She wanted to get a second tattoo on her other arm, and what Mid and Carolyn said was no, absolutely not, not while you’re living under our roof, young lady, and Delton took them at their word, waited until they were both out of the house, packed up her things, and moved in with Nic. I am not running away, her note said. That’s not what this is. Please remain calm. Carolyn and Mid showed it to us that evening at the house. We’d gone over to stand nearby during tragedy. The note was on Nancy Drew stationery. I was surprised Delton even knew who that was. “She ran away,” Carolyn said, folding the note back up again. She was crying. She was drinking wine. “She didn’t run away,” Mid said. Carolyn put her head down on the kitchen table. “I can’t believe she ran away.” The crisis had brought Mid back home, at least temporarily, which I’d tried to say was a good thing. Alice wasn’t having any of it.
