Zander
The photographs on Aaron Vale’s wall were all of Gina.
Michael’s words remained suspended in the room long after he stopped speaking. I stared at him, waiting for the correction that never came, while Gina stood beside the dining table with one hand pressed flat against its surface. She had gone pale, but she wasn’t crying or panicking. That worried me more. Gina usually filled uncomfortable moments with a sarcastic comment or a nervous joke, but now she said nothing at all.
“How many photographs?” I asked.
“We don’t have a final count yet.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Michael glanced at his phone. “More than fifty.”
Gina’s breath caught.
Lilo sat near her feet, looking up at her as if she sensed something was wrong. Gina bent automatically and lifted the dog into her arms, h
