She couldn't help smiling at that. Little Mermaid was this week's favorite movie. That meant they watched it every day if they could.
The front door banged open and Marah was home, looking excited. "You'll never guess what happened to me today."
Johnny put down his paper. "What?"
"Christopher, Jenny, Josh, and I are going to the Tacoma Dome to see Nine Inch Nails. Can you believe it? Josh asked me."
Kate took a deep breath. She'd learned to react slowly with Marah.
"A concert, huh?" Johnny said. "Who are these kids? How old are they?"
"Josh and Chris are juniors. And don't worry, we'll wear our seat belts."
"When is the concert?" he asked.
"Tuesday."
"On a school night? You think you're going on a date, with a junior, to a concert, on a school night." Kate looked at Johnny. "That's wrong on so many levels."
"When does it start?" Johnny asked.
"Nine. We should be home by two o'clock."
Kate couldn't help herself: she laughed. She had no idea how her husband could stay so reasonable. "Should be home by two o'clock? You must be joking, Marah. You're fourteen years old."
"Jenny's fourteen and she gets to go. Daddy?" Marah turned to Johnny. "You have to let me go."
"You're too young," he said. "Sorry."
"I'm not too young. Everyone gets to do stuff like this except me."
Kate's heart went out to Marah. She remembered being in a hurry to grow up, how sharp that need could be in a girl. "I know you think we're too strict, Marah, but sometimes life—"
"Oh, please. Not another lame life-is speech." With a snort, she ran upstairs and slammed her bedroom door shut.
Kate felt a wave of exhaustion so profound she almost sat down. Instead, she looked at her husband. "I'm so glad I came downstairs."
Johnny smiled. It came easily, too. How was it that he could do the same battles with Marah that Kate did, but manage to come out unscathed? And loved? "Your timing with her is always impeccable." He stood up, kissed her. "I love you," he said simply.
She knew it was meant to be a Band-Aid, those words, and she appreciated it.
"I'll go make dinner and then try talking to her. Give her some time to cool down."
He sat back down, returned to his paper. "Call Jenny's mom and tell her she's an idiot."
"I'll leave that to you." She went into the kitchen and started dinner. For almost an hour, she lost herself in slicing vegetables for stir-fry, and making Marah's favorite teriyaki marinade. At six o'clock, she tossed the salad, put the biscuits in the oven, and set the table. Usually that was Marah's job, setting the table, but there was no point in asking for help tonight.
"Okay," she said, coming back into the living room, where Johnny was sprawled on the floor with his boys, building something out of Legos. "I'm going in."
Johnny looked up. "The Kevlar vest is in the coat closet."
In the comforting wake of his laughter, Kate went upstairs. At the closed door to her daughter's room, which sported a yellow KEEP OUT sign, she paused, steeling herself, then knocked.
There was no answer.
"Marah?" she said after a moment. "I know you're upset, but we need to talk about this."
She waited, knocked again, and opened the door.
In the jumble of clothes and books and movies, it took Kate a moment to process what she was seeing.
An empty room.
With an open window.
Just to be sure, she checked everywhere—in the closet, under the bed, behind the chair. She checked the bathroom, too, and the boys' room and even her own. By the time she'd searched the entire upstairs, her heart was pounding so fast she felt light-headed. At the top of the stairs, she held onto the banister for support. "She's gone," she said, hearing the crack in her voice.
Johnny looked up. "Huh?"
"She's gone. I think she climbed out her window and went down the trellis."
He was on his feet in a second. "Son of a bitch."
He ran outside. Kate followed.
They stood beneath her bedroom window, seeing where her weight had broken the white wooden trellis and ripped through the ivy. "Son of a bitch," Johnny said again. "We need to start calling everyone she knows."
Even on a cold night like this, Tully loved being on the deck of her condo. It was a big, stone-tiled space that had been designed to replicate an Italian villa's terrace. Big, leafy trees grew from terra-cotta planters, their branches strung with tiny white lights.
She went to the railing and stared out. From here, she could hear the bump and grind of the city far below and smell the salty air of the Sound. In the distance, beyond the expanse of gray water, she could see the forested outline of Bainbridge Island.
What were the Ryans doing tonight? she wondered. Were they gathered around that big old-fashioned trestle table of theirs, playing board games? Or maybe Marah and Kate were curled up on the couch together, talking about boys. Or maybe she and Johnny had stolen a moment together to kiss—
The phone rang in her apartment. It was just as well. Thinking about Kate's family only made Tully feel more lonely.
She went through the open pocket doors and closed them behind her, then answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Tully?" It was Johnny. His voice was tight, unfamiliar.
She was immediately worried. "What is it?"
"Marah ran away. We don't know when exactly, probably about an hour and fifteen minutes ago. Have you heard from her?"
"No. I haven't. Why did she run away?" Before Johnny could answer, Tully's doorman buzzed her. "Just a second, Johnny. Hold on." She ran to the intercom, pressed it. "What is it, Edmond?"
"There's a Marah Ryan here to see you."