THE boarders had gone home, except for a few students who lived too far away, or whose families were unavailable, and who were invited to dinner at the Shannons' house. Maura was roasting a turkey, waiting for Katharine to arrive. She felt on edge. Where was Carrie? Who was she spending the day with? If she really was in Rhode Island, might she have figured out her family was nearby? Could she just walk through the door, come home? Maura had been in touch with Tim Marcus, told him about the girl she'd seen at Travis's game and everything Katharine and J.D. had discovered. But there'd been nothing since. Cooking smells filled the small house. Beck and Travis were in the living room, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. Maura said she was going for a walk, and pulled on her parka. The snow that had fallen the day of the big game had now melted; the trees were bare, and the grass was dry and brown. The water was calm, slate gray. Light shined through a break in low clouds, throwing silver on a patch of sea.
