Sylvie watched the scenery blur through the backseat window of the police cruiser as the officers drove up the cracked pavement of her driveway. As the car settled into park, Sylvie wiped her wet eyes and gazed at her house. Even from the driveway, she could see Mom peeking from behind the curtains. She’s probably wondering why the cops are here, Sylvie thought. A sharp pain shot to the pit of her stomach. All she could think about was the bright yellow caution tape strewn across the high school parking lot in front of the path that led to the woods. The woods where they found June dead.
“You alright?” Officer Lopez eyed her from the rearview mirror.
Sylvie nodded, even though she knew it was a lie. She wasn’t all right. The walls of the universe had smothered her in, stolen her breath.
Sylvie inhaled and shut her eyes. She was thankful for Officer Lopez and his partner, Officer Snyder. Their presence, at least at the moment, gave her a sense of stability. This was true even though Officer Snyder was her second cousin from the side of Dad’s family that no one talked to. That made it awkward. She hardly knew him, but felt like she should. More than that, she wondered if having an estranged family member present would make it harder or easier when her parents learned what the officers were about to tell them.
The cops got out of the car and Sylvie followed. It felt like she was walking in slow motion, the world around her paused. Sylvie gulped, trying to wash away the suffocating lump in her throat. How on earth are they going to tell my parents? Sylvie’s shoulders tightened, as a hollow feeling settled into her bones.
Officer Lopez rang the doorbell.
Sylvie could hear Bailey bark from inside, followed by fumbled footsteps. Mom opened the door, a look of concern spread across her face.
“Officers,” Mom said. “Is everything okay?” She looked from the cops to Sylvie, eyeing Sylvie’s tear-streaked cheeks. “Sylvie, what’s wrong? Where’s June?”
“Ms. Mitchell, can we come in?” Officer Lopez ignored her questions.
Mom nodded as she stepped aside, holding the screen door open as both officers walked into the house.
“Ms. Mitchell, is your husband home?” Officer Lopez asked.
“He’s at the pawnshop, working late,” Mom answered. “What’s this about, officers? Did my girls get in trouble? Where’s June?” She glanced at Sylvie once more.
“Maybe we should wait for Mr. Mitchell,” Officer Snyder said. Officer Lopez ignored him.
“Ms. Mitchell,” Officer Lopez said.
“April,” Officer Snyder—or Cousin Joe, as the family called him—added. Both cops paused as they simultaneously stumbled to say the words.
Sylvie held back her tears as she focused on Joe’s ginger red hair to control her emotion. She remembered how Dad always said he looked like the Disney cartoon version of Ichabod Crane. She realized he was right.
“There’s been…” Officer Lopez continued. “June’s been found… unresponsive.”
“Unresponsive?” Mom asked. She stepped backwards, leaning onto the arm of the living room couch where Sebastian sat, watching old black-and-white Mister Ed reruns on the Classic TV channel.
“June’s dead, April. I’m sorry,” Joe said.
Mom cocked her head to one side and studied his face. “Wait. What? I’m sorry, did you say dead?” She laughed in disbelief. “Now that’s impossible. No. June’s been at the homecoming dance. You must be mistaken. You must have her confused with someone else.” She looked at Sylvie again.
“It’s true, Mom,” Sylvie said. “She’s gone. June is gone.”
“No. What?” Mom’s eyes widened, then narrowed, the words slow to process in her brain, even though Sylvie could practically see the words spinning in Mom’s pupils. “No, no. That can’t be true.” Mom clenched her fists. “That can’t be. It can’t. Is this some kind of sick joke?” She gasped for air as the sound of fake audience laughter spewed from the television.
“I’m afraid it’s true,” Joe said. “I’m so sorry, April. We are both so very sorry.”
Mom squeezed the arm of the couch now as the tears flooded down her cheeks.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Sebastian asked, just now noticing the police and Mom’s tears. He turned around from the couch, staring up at them all.
“She’s gone, Sebastian,” Sylvie said. “June is gone.”
“What?” he asked. “Gone where?”
Sylvie bit her lip, not sure how to answer. A surge of emotion swelled up inside her, ready to burst.
Mom moaned. “No. No. No. It can’t be. No. She just left for the dance a little while ago. She… she’s homecoming queen. She can’t be dead. What are you talking about? What do you mean she’s dead? How did she die?”
“Sylvie?” Sebastian looked at his sister. “What’s going on? What happened to June?”
“She was murdered, April.” Cousin Joe said.
“Wait. What? Murdered?” Mom pressed her hands to her cheeks.
“What time will Mr. Mitchell be home?” Officer Lopez asked. “Does he always work this late?”
“Sometimes, yes.” Sylvie answered. “The pawnshop stays open late, and then he has to close up. He should be home anytime.” She moved closer to Sebastian, still sitting on the couch. His eyes widened as he looked from the officers to Mom to Sylvie. His lips trembled.
“I see,” Officer Lopez said.
Sylvie hated the tone of Officer Lopez’s voice, as if he was judging the fact that Dad wasn’t home. His judgement hung in the air like a silent alarm.
Sylvie shut the television off. The room fell silent except for the random beeps from both officers’ police radios and the sound of Mom crying. Sylvie’s mind raced. Her body went numb. Everything had happened so fast. She’d just seen June before the dance. Maybe Mom was right. Maybe it was a mistake. How could June be dead? Could she really have been murdered? Who would do such an evil thing? A murder in Lowridge? Why would anyone kill June?
Sylvie reached for Sebastian. He stood up from the couch now, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks. “It’s okay, buddy.” Sylvie pulled him close, hugging him tight. She felt his body shudder with sobs.
“We can wait with you until Mr. Mitchell comes home if you like,” Officer Lopez said, breaking the silence.
“That isn’t necessary,” Mom wiped her eyes. She straightened her posture, doing her best impression of a woman who had everything under control. As if doing so would make it all go away.
Officer Lopez ran a hand over his mouth. “Ma’am, we are going to need you and your husband to come down to the station and—”
“Just stop!” Mom said.
“Sylvie, what’s happening?” Sebastian pulled away from his sister and looked up into her blue eyes. “How can June be gone?”
Sylvie stared back at Sebastian, not sure what to say. She pulled him close and hugged him tighter. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I’m so sorry.”
Sebastian cried harder. The sound of his cry echoed into the depths of the room, sending a shiver up Sylvie’s spine.
“I told you we should have waited for Mr. Mitchell.” Joe looked over at Officer Lopez. “We should at least stay until he comes home.”
“Please, no,” Mom said as she walked to Sylvie and Sebastian. “It will be better if I tell him, Joe. Please, just leave. Both of you. Let us have our privacy.” She wrapped her arms around her children, pulling them in close.
“We understand how difficult—” Officer Lopez began.
“We’re going to do everything we can to find the killer.” Cousin Joe cut him off. “We promise you that.” Joe looked directly at Mom. He spoke with confidence, as if they’d already solved the case.
“That’s right,” Officer Lopez agreed. “We’ve got our best detectives on the scene now. We also have witnesses, the boys who found the body—June, I mean.” He stopped talking.
“And you’re sure it’s June?” Mom asked, wiping her tears once more. “How can you be sure?”
“Like I said, there were witnesses. Boys at the school found her. They identified her.” Officer Lopez said. “Also, her license was in her backpack. Still, we may need…” He paused before continuing. “We will still need you, and your husband, of course, to come in to identify her as well, for legal reasons.” Officer Lopez appeared uneasy, torn between having to ask a mother to identify her dead daughter and doing his job.
“Or we could use dental records,” Joe said. “Unless, of course, you want to see her.”
Mom nodded, but Sylvie doubted her mother was retaining anything the officers were saying.
“Do you have June’s things?” Sylvie asked, pulling away from Mom. “Her backpack?”
Both officers looked at her in a way that made Sylvie feel like she’d said something wrong. She looked away, embarrassed. How can I think about a backpack at a time like this? She felt dizzy, so she shut her eyes. She only wanted to help make sense of the situation. To ask the things Dad might ask if he were here.
Sylvie opened her eyes and looked at the clock to steady herself. Where was Dad, anyway? It was almost ten o’clock. Despite what she’d said to the cops, she knew the truth: Dad usually was home by now.
“We’re holding on to June’s things for evidence, including her car,” Officer Lopez said. “We’ll need to check it for clues. There are a lot of new forensic techniques out there, with DNA and such. We’ll want to gather as much as we can.”
“Do you think the killer was in her car?” Sebastian spoke up, his voice cracked from crying.
“We don’t know,” Officer Lopez said, “but we’re going to figure it out.” He smiled at Sebastian.
“The last time I saw June, she was in her car. We went to the dance together,” Sylvie said, reminiscing about her last moments with her sister out loud.
“Really?” Officer Lopez pulled out his notepad and pen from his front pocket. “Can you tell me more?”
Sylvie hesitated. That last time she’d seen her sister, June had slammed the car door in Sylvie’s face. Sylvie felt ashamed.
“I mean, not really. She just drove us to the dance. I went in first. She said she was coming,” Sylvie lied as she remembered their fight.
“I’m not going to that dance,” June had said.
Sylvie hadn’t believed her when she’d said it. She’d had her homecoming dress on, after all. She was the homecoming queen! Sylvie never imagined for one minute June had meant it.
“Did she say anything else?” Officer Lopez asked. “Anything at all? Even the smallest detail could help.”
“No.” Sylvie looked away. She wondered if she should mention Rick, or the fact that Bruce never showed up for his crown, either. Where had Bruce been? It was strange he hadn’t been there when the DJ announced their names. Sylvie tried to remember if she’d seen him at the dance, but couldn’t recall if she had.
“Is anyone upset with her? Any drama at school? A bully?” Joe chimed in.
“June with a bully? No. Everyone loves June,” Sylvie said.
Both cops gave her a sympathetic look as Sylvie realized what she said. Loves, as if June were still alive.
“Is this really necessary?” Mom asked. “Do we need to do this now? Sylvie, please take Sebastian and go to your room.”
“But—”
“Now,” Mom said as she let go of Sebastian, nudging him to Sylvie.
Sylvie stepped back, surprised by Mom’s sudden impatient tone.
“Please let me show you out.” Mom turned to the officers as she wiped her tears once more. “When my husband gets home, you’ll hear from him.” She opened the front door.
“I understand,” Officer Lopez walked towards the door.
“If you need anything,” Joe placed his hand on her shoulder.
“We’re all set,” Mom said as she held the door open.
Officer Lopez went onto the porch, but Joe lingered. “I want you to know we’ll have a patrol car keeping watch on the house. Just in case. Until we have answers. Until we find this killer.”
“I appreciate that,” Mom said.
Joe nodded, then joined Officer Lopez. Mom watched as both cops walked back to their cruiser.
Sylvie squeezed Sebastian’s hand tight. When Mom was sure the cops were gone, she shut the door and let out a scream.
The dark night crept over Sebastian and Sylvie as they lay in Sylvie’s bed, numb from losing their sister. Outside the bedroom window, the moon cast a spotlight on them both.
“Sylvie?” Sebastian shook her out of sleep. “Sylvie?”
Sylvie jumped. Sebastian leaned over her, cuddled amongst the blankets, as he peered down at her. Sylvie turned to look at the clock: two a.m. She hardly remembered falling asleep.
“Hey buddy,” Sylvie turned back to look at her brother. “You, okay?”
“Dad’s not home.” Sebastian said matter of fact, with an air of urgency.
“What?” Sylvie sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt disoriented. For a moment, it felt like everything with June had been a dream. Except… it wasn’t. The memory came pounding back. The dance, the cops, Mom’s scream—and then, coming up to her room with Sebastian where they’d cried. Remembering it all made her feel like she’d been punched in the gut again. It didn’t make sense. Just that morning, she’d argued with June about who’d left the light on in the bathroom. They’d argued a second time when Sylvie had wanted to borrow June’s new sweater. June had given in, letting Sylvie take it despite their petty words moments before. That was before June had learned that Sylvie had told their dad about Rick.
Sylvie looked over at her desk. She eyed June’s sweater there now, thrown haphazardly over the desk chair. She’d meant to give it back.
“Dad. He didn’t come home,” Sebastian said again.
“He must have. It’s two in the morning,” Sylvie said. “You probably just fell asleep and didn’t hear him come in.”
“No,” Sebastian said. “I checked. I woke up, and I peeked in Mom’s room. No one was there. I went downstairs and saw Mom sleeping on the couch. Dad wasn’t anywhere.” He emphasized the word, anywhere.
“Okay. Well, let’s think logically about this. Maybe Dad did come home, but then left to go to the police station. Maybe they found new evidence.”
“Without Mom?” Sebastian asked.
He had a point. It would seem Mom would go to the police station, too. Still, she didn’t want Sebastian to worry. There had to be a reasonable explanation. “Sure, why not? Maybe Mom stayed here to watch us.”
Sebastian considered this for a moment. “But they leave us home alone all the time.”
“True, but not when there’s a killer on the loose.”
“Then they’d have Aunt May or Uncle Lonnie come over.”
“But Mom couldn’t reach them, remember? She tried to call, but they didn’t pick up. I think they were heading up north this weekend, remember?” Sylvie said, recalling how she’d heard Mom slam the phone down twice in a fit of tears shortly after the cops had left. Sylvie knew she’d called both Dad at the pawn shop and Aunt May and Uncle Lonnie at home because she’d heard Mom cursed them both when she slammed the phone down when neither picked up Mom’s call.
Sebastian paused, then shook his head. “Okay,” he said, defeated. “I suppose that makes sense.”
Sylvie laid her head back down on the pillow.
“Sylvie?”
“Yes?”
“I want June back. I want Dad. I want to go back and make this a different day.”
Sebastian’s words cut straight into her heart. She felt the same way. “Me, too, buddy,” she said after a long pause. “But we have to be brave, okay?” She squeezed her hands into tiny fists.
“I don’t want to be,” Sebastian said. “I just want June back. I want Dad.”
“I know, Sebastian.” Sylvie sighed. “But we have to be brave. For Mom. For Dad. For June, too,” she added. She sat up again as she looked down at her brother.
“What if he comes back?” Sebastian looked away.
“Who?”
“The killer.”
“I don’t think he will,” Sylvie lied. The truth was, she had no idea if the killer would come back.
“How do you know?” Sebastian paused. “Do you think the killer was a man? It could be a woman.”
“I don’t know, Sebastian.”
“I think it was a man.”
“How do you know?”
“Just a feeling.”
They stopped talking. Sylvie could hear the distant chatter of an infomercial playing on the television downstairs. Mom must have fallen asleep with the television on, she thought. Maybe Dad went to the police station? Where else could he be?
Sylvie laid back down and shut her eyes as Sebastian cuddled close. She thought again about how fast things had changed. Just that morning, Dad had made them pancakes for breakfast. She’d woken up to the smell of bacon, the counter littered with splattered batter, blueberries, and maple syrup. Dad made the best pancakes, even if he was messy making them. Usually, he only made them on holidays, like Christmas morning and their birthdays. Pancakes were his specialty, but most mornings, they had cold cereal instead. They were always in a hurry, trying to get to school and work on time. Dad never made pancakes just because and never on a school day. Not until this morning, Sylvie thought. Or yesterday, she reminded herself. At two a.m., it still felt like today. The day June died. The day their lives changed forever.
Sylvie pulled the blankets over her and Sebastian. She was sure of only one thing. She couldn’t explain it, but it felt like Dad’s pancakes held the answers.