As if someone, somewhere along the line, had wanted Danny to vanish. That he'd simply slipped through the cracks. Assumptions made, at home and by the staff, that Danny was safe and accounted for. The poorly fenced, uncharted wilderness surrounding the camp. She had taken the gaps in the story the way everyone else had–as a series of terrible, dangerous mistakes. Her mind flew back over what Jack had told her. Had he uncovered something… something he hadn't yet told them? Something so awful he wouldn't want to tell her to her face? He was closer to the investigation than anyone. Vlad had funded the manhunt for Danny, a gift that Maddie had accepted gratefully despite her reservations about his motivations. Maddie stared blankly ahead, the dial tone buzzing in her ear. I wonder if he'd forgive you? But I will. "Well." There was the clatter and scrape of a chair being pushed back. "If he'd had the sense to be honest with you…" "I wanted to give you my regrets about Daniel." Another sigh. "Maddie, m'dear." Vlad slurred as he spoke, a far cry from his usual slick refinement. A deep sigh and a glass clinked against a hard surface. Silence filled the recording, punctuated by heavy breathing. Why had he avoided her, only to call later? Her thumb hovered over the delete button, but she found herself retrieving the message instead. Vlad had left an extravagant bouquet of tiger lilies (her favorite) in Danny's room sometime yesterday, but strangely, he'd passed on the opportunity to slather her with unwanted attention. Maddie frowned at the number wasn't that a Wisconsin area code? Where was Jack? She remembered her cell and retrieved it from the depths of her purse.Ī missed call blinked up at her from the screen. It felt like all she'd been doing lately. Maddie perched on the edge of a nondescript brown chair and drummed her fingers on her knee. The TV in the corner flickered silently, subtitles rolling across the bottom of the screen, its primary colors bright against the subdued green walls. An elderly woman paged through a creased magazine. A nervous couple huddled together, holding hands. She glanced around the waiting room was nearly deserted. "Thank you," Maddie said as graciously as she could. Stein will be with you in a few minutes, please have a seat." The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.
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