Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Then She's Gone
One
Two
Three
Hear More from Willow
Books by Willow Rose
A Letter from Willow
*
PROLOGUE
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Marissa Clemens smiled the way only a mother could when looking at her child. Her four-year-old daughter Emma was dancing in the backyard, while Marissa was cooking dinner inside the house, watching her through the kitchen window.
“Look at me, Mommy!”
Emma was wearing a tutu, and it spun in the air as she twirled. On her feet she was wearing pink Crocs, while her small legs were bare. On top she wore her favorite shirt, the one with glittery unicorns and rainbows on it. Marissa could tell that her daughter had worn it a lot, because most of the sparkles had fallen off. She wondered if she should get rid of it, but the girl loved it so much, she didn’t dare to. Emma’s strawberry blonde hair was tousled and curly and kept falling into her face. Her smile was the most beautiful on the planet and could melt any hardness in her mother.
“Look I’m dancing!”
The girl mimicked a video from YouTube that she had watched, featuring a group of young girls who were twerking, and it made her mother laugh, even if it was slightly inappropriate. Seeing a four-year-old do it was just too darn cute.
Marissa looked down at the potatoes she was peeling, allowing herself a brief moment of happiness. Could she finally relax? Were they safe?
What if things stayed good from now on?
She didn’t dare believe it. Marissa shook her head. No, it was simply too dangerous to fill herself with that kind of hope.
“Mommy, Mommy, can I go down to the water?”
Marissa looked up with a drastic change in her expression. Her blissful smile became a frown, and she raised her finger and kept Emma’s eye contact. She made sure her daughter looked at her and understood what she was saying.
“No. No going to the pond without Mommy.”
“Please? I wanna see the fishies,” Emma said, making those big begging eyes. It usually worked if Emma wanted snacks, but not when it came to this. The big pond behind their backyard was Marissa’s nightmare. She had often dreamed of finding her floating in that water, and the very thought made her nauseated. She had sacrificed so much to get them to where they were. She wasn’t taking any chances.
“No.”
Emma made a sad face, but then spotted a squirrel as it darted across the lawn and decided to run after it, quickly forgetting everything about the pond. Marissa watched her as she talked to the small animal that had taken shelter on the top of the palm tree.
“Mommy, the squirrel is back,” Emma yelled.
Marissa watched her for a few seconds, then finished peeling the potatoes. It was still scorching hot out even if it was October, and she had to make sure Emma drank enough water while playing outside. She put the potatoes in the buttered pan, then placed them in the oven after sprinkling cheese on top. She heard the washing machine play its annoying little song, letting her know it was done.
Marissa looked at her watch. She needed to put the clothes in the dryer, and, for that, she had to go to the garage. She hesitated. Should she ask Emma to come inside while she did it? No, that would be silly. She was having so much fun and getting fresh air.
Marissa walked to the garage and opened the lid of the washer. She started to pull out clothes and put them in the dryer. Emma would be fine. Besides, it would only take a few minutes to empty the washer and turn on the dryer. Five minutes at the most, she told herself. She emptied the washer and closed the dryer, while pushing back that intense nagging sense of urgency inside of her, telling her to go out and check on her daughter. She slammed the dryer shut and turned it on, then stared at the rest of the dirty laundry in the basket. She really needed to get another one going. There was time to put on another load, right? After all, it would only take another minute. Emma was fine. Of course, she was.
Marissa tossed the white wash into the washer, added detergent, and pushed the button to start. Happy that she was ahead of her own schedule for today, Marissa then rushed into the kitchen and peeked out the window.
But she couldn’t see Emma.
There’s no reason to panic. She’s probably just playing somewhere I can’t see. She’s fine. Nothing can happen in a closed-in yard.
