"I'm sorry about the salad—I'm not sure what came over me." We're all settled around the dining room table when Mom apologizes for the third time. "I guess I just wasn't expecting—"
She stops, glances across the table, and clamps her lips.
Emma smiles. "It's okay, Mrs. H. It's understandable. I look a lot different than I used to. But the doctors say I'll put the weight back on in no time. Honestly though, I don't want to. Being this thin suits me, don't you think?" She twists in her seat to show off her new physique. "Now I can fit into the dress I wore for my quinceañera. Do you remember that one, with the beaded crystal straps and rose-gold tulle? I felt like a princess every time I tried it on. Not that I have anywhere to wear it to, but at least all that baby fat is gone!" She laughs.
Her fifteenth birthday party. Emma looked amazing in that dress. She spent the evening gliding around, basking in the attention and taking selfies so she'd never forget. She's not usually such a girly-girl, but she made an exception that night.
Mrs. Navarro clucks her tongue. "Nonsense, mija. You were perfect the way you were before. Strong and healthy. Exactly the way a teenage girl should be. The way you'll be again—we'll make sure of it."
Mom's not sure what to say. I can tell by the way she's toying with her hair. Whenever she repeatedly tucks it behind her ears, she's either nervous or stressing out about something. And it usually has to do with me. It doesn't happen much anymore, and to see her doing it now takes me back to a time I'd like to forget, tying a great big knot in the pit of my stomach. I don't like it when my parents are uneasy. I always find a way to blame myself, even when it's not my fault. Old habits die hard, I guess.
Dad clears his throat. "I hope it's okay to ask, but do the police have any leads yet? The news has been vague regarding the investigation."
"That's because amateurs are running that station. The ridiculous questions they ask over and over, and those damn tests they tried to put Emma through. Dumb fucks don't have a clue what they're doing—excuse my language."
Mr. Navarro shoots a sideways glance at Rowan as guilt flashes across his face. But she's too busy shoving mashed potatoes around her plate to notice. I've yet to see her take a bite of anything, even though my plate's about empty.
"What I mean is, they've had hundreds of leads come in, but all they're finding are dead ends. It's like that animal just up and disappeared off the face of the earth." He grips his wine glass and swallows what's left inside.
"Dinner's wonderful, Jasmine. You didn't have to go through all this trouble," Mrs. Navarro says. She's speaking too fast, her dark eyes flitting around the table, unable or unwilling to focus on any one thing.
But Dad won't let it go. "That forest is immense—I used to hike there with some buddies from med school. But you'd think they would have picked up on something by now. Are they working with search dogs?"
Meredith releases an uncomfortable laugh. "William, maybe the Navarros would like to talk about something else for a change? We should give them a break."
Mr. Navarro reaches for the bottle of red wine and, once again, fills his glass. "A break? I'm not taking a break until they find that scumbag and throw him in prison for the rest of his life. Or better yet, strap him to the electric chair and let him fry."
Mrs. Navarro gasps. "Luis! You don't mean that."
Emma's eyes meet mine across the table, but I can't make sense of her expression. It's not uncomfortable or distressed as I'd expect it to be. It's composed. Relaxed.
"The hell I don't!" her father says between his teeth. "As soon as we catch that son-of-a-bitch, you better believe I'll be pushing for the death penalty. No one's going to treat my daughter the way he did and get away with it! Especially not some lowlife pedophile."
Heat swamps my face. Pedophile. That one word answers every question I had. The absolute unimaginable happened to my best friend. I figured it must be something awful—especially when I found out Emma was alive. But to hear it out loud makes my blood run both hot and cold at the same time.
My stomach churns as I process what her father said. The electric chair. Lowlife pedophile. I'm going to be sick. But I swallow it down, count to five. Pray the moment passes before my dinner ends up in my lap.
But the revelation must slip past Dad because he continues with his interrogation as if he didn't even hear it. Or maybe it's because the doctor in him is so focused on collecting data, and the concrete evidence needed to uncover a diagnosis. "Emma, do you remember what part of the woods you came out of?"
I stare at the girl across the table, the one who made it to the other side of this horrific story, and my toes clench as I wait for her response. I should shut him up, stop him from being so intrusive. But I want answers, too.
"I don't recall much. He kept me drugged most of the time. I can't even remember leaving my truck, or how he managed to—" Emma stops, shakes her head. "It's just so hazy. But I do remember the mountains, and the way the birds stopped chirping as he carried me through the woods. I remember the crunch of pine needles beneath his boots and the overwhelming smell of moss. The sweat as it soaked through my clothes and clung to my skin. And I remember the tops of the trees, swaying back and forth against the sky. They just sort of ... swallowed us." She shrugs, her gaze shifting to her now empty plate. "I can't tell the police how to get to the cabin because I don't know where it is. But they won't let it go. They hound me every day with questions I can't answer, no matter how badly I wish I could."
Something inside me crumbles. Emma looks so lost. So shattered. It's a miracle she's able to cope at all. I can't imagine how terrified she must have been. How alone, in the middle of all those trees.
"And now they want her to go back and help them find it. Can you believe that? It's outrageous!" Mr. Navarro slams his fist on the table. It rattles the glasses and plates, making everyone flinch. "There's no way we're sending her back there. She already has nightmares, and we're not willing to traumatize her any more than she already is. Especially knowing that creep still has her driver's license. We're beefing up security at the house."
Mrs. Navarro places her hand on his arm and his palm opens, his shoulders relaxing. But just a little. "Jazz, I appreciate dinner, but we should probably get going." He throws his cloth napkin onto his plate and pushes away from the table. "I can feel my blood pressure rising; I'm getting myself all worked up."
Mom stands, too. "Are you sure? We haven't even had dessert," she says with a defeated frown.
Mrs. Navarro rises from her seat and gives Mom a quick hug as her husband makes his way toward the front door. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let him have so much to drink. Can we get a rain check?" She doesn't wait for an answer. "Come on, mija. Let's go."
Emma doesn't budge. "'I'm staying."
Her mom stops and stares. We all do. Mrs. Navarro tilts her head. "Not tonight, mija. We need to leave."
"I said, I'm staying," Emma says again, even firmer than before.
Everyone's silent. So silent, every click from the clock sounds like a ticking time bomb. Mr. Navarro reappears; slowly, cautiously. As though he's afraid he'll fall through the floor if he makes the wrong move. "Emma." It sounds like a warning.
She remains fixed in her seat, her gaze holding her father's in a speechless showdown.
Finally, Dad stands too and fractures the awkward quiet. "Carmen, how about Emma stay for a little while? When the girls are through visiting, I'll walk her back myself." Silence. Dad tries again. "They haven't seen each other in so long. This will be good for them."
Mrs. Navarro waits a beat, then visibly swallows. She pushes the words through clenched teeth. "One hour, and not a moment longer."
Emma catches my eye again and smiles.
"I'd like to be excused now." Rowan grabs her cane, and abruptly stands from her seat. The tone of her voice leaves me on edge. She heads down the hallway, towards the restroom. I toss my napkin onto the table and follow after her.
"Hey, munchkin. Are you okay?" I ask when I catch up with her. Rowan swivels around to face me. Her cheeks are pink, her mouth pinched in a tight line. Something in her expression scares the shit out of me. "What's wrong?"
She shakes her head. "Nothing."
Shit. She heard too much.
They shouldn't have spoken about what happened in front of her. It was inappropriate for a child her age to hear. I should have put my foot down, should have stopped them before they got carried away. As much as I want to get to the bottom of Emma's ordeal, I want to protect my sister even more. That's my job.
I fold her into a hug and try to squeeze the fear out of her. "I'm sorry you heard all that. Sometimes, grown-ups get so caught up in adult conversations they don't think about what they're saying and who they're saying it in front of. But I don't want you to worry. Because what happened to Emma will never happen to you. Okay?"
Rowan nods into my stomach and the gesture squeezes at my heart. How could I have let this happen? She should have never been put in that situation.
"I promise, I'll never let anything bad happen to you." I step back, and grasp both of her shoulders. "Do you believe me?"
She hesitates, then nods again, her blonde locks framing her cherubic face.
I let out a shaky breath and try to calm my racing heart. Because if anyone, anyone, ever tried to hurt my sister—I would have to kill them.