Chapter 4
I froze, then looked over at the TV too.
Mom and Dad stopped their arguing for a second and glanced at the bloody, dirty stuffed animal on the screen.
They had to recognize it now, right?
My heart suddenly started pounding.
“No way.”
Dad shut his eyes again. “You know how much your sister loves that bunny. This one’s way too dirty and gross. Definitely not hers.”
Mom shook her head without hesitation too.
That little brat ran off somewhere after we kicked her out of the car.”
floated right up to Mom’s face, screaming:
I wasn’t being lazy! I’m dead! Dead people can’t do chores!”
But dead people’s voices can’t be heard.
1om looked super annoyed as she searched every corner of the house, but obviously didn’t find me anywhere.
That kid is nothing but trouble,” she muttered irritably.
hen she opened the front door and yelled “Emma!” a bunch of times. When no one answered, she came back inside even more pissed off.
he kicked Dad hard in the leg.
Are you brain-dead? Your daughter’s missing and you’re just gonna sit there?”
ad shrugged it off. “Where’s a five-year-old gonna go? She’s probably just hiding nearby. This is your fault for not watching her.”
Oh, so now it’s MY fault, David?”
I could say the same thing about YOU not watching your kid!”
Iom instantly exploded.
see, I say one thing and you freak out. Madison and Jake are trying to sleep, so keep it down.”
ad rubbed his forehead and sat up, looking exhausted.
le made this annoyed clicking sound. “Emma’s been a problem child since day one. That’s what you get for spoiling her. She’s always lying about everything.”
fom laughed bitterly. “I never spoiled that kid. If anyone spoiled her, it was you.”
How else would a five-year-old learn to steal money for candy?!”
My eyes went wide with panic.
didn’t! I never did that!
was so upset I almost started crying.
Those snacks were gifts that Madison gave me. I never stole any money!
Every single time, no matter what Madison said, Mom and Dad believed her without question.
And now they were fighting again.
Looking at the disgust in their eyes, my heart felt like a popped balloon. Tears streamed down my face.
Chapter 4
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
I turned around, still crying.
I saw Mrs. Miller from next door standing there with a small cake.
Mom still looked annoyed and spoke harshly:
“Mrs. Miller, what are you doing here so late?”
“Emma asked me to hold onto this before you left. She made me promise to bring it over when you got back.”
When Mom saw the wobbly “Happy Birthday” written on the cake, her face changed a little.
I could tell she finally remembered today was my birthday.
Mrs. Miller sighed sadly.
“Emma’s usually such a good kid. You shouldn’t yell at her in front of everyone. She’s just a little girl.”
“That brat’s been way out of line lately,” Mom said, her tone softening just slightly but still annoyed.
“We planned this whole trip, and now she’s disappeared God knows where. Haven’t seen her all day.”
“Kid’s got a wild streak, even at her age,” Dad muttered.
Mrs. Miller frowned, about to defend me, when Dad’s phone suddenly rang.
He answered it right away.
The next second, a cold police officer’s voice came through the speaker.
Everyone in the room went completely pale.
Mr. Williams, there was a serious accident on the highway this morning involving a five-year-old girl.”
After thorough investigation, we’ve confirmed that the victim was your daughter, Emma Williams.”
