Anna fusses with a serving spoon, shifting its angle beneath the shrimp. Granny fidgets with her napkin. Mrs. Watson peers out the window into the night.
“Were the men on guard at the gate when you came in?” she asks me. “Earlier tonight, there seemed to be only one on duty.”
“I think they had some sort of staff meeting,” I manage to lie. “Drew mentioned something about a skeleton crew for a couple of hours.”
Cole comes back to the room. “She’s not there,” he says.
This time, he doesn’t argue with me when I push back my chair. I take the stairs faster than I should. My head feels like it’s floating near the ceiling by the time I reach the green guest room.
Breagha’s bed is made perfectly, the comforter looking like it’s never been disturbed. Her closet is filled with all her favorite dresses, candy shades of blue and pink and yellow. Her shoes are lined up in a perfect row.
I go into the jacks.
Her toothbrush is missing.
Back in Breagha’s closet, I realize I can’t find her green dress, the one with the bow across the arse that she says makes her look like a bridesmaid. Her white ballet slippers that belong at the end of the row are also gone.
I start opening drawers at random—her nightstand, the armoire, the desk that sits in the corner of her room. I pull back her comforter. I throw her pillows to the floor.
Cole fills the doorway. “What?—”
“She’s gone.”
“She can’t begone.”
“She took her toothbrush and her favorite dress.”
“Took them? Where?”
“I don’t have any fucking idea!”
I whip out my mobile. I turned it off before we went into the meeting with Fournier because I didn’t want to interrupt Cole’s business. I’ve spent most of the last three days sleeping. My brain was too muddled by the stress of getting to the airport to even consider going online during the flight.
It takes forever for the phone to come to life.
There’s a glut of emails, the usual spam.
There’s a message from Fiona Moran, asking me to call her.
And there’s a string of texts from Breagha.
Breagha
Don’t hate me
Nate’s meeting me at the courthouse
He’s had the license for weeks
We’re doing this today so you can’t stop me
Be happy for me
I love you
Now I’m Mrs. Nathan Cohen
28
