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No word from her. Nothing from a possible kidnapper. No signs of violence. Her car had been found in the supermarket parking lot. Her purse and phone were gone.
Lily Winslow had disappeared off the face of the earth somehow.
There had been “sightings” through the years that only kept up the family’s hopes, but they’d never panned out. Search parties had combed every inch of the county but had found nothing. If Lily Winslow was still alive, she was doing a great job of hiding. In the end, Joel Winslow had his wife legally declared dead. Only a few months later he’d gone public about dating Kim, Lily’s younger sister, although there had been rumors about the couple for a long time.
“No one truly knows what goes on in another person’s home,” Lucy said. “We don’t know how the family feels about the marriage.”
“Yes, we do,” Jane declared. “Piper is loud and proud about how she feels about her old man. And everyone also knows that Sam would stand by his daddy. Cooper hates him, and Tate is decidedly neutral.”
“I guess what I mean is that we don’t know what Zack and Frankie think about this.”
“You went to school with Zack,” Jane pointed out. “What do you think?”
“I think that I didn’t know him well enough to have an opinion about it.”
“You were in the same friend group.”
“Sort of. We were more acquaintances than anything. We moved in the same friend group, but I was a year behind him. He was a nice guy, but he didn’t pay any attention to me.”
Zack Winslow had been a decent person, despite his family’s wealth and history with the town. The Winslows had helped found Winslow Heights. Their name was everywhere - even on the local university. But Zack had never seemed stuck up or snotty. But he’d definitely had his share of self-esteem. Even as a teenager, he’d been so gosh darn certain about everything. His belief in what his future entailed was unshakable. In a way, she’d admired him. He seemed to have it all figured out while the rest of them were just making it up as they went along.
“He dated Angel Barnes, right? Maybe they’ll get back together.”
Ah yes, Angel Barnes. How could Lucy forget about her? While Zack had been friendly to everyone, never bragging about his connections and wealth, Angel had been the opposite. She gloated constantly about dating the handsomest and richest guy in high school. She’s show off the gifts she’d received from him and make everyone else’s life a misery. She’d be nasty to anyone she didn’t think was on her level, but then acting all sweet and innocent around Zack or adults. The teachers had thought she was some sort of saint, with her big blue eyes and pale blonde hair.
“She’s dating Deputy Blake,” Lucy reminded her friend. “I hear they’re serious about each other. Shit, now you have me gossiping.”
Angel and her husband had divorced a few years back. He’d remarried to a local schoolteacher. They had a baby on the way.
“You’re going to the wedding,” Jane reminded Lucy. “Maybe you’ll see Zack there.”
“Half the town is going to the wedding, and I probably will since so many people will be there. But it’s a huge wedding. I doubt I’ll even talk to him. He wouldn’t remember me anyway.”
“I’m not going to the wedding.”
“You’re invited,” Lucy said. “Everyone in town is invited.”
Jane hadn’t lived in Winslow Heights all that long. She’d come to town five years ago with her then husband who had proceeded to drink, gamble, and womanize. Eventually, Jane had divorced him, and he’d left Winslow Heights to take a job in a bigger city.
Jane, on the other hand, decided to go back to school to finish her degree. She was currently working at the bookstore part-time while also attending classes. She was only a semester away from finishing her accounting degree.
“I know, but it would be weird to go,” Jane replied. “I don’t really know them. I’d feel out of place.”
Jane didn’t like large crowds with a lot of unfamiliar people. She preferred smaller gatherings. Lucy did, too, but she’d be disowned by her mother if she didn’t go to the wedding.
“You and I could hang out together. I won’t leave you by yourself.”
“Naw, I’m good. I’m planning a quiet day studying. Maybe I’ll take a nap.”
The entire downtown would be deserted so Lucy and Jane were closing the bookstore. They wouldn’t have any customers anyway. The university only had summer term going right now so most of the students were gone, and the rest of the residents would be at the wedding.
It wouldn’t be so bad to spend an afternoon at a fancy wedding. She could get dressed up, sip some champagne, and enjoy having a day off. She might even slip out of the reception early and go home to read and relax.
“Who do you think will say it?”
Lucy had been lost in thought, and she hadn’t heard the first part of what Jane had said.
“Who will say what?”
