Contents
Chapter 2
Overview
Laurel revisits the day Ellie disappeared, charting the shift from petty worries to consuming terror. She calls Theo’s mother, confirms Ellie never arrived, checks the library CCTV, and contacts police as a storm breaks. Paul’s sickly detachment fuels Laurel’s resentment, foreshadowing marital collapse. Afterward, she feeds Hanna and harbors a shocking, guilty thought.
Summary
Laurel contrasts her former everyday irritations with the moment Ellie left home and never returned. Ordinary complaints about family and chores are instantly replaced by terror and despair as hours pass without contact.
She methodically seeks answers: after dismissing Paul’s suggestion that Ellie is with Theo, Laurel calls Theo’s mother, Becky Goodman, who confirms Ellie has not been there. Laurel phones Ellie’s friends and visits the library to review CCTV, discovering Ellie never arrived.
As evening falls and a silent electrical storm flashes, dread compels Laurel to call the police. Their arrival formalizes the crisis and marks the beginning of an ordeal that, to Laurel, never ends.
Meanwhile, Paul’s cold and disheveled appearance agitate Laurel; his mouth-breathing and passivity trigger her contempt. She orders him to clean up and dress, then recognizes this as the moment her resentment of Paul takes root, wondering if different behavior could have saved their marriage.
After the police leave, Hanna appears hungry. Laurel refuses to surrender Ellie’s promised lasagna and instead makes beans on toast for Hanna. Watching her difficult middle child eat, Laurel experiences a fleeting, horrifying thought—wishing it were Hanna missing instead of Ellie—underscoring her fractured grief and guilt.
Who Appears
- Laurel MackMother reliving Ellie’s disappearance; drives the search, calls police, and begins resenting Paul’s passivity.
- Ellie MackLaurel’s missing daughter; promised to return for lunch but never did, catalyst of the crisis.
- Paul MackLaurel’s husband; ill and detached on the day Ellie vanishes, prompting Laurel’s growing hatred.
- Hanna MackMiddle daughter; returns hungry after police leave; Laurel withholds Ellie’s lasagna and harbors a dark thought.
- Becky GoodmanTheo’s mother; confirms Ellie was not with them, closing off a hopeful lead.
- Theo GoodmanEllie’s boyfriend; absent from the day’s events, expected contact that never came.
- Police officersRespond to Laurel’s call, marking the official start of the investigation into Ellie’s disappearance.