Offside in the Friend Zone novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: Rings

"Gone from where?" I said into the phone, and I was already pulling my leggings up.

"The bridal suite," said Elsa.

"They were in Kaspar's grandmother's velvet box, on the dresser, since this morning."

"I went to put on lipstick and the dresser was bare."

"Don't touch anything," I said.

"Is Calla still at the lodge?"

"Mother took her phone and her room key at lunch, but her car's still in the lot."

"I'm coming."

Henrik had his boots on before I'd finished the sentence.

We ran up the hill from the pond with our skates swinging from our hands.

By the time we reached the lodge, half the family was already in the corridor outside the suite.

Kaspar knelt by the empty dresser with his glasses in his hand.

"I locked the door at lunch," he said to nobody.

"Who had a key?"

"My mother," said Elsa.

"The front desk.

"Calla."

She said the name.

Henrik went to look at Calla's room.

I stood in the lodge's back hall, in front of the door to the porch.

Someone had left it unlatched, and snow had blown across the mat.

A line of small boot prints led out across the porch, down the steps, and off toward the lake.

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