“So, it was big?” I ask.
“For Blue Gil, yes,” Ollie says as he brings out his phone. “Maybe there are pictures on social media?” He looks up. “I saw a few last night on Snapchat, but they disappear.”
“You can see whose story it is,” Liv says. “You could contact them and ask. The news of Julie and Marty’s disappearance isn’t official yet.” Her eyes meet mine. “Not enough time has passed.” She turns to Ollie. “Maybe if those people live away, they don’t know.”
“That’s a good idea.” I stare back out the window wondering if Julie is purposely staying away or if there’s more to this.
“I’m not victim blaming,” I preface. “And as it’s been pointed out, I haven’t been paying attention. For my own sanity I need to ask, does anyone think Julie would do this on purpose?”
“Run away?” Ollie asks.
“Would she?”
“Not two weeks before her graduation,” Liv says.
That makes sense.
“I get the feeling,” I begin, “that Sheriff Manes is handling this differently than he did Crai—Coach Gilbert’s disappearance.”
This time, it’s Matt who scoffs. “Yes.”
“People learn from their mistakes,” I offer.
“It’s different,” my brother says as we move closer to Blue Gil. “For one thing, Julie is seventeen.”
I know that. “What about Marty?”
No one answers. It’s Liv who shrugs. “I don’t know for sure.”
“No matter their age,” Ollie says, “around here, they’re still kids.” He shakes his head. “We all are and will be forever in Blue Gil. Coach came here as an adult. An adult man was missing, and people gave him the benefit of the doubt that his status was voluntary.”
“Why?” I ask with genuine concern.
“It was only at first,” Ollie says as we enter the outskirts of Blue Gil. “The word I heard from people I’m still friends with was that Coach skipped town. You know, like there was trouble in hisperfect marriage.” There’s an insincere intonation to the way he ended that sentence.
Serena and Joey at the mini-mart comes to mind. I continue staring out the window, hoping someone else will encourage my brother’s thoughts to continue.
“Mrs. Coach didn’t report him missing. The school did,” Ollie goes on.
“But if he normally goes to work, how would she know that he wasn’t at work?” I ask.
“Some think he went missing before that morning.”
“The night before?” My eyes grow wide as I turn to my brother. “Why? That isn’t in anything I read.”
“No, it wouldn’t be.” He makes a noise as he peers down at his phone. “I think I saw her picture at the party last night.”
“Her?” Liv asks.
“The coach’s wife. It was one picture and it was dark. I might be wrong.”
Before our conversation can progress, all our cellphones go off with a text message. Ollie is the first to read it aloud. “Dad wants to know where we are.”
I text back, telling everyone what I’m writing.
“WE’REON OUR WAY BACK TO BLUE GIL. DO YOU KNOW SOMETHING?”
My phone pings.
