in my ear, dicing up Tina’s sentences. “I gotta go, call you back ASAP,” I said and pressed end. I set the phone on the table and clutched my stomach. Bile surged up my throat, and sweat needled my armpits. This was worse than I could’ve ever imagined. I’d thought of Abby dead, many times since Saturday, but had hoped beyond hope she’d still somehow magically reappear, sparkling with life and unharmed.
I certainly never imagined she’d be found, shot dead, on Margot’s land.
A shudder passed through me and I twisted around just enough so I could peer outside. The sky was darkening and Graham was pushing Jack in the swing, Jack’s laughter echoing through the night air, his tangle of golden locks lifting off his forehead with each shove, and I wanted to squeeze myself into this happy frame, shrink the world down so that it was just the three of us. I squinted my eyes, tried to take a mental snapshot of the moment because the dread creeping over me told me that no matter what was coming next, things would never be the same again.
I stared down at my cell as if it were a snake coiled to strike. Three missed calls from Margot. Fuck. I needed a second to process everything Tina hadtold me before calling her back, but my phone started blaring again and the screen sprang to life, flashing her name.
“Jesus, Sophie,” she started in before I even had the chance to say hello. “Where the hell have you been?”
“On the phone with Tina; she just told me everything, she—” I said, my voice rattled with nerves.
She interrupted me. “It doesn’t matter. Look, I can’t talk long.” It sounded like she was standing outside; I could hear the whoosh of a car zipping past.
“It’ssohorrible what’s happened. And on my land, no less,” she added, letting out a jagged sigh. “But listen, what happens next is important. If we stick to our story, no one will find out about Brad or Jamie.” There was a stab to her voice, and I could tell this was no request. It was another threat.
