No online articles, no memorial pages, no trace that these children existed.
My pulse starts to race. It’s like they were not important enough to be remembered.
I’m about to search from another angle when my phone buzzes with a notification from Instagram.
Lucille,one of the kids who was at the camp with Sadie, has finally responded. My lips are pressed tightly together as I open the message,
Yeah, I remember Sadie. So sad what happened to her. May her soul RIP
That’s it.
No answer to my question and no mention of the night Sadie disappeared.
Biting back tears, I type back carefully.
Thanks for responding, Lucille. I appreciate it. Did she say anything unusual before she disappeared? Anything at all?
I stare at the tiny screen.
No response comes. After fifteen minutes, I give up waiting and call Rayline to tell her I might need to stay in Saltspray Cove for longer than I planned.
I know she won’t mind me calling outside office hours because she often works late. She’s a single mom to an autistic child and I often encourage her to take care of the important things in her personal life as long as she catches up after her son goes to bed. She takes me up on that offer more often than not.
“There’s my favorite boss,” she says, and I can almost hear her smile.
“Hey Rayline. Just wanted to give you a heads up, I might be here longer than I thought. Please move the rest of the week’s appointments to next week. And if you don’t mind, check with the families of my patients and let them know. You can say it’s a family emergency, if they ask. I’ll be available by email.”
“Absolutely,” she says. “Is everything…you know… okay over there?”
“Yes,” I lie smoothly. “Just tying up loose ends.”
“Glad to hear it. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“I hope so too,” I murmur and end the call.
After the call, I take a shower and when I reenter the bedroom in a bathrobe, Gabriel is sitting on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry.” He stands up and comes to wrap his arms around my waist, kissing my collarbone. “I messed up. How can I make it up to you?”
I look up at him without pulling away. “I want to see the report tomorrow. The one your investigator sent you about those missing kids.”
Gabriel turns to walk back to the bed. “You’re not going to like it.”
“I don’t like being kept in the dark either.”
But I’m not strong enough to see it now. I need to sleep off the tension from today first. I have a feeling I’ll need a clear head tomorrow.
FOURTEEN
I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and when I’m washing my hands at the meter-long sink in our en suite, I peer out through the glass at the camp.
After a while, my gaze lowers to the beach directly in front of our building and I squint. Two people are out there, but I can’t quite make them out.
Yawning, I head back to bed. I notice that Gabriel is not in bed. I’m immediately reminded of that day Sadie disappeared. I woke up restless in the middle of the night to find the place next to me empty and cool.
He walked into the apartment a few minutes later, said he couldn’t sleep and had gone for a walk on the beach.
I remember he’d looked sweaty, like he had gone for a run instead of a walk, his hair stuck to his forehead.
