The drive to the high school took seven minutes. The streets of Oakhaven were dark and empty, the streetlights reflecting off the wet asphalt.
The school lobby was bright with yellow fluorescent lights that made everyone look gray. Thomas stood near the trophy case, his tie undone and his jacket hanging open.
Liam sat on a folding chair nearby, his black bow tie dangling loose around his neck. He was staring at his black leather shoes, his fingers laced together.
“Where is she?” I asked, walking straight toward Thomas.
“We do not know, Camila,” Thomas said, keeping his voice low and professional. “She went outside to get some air about forty minutes ago.”
“Who was she with?” I demanded, my eyes darting to Liam.
Liam cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing in the empty hallway. He did not look up.
“She said she was hot,” Liam muttered. “She just wanted to walk by the athletic fields for five minutes.”
“And you let her go alone?” I asked, stepping toward my son.
“She is nineteen, Mom,” Liam said. “I am not her guard dog.”
John put a hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off. The silver watch on my wrist felt heavy, the metal cold against my skin.
“Where is Mitchell?” I asked Thomas. “Did anyone see his car?”
“Mitchell was not checked into the dance as a guest,” Thomas said, his formal tone never wavering. “We have already called the local police.”
I turned and walked quickly through the double glass doors of the lobby, out into the cool night air of the parking lot. The asphalt was damp, smelling of old rain and wet soil.
John followed me, his footsteps heavy behind mine. Thomas stood in the doorway, the light from the lobby casting a long shadow behind him.
“Her purse is still in the girls restroom,” Thomas called out to us. “She left everything behind.”
I stopped in the middle of the empty yellow lines of the parking lot. A few stray corsage petals, crushed and brown, lay near the concrete curb.
“He took her,” I said, my voice shaking as I turned to John. “I told her to stay away from him.”
