The Hanging Girl

by Eileen Cook

  “Sorry?” I cut her off. “You realize I sent the cops on this wild goose chase, right?” I had so much built-up energy I felt as if I could have run up and down a thousand steps without breaking a sweat.

  “It wasn’t exactly a bust; they know I was kept there. Have you seen the diary pages?”

  I clenched my fist.

  “Listen, Paige—”

  “Pluto! Seriously, how freaking hard is it to remember one single name?”

  “Do not yell at me,” I yelled back. I counted to ten. “Why weren’t you at the cabin?”

  “I needed some breathing space.” Paige sighed. “I told you to play this my way, but you didn’t believe me. Besides, I didn’t tell you I’d be there. I told you to tell them about the cabin. You just assumed I’d be there. Have you been watching the news? I hoped they would show a shot of my parents, but so far there’s only been the statement from Gregory, our family lawyer, saying that the family was praying for my safety and requesting that if anyone knew anything to please call the police.”

  “Yeah. I saw that,” I said, my voice flat.

  “He read the statement off a piece of paper. He didn’t even look up into the camera. It was a missed opportunity, if you ask me. If my family really wants me home, they should have made an emotional plea themselves.”

  “Maybe they’re too upset.”

  “Could be. My dad must be all broken up, because trust me, that guy never turns down an opportunity for some camera time.”

  Paige sounded elated. Like things were going brilliantly. If I could have reached through the phone, I would have choked her. “I’m not sure if you understand how serious this is.”

  “Have the police mentioned the failure to pay ransom to you yet? My dad and Gregory must be scrambling to keep that particular detail out of the press, but sooner or later, it’ll leak. I made sure to have a big boo-hoo about all of that in my diary. It’s going to cost him way more than what we asked for to rehabilitate his reputation when it hits the news.”

  I paced back and forth in front of the tiny space by my bed. “Are you enjoying this?”

  She laughed. “God, yes! Doesn’t everyone have this daydream? The one where you’ve died in some kind of tragic accident, the kind that still lets you leave behind a beautiful corpse and everyone has gathered at your funeral. They’re all crying and declaring how they should have been so much nicer to you when you were alive and how their lives will be empty, shitty shells without you.” She sounded almost manic.

  “Are you ever coming back?” I hated how my voice sounded like I was begging.

  Paige clucked. “Aw, do you miss me?”

  I bit down so hard I thought I could hear my teeth creak as they ground together, threatening to crack.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t plan to stay gone forever, but I do need enough time for people find out my dad didn’t pay the ransom.”

  I forced myself to take a deep breath the way Lester had taught me. “Do you get what a big story this has become? I’m in the middle of all of it, and the pressure is huge.” The press had been outside our apartment again this morning, this time several groups, and before heading out, my mom had primped for her now daily press conference. My efforts to make her stop were about as effective as trying to reason with waves coming to shore.

  Everyone at school was talking about it. When I looked around, people were looking back. They were watching me. There were whispers in corners, and people ducking behind locker doors to hiss “that’s her” to their friends as I walked past.

  “. . . People magazine!” Paige said, and I realized I’d stopped paying attention.

  “Wait, what?”

  Paige sighed impatiently. “I said, there’s a rumor my story is going to be in People.”

  I couldn’t imagine what to say to that.

  “Sure, it’s no Vogue or InStyle, but still, it’s pretty cool. Attention like that could open doors. You never know what might happen.”

  I closed my eyes. She totally didn’t get it. Once people had the bright light on you, they started to notice the cracks and imperfections. It was better to stay in the shadows—safer.

  “This wasn’t supposed to be about fame,” I said.

  “It’s better than nothing,” she fired back. “Listen, I had my own reasons for doing this, but now I’m in a situation where I’m figuring out what I can salvage. I know what you’re thinking, that this is some vanity thing, but that’s not true.” Paige paused. “Well, it’s not entirely that. I might be able to make something out of this mess. I promise if I make any money I’ll share it with you. Lots of places pay big for interviews, you know. It could be lucrative, maybe even more than the ransom.”

  “This is going to blow up in our faces,” I said, putting into words my biggest fear. I’d been caught in a lie once, and this would make the situation with my fake dad look like a walk in the park. “If you think the media loves a story about a missing rich girl, try and imagine what they will do if it comes out that you faked the whole thing. They’ll eat you alive.”

  Paige was silent. Maybe she was picturing the headlines, the shaking head of some news anchor, repulsed as she told the story.

  “I want out of this. I can’t make you come back, but I don’t have to participate.” I hoped I sounded stern and sure of myself.

  “Jesus, will you lighten up? That’s why I called. I’m coming back. I just needed to give everyone one more day to figure out the stuff with the ransom. I need you to have one final vision.”

  The tension that had been wrapped around my chest like a coil of barbed wire suddenly went slack. I felt as if I could take a deep breath for the first time in days. The top of my scalp prickled. This would be over soon.

  “Tell me where you are.”

  “I’m bunking down in one of the fruit stands that’s closed up for the season.”

  There were tons of seasonal sheds that local farmers used during the summer to sell their produce to tourists on their way to their vacation homes. “Why would the kidnappers take you to a fruit stand?”

  “Who knows why anyone does anything? I’ll say they drove me there and tied me up. Give me extra credit for planning ahead.”

  I spit a sliver of fingernail out. She loved reminding me that she was always two steps ahead of me. “Okay. I’ll have images of fruit and that it is some kind of store. Which one is it? Is it close to the lake?”

  “Yeah, you can see the water from here.”

  “Okay, I’ll include a hint of water too.”

  “You better have something else, to lead them,” Paige said. “They need to find me pretty quick because I’m going to be stuck tied up. Mention a dancing banana. It’s on the sign. My mom will recognize it right off the bat. We used to come out here when I was a kid. It’s on County Road Forty, the one that hooks up to Traverse City. There’s a horse farm across the street.”

  I scribbled the details down. “Okay, I got it. I’m going to go to the cops first thing in the morning before school.”

  Paige sighed. “I guess that’s it, then.”

  “I guess,” I said. “You are going to be there this time, right?” I wanted her to promise, even though I knew by now I couldn’t trust a word out of her mouth.

  “Yes, this time I’ll be there.” She sounded tired of my questions. “You can’t blame me for having a backup plan.”

  “I blame you for not telling me everything.”

  “For someone who likes to see herself as jaded, you’re freakishly naïve. Darling Skye—I picked you because you are the type to not ask too many questions. You want to believe everything happens for a reason, but the real reason is because other people make those things happen. You keep waiting for luck to lead you, and you aren’t going to get anywhere.”

  I stared at the phone. I had no idea what to say.

  “If it makes you feel better, even though you can be a real bore, you’ve been a good partner. I wish I could have gotten you the money. You deserve it.”

>   “Thanks,” I mumbled and then was pissed at myself for thanking her for fucking up my life.

  She laughed. “Once I’m back, we’ll go out. I’ll tell you everything. Trust me, there are things you will not believe.”

  “But—”

  “See you tomorrow.” She clicked off the phone.

  After Paige hung up, I dropped my head between my knees until I got my breathing back under control. My guts cramped, and I bent farther over my knees. I couldn’t pull in enough air. Panic was starting to set in.

  I stumbled out into the living room. My mom stood in the open door, her purse under her arm and keys in her hand.

  “I’m going out,” I said.

  “Skye, baby, we should talk. I heard about what happened today.”

  I cut her off. “Spare me how you’re upset that I didn’t tell you about my vision first. What you’re really mad about is that you didn’t have a chance to run to reporters before anyone else.”

  She pulled back, shocked, and I winced. Lately I was incapable of not offending everyone around me. “I’ll be back later.”

  “Skye—”

  “Later.” I stepped past her quickly as if she might try and stop me, and headed out into the night.

  Twenty-Nine

  I felt like I hadn’t slept, but when I rolled over and looked at the clock, it was already six. I lay there working myself up for the day ahead. I kept reminding myself that I just had to push through, and by the day’s end, it would be over. I’d smooth things over with Drew. If she could still organize the readings she talked about, there was a chance I could come up with the money I needed for New York. I tried to do the math to figure out how many readings I’d need to do to have enough for a security deposit, but my brain kept skipping around, unable to focus.

  I was so tired the idea of getting up seemed as impossible as climbing Everest in flip-flops. I reached for my phone and texted Detective Jay, saying that I needed to meet with him. One step closer. All I needed to do was break the day into small, manageable bites.

  My nose twitched. Toast. I padded into the kitchen and stopped short. My mom was sitting at the table fully dressed, sipping out of one of our chipped mugs. Even her hair was done—not in a ponytail, but blown out.

  “Coffee?”

  “Um, sure.” I felt underdressed in my T-shirt and boxers. I sniffed the milk before pouring some in my cup. “Listen, about last night,” I started.

  She waved off what I was about to say. “It’s been stressful. Let’s not talk about it.”

  “What are you doing up?” I asked.

  “I’m going to the police department,” she said.

  My hand shook, and a dollop of coffee splashed down on the counter. “What?”

  “I had a vision.” She tidied the stack of catalogs in front of her, flipping through one at random. “About Paige. I was going to tell you last night, but then you went out. I called the police department first thing this morning. The detectives are going to meet me there.” She chewed the rest of her toast; a tiny drop of melted Jif peanut butter dropped on the page. Mom licked her finger and wiped it off the smiling model’s face.

  I blinked. “What did you see?”

  She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I don’t feel her anymore. I used to sense her out there, like a small vibration. I think she’s gone.”

  “Gone? You mean, like, dead?” She nodded. Just when I thought things were already too complicated. There would be no way to talk her out of it.

  “I had a vision too,” I admitted.

  “Tell me what you saw. I’ll share it with the police when I tell them mine. Then you don’t have to be involved.” She leaned forward, cupped the side of my face. “I know you think this is all about me wanting media attention, but it’s about keeping you out of it, the way you wanted.”

  “I already texted Detective Jay.”

  Her mouth pursed. “I wish you hadn’t done that.” She stood and straightened her skirt. “You better get dressed. You can ride with me.”

  Thirty

  I shifted in the chair. The interview room hadn’t changed since the last time I was there. The detectives had separated my mom and me. They listened to my story and then went to talk to her.

  On the drive over, the news on the radio had been full of the revelation that Judge Bonnet hadn’t ponied up the ransom money. Paige had gotten her way. Sometime during the night, the police had released more snippets from the “diary.” I had to hand it to her—she laid it on thick, talking about how she just wanted to come home safe and how betrayed she felt. Their family lawyer issued a statement that the Bonnets hadn’t believed that the ransom request was from the actual abductors, just someone trying to con them. They came across as heartless, which was pretty much Paige’s goal, so I suspected she was happy. Or would be when she finally heard. I felt bad for her mom and dad. They likely had no idea what they’d spawned.

  I checked the time on my phone. Another minute had ticked past. If Paige hadn’t already put on the zip ties, then she would soon. She’d be sitting on the dirt floor, waiting to be found. I couldn’t escape the sensation that we were running out of time. If she had to wait too long, who knew what she might do. It wasn’t like she was the most stable person in this equation.

  Detectives Jay and Chan finally bustled back into the room. “Let’s go over it again.”

  I scootched forward in my seat. “I don’t have anything else to tell you.” I bit back that I’d all but drawn them a map. All they had to do was go out and pick her up. Cue the media for her dramatic coming home photos. Jay glanced over to the two-way mirror.

  I was suddenly positive that Paige was sitting in the other room. She’d found some way to blame the whole thing on me. Or maybe Ryan and me together. My mouth went dry. Who were the cops going to believe—me or a judge’s daughter? My glance slid to the side to catch my reflection. I pictured Paige, her family around her in a protective circle, patting her shoulder, all watching me. Letting me squirm. Adrenaline flooded my system.

  I started picking at my thumbnail and then made myself sit on my hand to stop. They would be watching me. I’d seen enough TV cop shows to know this room was wired for sound and video. Blotchy hives bloomed on my neck and chest.

  Chan leaned forward on the balls of his feet. “What makes you so sure Paige is fine?” Detective Chan asked, picking up from where he’d left off earlier.

  I made myself take a deep breath before I went off script. “I don’t know,” I said. “It’s just a sense that I have. She’s alone, but she’s not harmed.”

  “What I don’t understand is how you and your mom saw so many of the same things.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You both saw water. You mentioned a farm; your mom thought she saw some kind of field. But how do you explain that your mom’s vision is different in one big way? You say she’s fine; your mom isn’t so sure.” Detective Chan raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know the spirits were so unreliable.”

  Detective Jay cleared his throat, sending Chan the message to turn the sarcasm down.

  “I can’t explain what I do, or my mom. All I can tell you is what I feel. And all that really matters is finding Paige.” I realized I was picking at the ragged edge of my thumbnail again and made myself stop.

  “We’ve got a car headed out to check a few leads based on what the two of you said. If she’s there, we’ll find her,” Jay said.

  “Or we’ll waste a bunch of time and resources chasing after messages from the great beyond,” Chan said quietly.

  Jay glared at him, and Chan shrugged. Detective Jay pushed up from the table. “Look, why don’t you wait here? We’ll know soon enough if she’s out there. And if not, we’ll want to talk to you more, see if we can think of any other ideas based on what you saw.”

  Chan mumbled something under his breath. I couldn’t make it out, but I wasn’t interested in asking him to repeat it. My insides were already pinched and tight without adding to my
stress levels by knowing what he really thought of me. Jay brought me a glass of water and left the door open when he walked out. I peered down the hall into the lobby.

  It was empty this early in the morning. I couldn’t see her from this angle, but the receptionist had a super-long manicure, and her nails clacked on the keyboard. It reminded me of the sound of beetles scuttling around.

  I stood and then sat again. Needing something to do, I tossed the cold water back quickly, like it was a shot of tequila. I looked at my phone again to check the time—well, that had killed all of thirty seconds.

  What were the odds that my mom would have a vision about Paige on this day of all days? She didn’t know anything. Water? We lived in Michigan. You couldn’t go a mile without stumbling across a river, pond, lake, or puddle. Water could also mean a bathtub or a pool. It was a rural area, so farms and fields were also useless data. Her vision would only sound correct when they looked back on it once the truth was out.

  The phone at the reception desk started erupting with calls. A few officers bustled in and out of the back, and I heard raised voices from somewhere down the hall. Something had happened. I heard Officer Chan’s voice.

  “Someone get the Thorn woman from interview room three and put her in with her daughter.”

  I stood up straight. They’d found Paige.

  Thirty-One

  Mom plopped into the seat across from me and pulled her CoverGirl compact out to rub beige powder over her cheeks. Under her chin, I could see the tan line where her makeup wasn’t blended to her skin.

  Before I could open my mouth, Chan marched in, his eyes flashing. “You called the media?”

  My mom nodded. I drew back at his anger, but she didn’t seem shocked at all. When the press outside heard that Paige had been found, they were going to think my mom was the second coming. The fact she was alive and not dead wouldn’t matter. My mom would claim that the death she saw was what would have happened if Paige hadn’t been discovered in time. Worse than just claiming it, she’d believe it. She’d stumbled into the psychic lottery—a lucky guess that paid off huge.