Chapter 10 begins with my arrival home around eight o’clock at night. As I sorted through my mail, which mostly consisted of junk, one white envelope caught my attention. It had no return address, and the name was typed on it with what appeared to be an old manual typewriter, a detail that seemed unusual. The envelope was postmarked from Hopps Ferry, New Hampshire. Inside, I found a photo of Aidan, my future son-in-law, looking about fifteen pounds heavier than I remembered. He was smiling alongside a young woman I didn’t recognize, casually dressed, with her arm around his waist. The photo was accompanied by a handwritten message that read: “WHERE IS DAWN TAGGART???” This sudden, cryptic message stirred immediate concern and confusion in me.

At first, I had questioned Aidan’s character only once or twice, particularly regarding the story behind his black eye. But I had always trusted my daughter Maggie’s judgment, knowing that she was a smart, responsible woman. The image and its message, however, rattled me, particularly because it seemed to implicate Aidan with someone named Dawn Taggart, who I suspected might be the woman in the photo. I needed answers, so I called Maggie right away. She picked up the phone, but her tone revealed that she was distracted, likely due to the upcoming wedding in three days. Still, her demeanor shifted when I told her about the photo and the disturbing note that came with it.

After a long pause, Maggie revealed that Aidan had dated a young woman named Dawn Taggart the previous year, who had gone missing after a hiking trip. Dawn was from Hopps Ferry, and while Aidan had been cleared of any involvement by the police, who had confirmed he was in Boston at the time, Dawn’s mother still blamed him for her disappearance. Maggie advised me to hold onto the photo and envelope, suggesting it was likely sent by Dawn’s mother to harass Aidan’s family, possibly in hopes of gaining some form of compensation. As the conversation unfolded, doubts about Dawn’s disappearance began to surface, especially after Maggie shared that a private investigator had suggested Dawn might have intentionally disappeared to escape a troubled relationship with her mother.

I felt a wave of unease wash over me as I listened to Maggie’s account, recalling my own past relationships and realizing that perhaps I was overlooking things about Aidan. While Maggie seemed convinced of Aidan’s innocence, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. After our conversation, I searched for more information about Dawn’s disappearance and came across a local news article that confirmed Maggie’s version of events but mentioned that Aidan had been thoroughly investigated and was not involved in any way. Despite the confirmation, my unease lingered, and I wondered if Maggie was truly seeing Aidan for who he was or if she was overlooking aspects of his past that could affect their future.

Reluctantly, I sealed the photo and envelope in a Ziploc bag, knowing I had to take it with me to New Hampshire. I pushed my concerns to the back of my mind, focusing on the wedding and the celebration of Maggie’s future instead. Yet, as the days passed, the more I tried to push aside my worries, the more they crept back in. The excitement of the wedding and the joy of being with family overshadowed my increasing sense that something wasn’t quite right. Despite my efforts to stay focused on the happiness of the occasion, I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that the mystery of Dawn Taggart and its implications for Aidan were unresolved, and that it would inevitably affect the family dynamics.