Chapter 15
The next morning when I walked into the kitchen, the sight of Sarah Boatman startled me so much that I promptly turned and walked back out again. My grandmother pushed me back inside the kitchen, insisting that I eat breakfast as usual. The only problem was that nothing was usual. The house seemed to groan under the weight of what had happened. The night before, I felt its bones shudder as though they might break, its walls expanding and contracting in a death rattle of unbearable grief.
The local police and officers from the mainland had come the night before. Emergency Services, Police Rescue, and local residents had braved the storm to look for Elise. The search was called off eventually; visibility was too poor.
My mother and Sarah sat at the table, a teapot in front of t
