Chapter 70
Kirsten
@RubyRoccsVox, TikTok
It’s funny how no one’s talking about Ella anymore. The poor girl is all over porn sites and still missing, but suddenly all the tea is about why Maple didn’t show up for a Live. Honestly, you guys have the attention spans of jellyfish #findElla
‘Hey, Dylan, we’re really worried about Maple,’ I say quickly, needing to control the conversation. ‘Is she with you?’
‘Me? No,’ he says, his voice rising. ‘That’s why I’m calling you. She didn’t show for the Live, now she’s not responding to my messages, and her Snap Maps hasn’t updated since last night.’
‘And you’re not lying to me?’ I ask. ‘Because if you’re covering for her.’
‘I’m not!’ he calls out. ‘I haven’t heard from her since yesterday, around mid-morning, I think.
She sent me a voice note about today’s show.
She sounded a bit quiet maybe, thinking back, but she was totally up for this morning.
She had some new information about Ella but wasn’t sure that she should share it after Selena Hart’s latest video. ’
‘What new information?’
‘That’s the thing: she wouldn’t tell me either.
And now she’s missing. I guess I was hoping she’d decided to keep it to herself, and that’s why she didn’t come online.
But if you’re worried about her too …’ His voice trails off.
‘I mean, have you spoken to her friends? Could she be with one of them?’
‘Of course I have!’ God, why is everyone acting like I’m either clueless or heartless? ‘They don’t know anything.’
‘Have you tried Coco?’ he asks. ‘Maple tells her everything.’
‘Coco?’ I frown. The name is familiar, but I had no idea they were close. ‘No, because I don’t have any contact details for her. Do you?’
‘No, sorry. She has a YouTube channel, but I’m not even sure what it’s called. Something about searching for a killer.’
‘Wait, what?’ Now I think about it, Maple has mentioned Coco a couple of times, but I assumed she was a typical teenage YouTuber, trying to make it big by pouting into a mirror like all the others.
But searching for a killer is something entirely different.
Almost like searching for a missing teenager.
Is it actually Coco who’s to blame for Maple’s new wayward behavior? And why am I only finding this out now?
‘Mommy.’
I twist at the sound of Aspen’s voice. She’s standing with her brother – Garrett must have let them into the kitchen, pushover that he is. And actually, he must have done more than that because the two of them are holding hands and blinking a lot.
‘Please just find Coco for me,’ I bark down the phone at Dylan. Then I end the call and turn to my youngest daughter. ‘Yes, sweetie?’
Aspen bursts into tears, which is so out of character that the sight makes my stomach clench. I look at Ash.
‘Daddy said you don’t know where Maple is,’ he mumbles, bowing his head.
I throw my husband a death stare, then turn back to Ash. ‘Well, we don’t right now,’ I say, trying to keep my voice light. ‘But we’re sure she’ll be home soon. She’s probably just visiting a friend.’
‘But what if she doesn’t come back?’ he murmurs.
‘Of course she—’
‘She knows Daddy’s not her real dad!’ Aspen bursts out. ‘We all do! We heard you say it yesterday!’
Her words bounce off the walls like a sonic boom. I feel instantly sweaty, like every pore has leaked simultaneously. I shake my head, but in a manic way, like a crazy person. I try to slow it down, but it won’t stop. ‘No,’ I say. ‘No, Daddy was pretending. Weren’t you, Garrett?’
I beg with my eyes, but Garrett’s face is so white, his expression so fixed, that I wonder for a moment if the shock of Aspen’s outburst has killed him. Do I wish it had? This man who I thought would be my rock in a good way, but who seems to have done nothing but weigh me down?
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he says, finally coming back to life. ‘Maple heard that I’m not her father and so that’s what she believes now. And she’s out there, alone, with that news spinning around her head. I’m calling the police.’
‘No, wait,’ I say on instinct. ‘If we tell the police, the world will find out, and the internet will turn on us, and there’ll be so many lies, because people have such crazy theories – you know that.’
‘Are you seriously putting your social media image before our daughter’s safety?’ Garrett spits out.
‘My daughter!’ I shout, beating my chest, suddenly furious with him. ‘And her running away is your fault! Your big mouth!’
‘Don’t you dare lay this on me!’ he spits back. ‘It wasn’t me who started the lies.’
I catch sight of Ash’s bugged-out eyes. I can’t have this conversation now.
‘Look, at least this means that Maple will have run away, not been taken,’ I say, forcing my voice to soften.
‘Dylan is tracking down Coco, who will probably know where she is. And I’m going to call Uber now about her trip.
If that doesn’t help, I’ll call the police, I promise. ’
‘You promise?’ Garrett throws back. ‘And since when has your word meant anything?’