A few minutes after we are seated, Alice appears in the doorway with a tray. “Thought I’d bring you in some coffee and croissants.” She glances down at the tray in her hands then sets it down.
No one speaks as she pours us each a cup, then straightens up. “Would you like me to take Coco for a walk?” she offers. “She seems restless.”
Scarlett nods. “That’s a good idea.”
I glance at Gabriel.
“Yes,” I say finally. “That would be nice, thanks for that.”
After we chat a bit about her life and how her father is doing, Alice leans down to fasten Coco’s leash. “I’ll just take her around the marina. We won’t be long.” She stands up and looks at me for a moment. “If you need anything at all, give me a call.”
She leaves, closing the door softly behind her.
“Judy, are you feeling better today?” Scarlett asks when the three of us are alone, her eyes searching my face.
I glare at her. “Of course I’m not better, Scarlett. How could you even ask me that?” I shake out my jittery hands while blinking back hot tears. Unable to release the mounting tension inside me, I bite down on my lower lip until I taste blood. “I’m sorry, Scarlett. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just…I won’t feel better until we find out where Sadie is and what has happened to her.”
“I’ll help. I’ll help you find more information. I can also stay a bit longer, if you like. I still have a few days before school starts.” Scarlett pauses. “I’ll do anything for Sadie. You know that.”
Her voice wavers just slightly on Sadie’s name, a crack so small it would be easy to miss. Her offer of help takes me by surprise. I thought she would side with Gabriel.
“So, what do we do first?” she asks as she picks up one of the croissants, but after staring at it, puts it down again, picking up her cup of coffee.
“I want to go to the camp today.” I bite into my croissant. “To have a look around.”
Gabriel’s jaw tightens. “You can’t.”
“Why not? I just want to ask questions,” I reply. “What if someone there knows something that could help us find her? Or lead us to the person who sent that photo?”
“Not just anyone can walk in anymore.” Gabriel reaches for my hand. I let him hold it for a second before pulling away. “Access is restricted, you know that. And adults aren’t allowed in unless accompanying a child.”
Scarlett sighs loudly. “Yeah, I heard they have much stricter rules now, for the protection of the kids.”
“I don’t care. I’m going there. I need answers.”
Gabriel stands abruptly. “Why can’t you let this go? We came here to say goodbye to our daughter, not tear ourselves apart again. I told you that photo is just a horrible prank. See it for what it is.”
“This isn’t me reopening wounds.” I pull the photo from the back pocket of my pants. “This is real, Gabriel.”
The door swings open and Gabriel sits back down, reaching for a newspaper. I place the photo on the table, face down, just as Alice comes back in, Coco’s leash in her hand. “Sorry to disturb,” she says, shifting from foot to foot. “I forgot my phone.” Shewalks across the room, picks up her phone from the windowsill where I stood with her earlier, and turns to go.
“Alice,” I call before she walks out. “What have you heard about the youth camp lately? Anything new happening over there?”
She pauses, gazing out the window. I know she also spent a summer there as a teenager on a scholarship.
“It’s still considered one of the best teenage youth camps in the country.” She leans against the doorframe. “A family I worked for sent their seventeen-year-old son there three months ago, and he certainly came back changed.”
“In what way?” Scarlett asks.
“He was just calmer and less angry. His parents kept praising the place.”
“And you don’t work for them anymore?” I cross my legs and hold my knee with both hands.
“They moved to Europe. Julian, the father, got a new job in Sweden.”
I nod. “Anything else you heard about the camp?”
“Only that after what happened to Sadie…” She looks down at her feet, then back up, her eyes full of sadness. “They became very protective of their residents, invested a lot in security, with cameras and controlled access. They also monitor the waterfront more now. There used to be a way in and out of the camp via the beach but not anymore. They spent a lot of money to make sure nothing like that happens again.”
