The next day, Claire’s car had been found at the bottom of the ravine. By midnight, she was officially missing. By the next afternoon, local news was already speaking in softer, darker tones. The car had gone down hard enough to make recovery difficult. Claire’s bag was inside. So was her phone. Search teams were working the slope and the water below. The phrase police used was ongoing efforts, but the village heard what it wanted to hear. A woman alone. Bad weather. A wrecked car. Survival chances minimal.
Colin appeared outside the house looking pale and wrecked, thanking volunteers and asking for privacy. Claire watched him on June’s kitchen television with a nausea that had nothing to do with fear. He looked exactly as a grieving husband should look.
Elise Grant arrived that evening with a face that gave nothing away. “You did something very risky, Claire,” she said. “I know,” she replied. Grant nodded once before adding thoughtfully, “You also made him believe the plan worked. Let us wait and watch now.”