Chapter 12
“April!” Riley screamed. “April!”
Riley ran to the bathroom and looked inside. Her daughter wasn’t there either.
She ran desperately through the house, opening doors, looking into every room and every closet. She found nothing.
“April!” she screamed again.
Riley recognized the bitter flavor of bile in her mouth. It was the taste of terror.
At last, in the kitchen, she noticed an odd smell wafting in through an open window. She recognized that smell from long-ago college days. Her terror ebbed away, replaced by sad annoyance.
“Oh, Jesus,” Riley murmured aloud, feeling immense relief.
She jerked the back door open. In the early morning light she could see her daughter, still in her pajamas, sitting at the old picnic table. April looked guilty and sheepish.
“What do you wa
