they did want to help. They didn’t have anything to hide. Did they? An affair, no matter how tawdry, wasn’t a crime.
She looked at Graham, who was easily chatting with West now about all the new surveillance technology out there, how it was so cheap, how it made their job a lot easier. People don’t even know. They are eyes everywhere now—these little cameras in their doorbells, in their living rooms, on their phones. They’re everywhere. Privacy. It’s gone. Not taken. But given away.
Selena looked up and down the block. Most people had the camera doorbell now. There was even a neighborhood network. She got the little notices on her phone: Stranger at my door! Package missing! This dog pooping on my lawn!
“We’ll be on the block a while,” said Crowe. “Let us know if you hear from her. Or—you know—if you think of anything else.”
On the block? Asking questions? Talking to neighbors?
“It’s probably nothing, though, right?” asked Selena. “She’s just met someone maybe. Lost track of time.”
“Hard to say,” said Crowe. He looked up at the sky. “It’s one thing to stand your sister up. But I don’t love that she didn’t turn up for work. Someone so responsible.”
It was all there on the tip of her tongue. She imagined it all coming out in a tumble. Confession—it was good for the soul or something. Right? Geneva was sleeping with my husband. I threw something at him; it cut his face. I told him to leave but he came back, late at night. I let him in because of the boys, even though I didn’t want him to come home. I met a strange woman on the train. There were these weird messages on my phone this weekend. The encounter, it was strange. She said something like: Maybe she’ll just disappear.
But it was all so crazy, unrelated to Geneva being missing, right? It was just the chaos of her life at the moment. When had things gotten so out of hand?
“Mrs. Murphy,” said Detective Crowe. “You okay?”
Crowe glanced over at Graham, then back to Selena. She liked the dark honesty of his gaze, the cool seeing of it. Graham’s chuckle rang out over the quiet of the neighborhood, something amusing in his conversation with West. A girl was missing. What the hell was he laughing about? Was her husband really such an accomplished liar?
“I’m just worried,” she said softly, offering the detective a wan smile. “About Geneva. She’s like part of our family.”
TWELVE
Oliver
Grown-ups lied. A lot.
They lied about how things were going to taste. Just try it! It’s yummy.
They lied about how bad shots were going to hurt. Just a little sting. Over before you know it!
Oliver knew he shouldn’t be at the door listening. But he did anyway.
“It’s probably nothing, though, right?” asked his mom. It was her worried voice. “She’s just met someone maybe. Lost track of time.”
“Hard to say,” said the stranger. “It’s one thing to stand your sister up. But I don’t love that she didn’t turn up for work. Someone so responsible.”
Both his mom and dad were frowning. Oliver moved in closer to the door, even though he was supposed to be taking care of Stephen.
“Mrs. Murphy,” said the stranger. “You okay?”
Grown-ups told you things were okay when they weren’t. Mom always said she was fine even when he could see she’d been crying. The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy. All lies. It was Eli at school who’d told him all this. Eli was a year older than everyone else, even Oliver, who’d started kindergarten late. Eli was left back everyone knew but didn’t dare say because Eli was mean and big, and really good at hurting you fast so that teachers didn’t see. And at first, Oliver didn’t believe it.
Go ahead, said Eli, ask your mom about Santa.
So he did.
People who don’t believe in Santa don’t get presents. That was his mom’s answer. Which even Oliver knew was not an answer.
He pressed. Do you swear to god there’s a Santa?
His mom just looked away. We can believe in all sorts of things that we can’t see or touch. Santa isn’t real or not real. He’s magic.
Magic.
Was magic real?
Why so many questions? his mom wanted to know. He told her about Eli and watched her make the face she made when she was really mad about something and was trying to pretend that she wasn’t.
You know what? she said. There is always going to be someone who will try to take the