(nw) Their daughter vanished in 1990 at her graduation…

Driven by curiosity, John began searching through the boxes of books. The dust in the room made his eyes water and his nose itch, so he decided to move the boxes to the living room, where it was easier to breathe. There, he methodically laid out books and magazines on the coffee table and floor.

There were fantasy novels, science textbooks, nature magazines, but no illustrated edition of The Secret Garden. John wondered if Emily might still have it after all these years. On a whim, he checked the back of the yearbook and found a section where students had left their contact info.

Emily had scribbled her phone number with a note: “Call anytime, goofball.” John picked up his phone and dialed, not expecting the number to still work after 22 years. As expected, a recorded message said the number was no longer in service.

At that moment, the front door opened, and Nancy walked in with grocery bags. She froze, seeing the books and magazines scattered across the living room. “John, what’s all this?” Her voice was sharp with surprise and something deeper.

“Pain. I was just going through Mary’s things, like we planned,” John explained, standing. Nancy’s face tightened.

“We agreed to sort and pack her things, not spread them all over the house. I thought we were finally moving forward, not diving back into the past.” “I’m not diving, Nancy. I found her yearbook and was looking for something,” John said. “What could be so important?” Nancy set the bags on the kitchen counter, her movements stiff with anger. John showed her the yearbook, pointing to Mary’s note about the book.

“She mentioned a book she lent to Emily. I got curious if it was among her things.” Nancy sighed heavily.

“A book?” “John, it doesn’t matter anymore. Mary’s books are just collecting dust. There’s no need to bother Emily about it. She’s probably forgotten it by now. Do you know where Emily is now?” John asked, shifting the topic slightly. “Yeah, I see her around town sometimes. She lives in an apartment complex now,” Nancy replied, unpacking groceries. “I was thinking maybe I’d visit her,” John said cautiously. “Not just about the book, of course. We haven’t seen her in ages, and she was practically family back then.” Nancy paused and turned to face him. “John, I’m not ready for that today. I have nothing against Emily, but I’m not ready to see her. Last night, we agreed to pack up and let go of hope. Going to Emily’s today feels like the opposite of that.”

She gestured at the mess in the living room. “I’ll stay here and clean up. Get the stuff ready for the attic, like we planned. If you want to go, that’s your choice.” John nodded, understanding her reluctance. “It was just a spur-of-the-moment idea. I’ll go alone.” Nancy gave him directions to where Emily’s apartment complex usually was, but warned, “Don’t push her too hard, John. Mary’s disappearance must have hit her hard too. They were like sisters.” John gathered the yearbook, phone, wallet, and car keys. Heading to the door, he glanced back at Nancy, who was already neatly stacking Mary’s books back into boxes…