Lacey heard the vehicle before she saw it. She and Rick were sitting on the broad porch of the keeper’s house when they heard the crackling of gravel, and the rough sound of an engine growled above the ocean’s whisper. Lacey looked toward the woods and spotted a patch of powder blue through the trees.

“I don’t believe it,” she said, getting to her feet.

“What?” Rick followed her gaze toward the trees.

“He’s still driving that van,” she said. “It was already ancient in 1991.” The battered-looking, faded-blue-to-white Volkswagen bus bounced from the trees into the parking lot, and Lacey felt a nearly forgotten visceral pull. How she had longed to see that van during the summer she was fourteen. She used to watch for it, eyeing the stream of cars along the beach road, searching for the distinctive blue bus. It had meant excitement. Forbidden danger.

Rick stood up, too, a grin on his face. “I haven’t seen one of those since I was a kid,” he said.

“I’ll be right back.” Lacey trotted down the porch steps and started walking across the sand toward the parking lot. Bobby got out of the van, and she had to mask her surprise at the sight of him. She wasn’t sure she would have recognized him if she’d passed him on the street. He was completely bald! He wore old jeans and a pale blue T-shirt, the bottom edge of a tattoo visible beneath the sleeve. His shoulders were broader than they’d been when he was a kid and his arms more muscular. Still, the blue eyes and the cockeyed grin she used to fantasize about were the same, and if she hadn’t already known it, she knew it now—having Bobby Asher in the area was going to be the ultimate test of her will.

“Lacey!” He reached out and pulled her into a bear hug, and she caught the scent of both soap and tobacco. He stood back to hold her at arm’s length. “I’m sure glad you let your hair grow out again. That red-and-black checkerboard look just wasn’t you.”

She laughed, trying to gracefully extract herself from his embrace. “It’s good to see you,” she said. “I can’t believe you’re still driving this VW.” She found it difficult to look him straight in the eye, as if he might be able to see right through to the melting core inside her.

He ran one hand over his bald head. “So, what do you think?” he asked.

“You look great,” she said, and she wasn’t lying.

“My older brothers both have the same hair gene, so I knew what was coming,” he said. “I shaved it off before it fell out completely. Gave me the illusion of having some control over the process.”

He was self-conscious about it, and that made her feel some tenderness toward him.

“Well,” she said, waving for him to follow her, “come on up to the house.”

He started walking next to her. “It’s so cool you live out here,” he said.

“I know,” she said. “I lucked out.” She wondered how she really looked to him. She’d dressed with care that morning, annoyed with herself that what he thought mattered to her, as she tried to strike the right balance between the conservative young woman she was struggling to be these days and the little tart she had once been. She was wearing blue-striped capri-length pants and a sleeveless white shirt cut high on her shoulders, and when she’d looked in the mirror, she thought she’d managed to pull it off. Not too sexy, but not exactly puritanical, either.

They were nearing the house, and Bobby shaded his eyes to look toward the porch. “Is that your brother?” he asked.

“No, it’s a friend.” She wondered what he would read into that description of Rick. “Did you know my brother?”

“No, but I remember you have one,” he said. “And where’s Mackenzie?”

“Up in her room. She’s nervous about meeting you.” She laughed. “Not that she’s told me she’s nervous. She doesn’t tell me anything. But when I asked her if she wanted to wait on the porch with us, she declined the invitation.”

“Can’t blame her for that,” Bobby said. “This has to be hard for her.”

They’d reached the porch and Lacey introduced Bobby to Rick as they climbed the steps. “Rick’s going to let you stay at his place in Duck while you’re here,” she said. She hoped Rick didn’t regret the invitation now that he saw the man in the flesh. The two of them shook hands, looking almost like separate species. Rick was squeaky clean, from his thick dark hair to his spotless BMW parked next to the old van in the parking lot. Bobby certainly was not grubby or even unkempt, but there was an earthiness about him that no amount of soap and water could ever remove.

“That’s really nice of you,” Bobby said to Rick. “I’ll be happy to pay you something for—”

“No.” Rick shook his head. “Trust me. The accommodations aren’t worth much, but I think you’ll be comfortable there.”

“Have a seat.” Lacey motioned to one of the chairs. “I’ll get Mackenzie.”

Bobby sat down, but Rick remained standing, leaning against the porch railing. “I’m going to give Bob directions to my house and then take off,” he said to Lacey.

She moved forward to kiss his cheek, grateful that he seemed to know his presence could only complicate matters once Mackenzie came downstairs. “Thanks for being such a help,” she said.

Upstairs, she discovered that Mackenzie was not in her room. Her old possessions had not yet arrived, so she had few things to strew around the room, yet she’d managed to make the space look sloppy, nonetheless. Her new clothes were tossed on the unmade bed and the chair, along with the jewel cases for the CDs. Only the stuffed dog and the teddy bear looked like they were in place, sitting neatly on her pillow.

“Mackenzie?” she called, stepping back into the hallway. She checked the bathroom, then the other rooms, then retraced her steps, this time peeking in closets and underneath the beds. She gave up on the second story and walked downstairs, hunting through the rooms there as well, calling her name.

She stepped back onto the porch, the screen door thudding shut behind her. “I can’t find her,” she said to the two men, wondering if her voice betrayed her worry. “She’s not in the house.” She scanned the open, sandy area around the keeper’s house, then looked toward the woods, the only place that could offer the girl any cover. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called in that direction. “Mackenzie!” There was no response, only the subdued sound of the waves on the beach and the ever-present buzz of cicadas.

“Do you think she’s hiding?” Rick asked.

“She must be,” she said. She looked at Bobby. “I guess she’s more nervous about meeting you than I thought.”

“Would she run away?” Bobby asked.

Lacey shrugged. “Anything’s possible with that kid,” she said, “but where would she go? It’s not like we’re near anything out here, and she’s on foot.”

“Why don’t we spread out and look for her?” Rick suggested.

“Okay,” Lacey said. “I’ll cover the house again. Maybe she’s up in the attic.”

Lacey opened the screen door and walked inside. She stood still in the living room for a moment, her heart thudding in her chest, as she tried to imagine where Mackenzie might be. Crazy thoughts ran through her head. Hitchhiking. Suicide. She remembered stupidly leaving her purse on the kitchen table that morning. Mackenzie could have taken all her money and her credit cards. She could have gotten a cab to come out here and pick her up. She could be on her way back to Phoenix by now. She felt as though she’d been entrusted with someone’s priceless jewels and, ignorant of their value, had let them slip from her bungling grasp.

She walked into the kitchen and checked her purse. Her wallet was there, along with all the cash she remembered having and her two credit cards. Scratch the running home to Phoenix theory.

She walked back through the living room, climbed the stairs to the second story, and headed for the door leading to the attic.