"Of course we'll be there," I said. "I'm happy to help, just tell me what you need."
Rowan's smile was gentle. "Excellent. We'll keep it small, simple. Immediate families, the girls, and a few teachers. Nothing public. The media has been… relentless."
I thought of the reporters outside the precinct. The cameras. The shouted accusations. "I know."
Chloe spoke up, her voice thin. "Everyone's been so awful online. People are saying terrible things. About all of us."
"Try not to read it, honey," Rowan said.
"I can't help it." Chloe's hands twisted in her lap. Her eyes were reddened. She looked genuinely wrecked. "They're saying it was one of us. That we… that we did something awful to our friend…"
Rowan reached over and squeezed her daughter's knee. "The police will figure out what happened. Until then, we support each other."
"Right." The word felt hollow. I thought of the missing camera, the sandy slippers, the scratches on my daughter's arms.
"Yesterday must have been exhausting for both of you."
I kept my expression neutral. "We're managing."
"It must be so hard for Mia, losing her best friend like that. What with the police questioning all the girls so intensely."
"It was rough," I said, careful to keep it vague. I wasn't ready to reveal how harrowing it had been, the cold sterility of the room, the walls closing in as if we were already locked in a kind of prison. The terror of the detectives' sharp eyes homing in on my daughter as her story changed, as she'd lied.
"They're just covering their bases. I'm sure Mia has nothing to worry about."
Her certainty steadied me. I swallowed and nodded. "We're trying to find some sort of new normal through this."
A car door slammed outside, muffled through the front windows. I flinched, half expecting a heavy knock from the detectives with badges. But no one came.
Rowan's gaze remained on my face. Her lipstick had bled into the lines around her mouth. Up close, she looked tired for the first time since I'd met her. "That's why I wanted to come by in person. Whatever you need. If you need someone to talk to, or if Mia needs anything at all, let me know."
I almost told her about the break-in last night, the missingnotebook, my things shuffled around, but something, some small niggling hesitation, stopped me.
"I keep thinking I should know what to do," I admitted. "Like there's a manual I missed out on. How to Parent Through a Murder Investigation."
Her mouth twitched. "If there is, I certainly never got a copy. Sounds like an article you need to write."
I snorted. “I pass.”
We shared strained smiles.
A creak sounded at the top of the stairs. "Mom?" Mia's voice floated down from upstairs. Her footsteps descended, and a moment later, she appeared in the archway in her old Lilo and Stitch sweatpants and a matching, oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled into a messy braid that had slipped over one shoulder.
"Oh," she said when she saw Rowan and Chloe in the living room.
I gestured toward the roses on the coffee table. "We have company."
"I have a headache. I ah, needed more water. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"There's nothing to apologize for." Rowan stood and smoothed her slacks. "Dahlia and I were just chatting. Chloe wanted to see how you're doing."
Chloe had risen from the couch. For a moment, the two girls just looked at each other, then Chloe offered a small uncertain smile. "Hey."
"Hey." Mia stood in the archway, holding the doorframe. "I was just… thinking about yesterday. The questions with the police."
Rowan's expression softened. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
"They asked about the photo shoot." She stepped farther into the room and kept her eyes on Chloe. "About who was where, and what time we went to bed."
