Page 51 of The Magic We Made

“Onehouse,” I remind him. “So far there’s no report of—”

“And, hey, that explains why it’s taken so long to find her!” Troy is warming to the subject. “That nature preserve is hundredsof acres wide. Looking for someone in there is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

I nod, scanning the crowd. “I know. And you know the way to find a needle in a haystack? Burn it down.”

He blinks at me. “Burn what down? The haystack?” Then his eyes widen with alarm. “But you can’t burn down the nature preserve! Those woods are protected—”

“Relax, I’m kidding.” I don’t know why I mentioned the haystack thing, except that gallows humor is an important coping mechanism, especially to members of the health profession. We have to laugh or we’ll cry.

But I should have remembered Troy loves those woods as much as I do.

“No one would be crazy enough to burn down the woods,” he says. “Would they?”

“Of course not.” I finally see the person I’ve been looking for and set my half-finished glass of champagne down on a nearby table. “Hey, Jackie’s over there. I’ve got to go talk to her. See you later?”

“Later,” Troy says, and moonwalks to the dance floor, to the shrieking delight of his daughters.

Jackie is just inside the doors to the deck, laughing at something the mayor, who is standing beside her, has said. I lift a hand and she clocks me across the room, nods, says something to the mayor I can’t hear, then comes toward me.

“What happened to you, Giovanni?” she asks with a grin. “Is this the work of one of Jessica Gold’s magic spells?”

“Something like that. How’s Meg?”

“Doing okay, I think.” Jackie has changed out of her tactical uniform and into a black jumpsuit that is reminiscent of the uniform but slightly more flattering. The bottle of beer in her hand and absence of gun belt and badge are really the only indicators she’s off duty. “But super weak. The doctors said it will be a while before she can eat solid food again.”

I nod. “Too rapid a reintroduction of food into her system after such a long period of malnourishment could cause her organs to shut down.”

“Yeesh, yeah, that’s what they said. Her parents are with her. They drove up from Cranbury. I’ve never seen anyone more relieved than Mrs. Boucher when she finally got to hug her long-lost kid. Everyone in the room was bawling.”

“Has Meg said anything about where she was?”

I’m not asking for TroyorAsh. I’m asking for myself.

“Not a word,” Jackie says. “It’s pretty clear that she’s been living off the grid, most likely in those woods out near you. But she’s too scared to say where, exactly. And before you ask, I can’t send my guys to go beat the bushes for a bunch of girls whose only crime is stealing an old lady’s groceries and camping illegally. Those are misdemeanors. I’d never even get the budget for a search approved.”

“I wasn’t going to ask,” I lie. “Did she say anything about the other missing girls?”

“All she’ll say is that when she last saw them, they were fine.” Jackie sighs. “I’ve called all the other parents to let them know, but every one of them said the same thing—”

“Let me guess. ‘Find my daughter.’”

“Exactly. So, no pressure there.” Jackie sighs again, then brightens, a mischievous light in her eyes. “Hey, I wanted to ask you... did you hear about Richard?”

I grimace. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry that asshole didn’t drown at sea.” She takes a sip from her beer. “On a bright note, I asked the staff over at the hospital when I was there just now if they were going to hire Richard back as chair of the behavioral health department, and they couldn’t stop laughing at the idea. So at least there’s that.”

I smile, hoping I look appropriately appreciative.

But I’ve stopped paying attention. Because I’ve looked across the crowded deck and seen something even more horrifying than my mother flirting with Mr. Hong.

And that’s Ash Merit, laughing with Jessica’s fiancé Derrick. Even worse, my sister Angie is standing close beside them, calling my name and waving me over.

Ash Merit is here. Ash Merit is here at the engagement party.

And he’s just lifted his gaze and met mine.

Ash