Before She Was Found - Heather Gudenkauf Page 0,83

alone.

“And you didn’t feel the need to tell me that your twelve-year-old sister was spending time in places like that? Really, Max?” I’m pissed. Max has done some stupid things but I can’t believe he wouldn’t tell me about this.

“When I saw them I told her that she better go home and never come back. She said that they had been there tons of times, said they were just doing research for their school project and that they wouldn’t come back. Sorry for believing her,” he says sarcastically.

“Which leads to my next question. What were you doing at the train yard?” I ask, not really wanting to know the answer.

“Skateboarding,” he says. I raise my eyebrow and shake my head. Max laughs. “I promise. We were just skateboarding. The train yard is the closest thing to a skate park around here. Don’t worry, Mom, I’m not stupid enough to do drugs.”

I want to believe him but he hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to honesty. Besides that, I don’t trust Clint as far as I can throw him. I decide this isn’t the time to argue.

All those afternoons I thought that Violet was at Cora’s or Jordyn’s house, were they really at the train yard? It surprises me. I thought the Landry house would be the safest place in all of Pitch. Cora’s mom is definitely what people would call a helicopter mom. Violet said that Cora doesn’t have a cell phone and is only allowed on the computer to do schoolwork. Mara has never let Cora come to our house and all along it should have been the other way around. Why didn’t Mara know where the girls were spending their time? How could she let them sneak out in the middle of the night?

* * *

The receptionist, followed by a nurse, finally comes out from the treatment area and I pop up from my seat. “Ms. Crow,” the nurse says. “Come on back.”

“Can my son come, too?” I ask.

“Of course.” The nurse leads us back into the treatment area but instead of taking us to one of the examination rooms she opens the door to a small room, empty except for three chairs and a side table with an open box of tissues atop it.

This must be the spot where families get the bad news from the doctor. The news that their loved one hasn’t survived the car accident, the heart attack, the stroke. I don’t want to go in.

“Come on in and take a seat,” the nurse invites with a smile that I take as a good sign. “The doctor will be right in to talk to you.” Max and I sit down and wait and after a few minutes I see Officer Grady in the hallway talking to a tall, striking woman dressed in a skirt, heels and white doctor’s coat.

“What do you think is going on?” Max asks.

“I have no idea,” I say and we stand as Officer Grady and the woman approach.

“Beth, Max,” Officer Grady says. He’s got his cop face on.

“Ms. Crow? I’m Dr. Gideon.” She reaches out to shake my hand, then Max’s. Dr. Gideon appears to be in her midforties and is perfectly put together. Immediately I’m intimidated.

“What kind of doctor?” Max asks.

“Of psychiatry,” Dr. Gideon says.

I look up at Officer Grady lurking in the doorway. “What’s going on?” I ask eagerly. “Where’s Violet?”

“A nurse is with Violet right now. She’s calm,” Dr. Gideon says. “Please take a seat.”

“I don’t want to sit. Tell me what’s going on,” I snap, surprising even myself with my tone.

“Beth,” Officer Grady says mildly. “We’re all here to help Violet.”

“It doesn’t feel that way.” I sink back into my chair and Dr. Gideon sits across from me. Max stands in a corner, watching, biting his lip nervously.

“We are in the process of assessing Violet right now and I think it would be a good idea for her to stay with us overnight, so we can do a thorough evaluation.”

“For what?” I ask in disbelief. “I don’t understand. The EMTs thought she would be just fine.”

“I asked for the evaluation,” Officer Grady says from the doorway. “I’m concerned about Violet. She ran away from the house, she was hiding in a boxcar, Beth, and then she tried to run away again. She’s clearly afraid of something.”

“Of course,” I say. “Of course she’s afraid. Someone tried to kill her best friend. Could have killed her.” I pick up my purse from where I set