The Orphanage by the Lake

Hazel goes to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and asks to speak to Detective Riether. Everyone in the small office looks at her when she says she is looking for Mia. Detective Riether says they should go grab a bite to eat. At a local diner, the detective tells Hazel to call him “Bobby.” He cannot officially tell her anything about the case, but off the record, he can give her some details. He tells her none of the faculty had criminal records. Based on cell phone records, they were all on campus the night Mia disappeared except Sonia, who was confirmed to have been in Manhattan. Bloodhounds had tracked Mia to the shore of the lake where the markings in the ground were. Bobby agrees Neil seems strange.

Bobby tells Hazel he had wanted to reach out to the homeowners along the lake to see if they had cameras pointed out toward the water, but his boss shut down his investigation because they didn’t have the resources to pursue it further. Further investigation of cell phone towers and nearby hospitals, hotels, and gas stations confirmed Mia either left alone or with someone from Saint Agnes, or else the person she left with did not have a cell phone. He has heard about other girls missing from Saint Agnes, but assumes it is just because they are “kids from broken homes” (95). Hazel shows Bobby the picture Penny gave her, but he doesn’t recognize the symbol on the back.

Hazel attempts to canvass the houses along the lake, but many of them are empty because Lake George is a summer vacation town and it is October. She drives back to the city. Kenny, her roommate, has made dinner for the two of them. He tells her he knew she was on her way back because he followed her on “Find My Friends,” a tracking app. She thinks it’s “creepy,” but is grateful for the food.

Over dinner, they talk about the case. She tells him about the weird cop who pulled her over and told her that “a lot of girls go missing from that place” (100). Kenny suggests it’s a lead. They begin to search online for stories, and Kenny remarks he used to spend the summer on Lake George. They find a series of news stories about girls missing from Saint Agnes that date back to 2003. Hazel realizes that was when Dr. Mackenzie started working there.

After dinner, Hazel compiles all of the missing girls’ stories. She researches the typical frequency of runaways from group homes like Saint Agnes and contacts some similarly-sized facilities. Then, she uses Google Lens to search the internet for the image on the back of Mia’s photo. She learns it is a depiction of Bacchus, the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Dionysus. This gives her chills.

Hazel has eight days left to find Mia for the reward. She wakes up at 10 AM after staying up until 4 AM researching. She checks her email and finds responses from the other child group homes. They all report single-digit numbers of runaways in the past decade. In contrast, Saint Agnes has had 10 runaways in the past decade.

Madeline calls. She is waiting for an update in Hazel’s office and is annoyed Hazel is late. Hazel meets with Madeline and shares her findings so far. Hazel tells Madeline she suspects Dr. Mackenzie is somehow behind the disappearances, but Madeline thinks the idea is ridiculous.

After Madeline leaves, Hazel calls Saint Agnes and is told she cannot speak with Mr. Goolsbee or Dr. Mackenzie, but her call is forwarded to Sonia. Sonia tells Hazel Dr. Mackenzie will not allow her to investigate further on school grounds, but that Sonia can meet Hazel that afternoon in Tribeca.

Hazel meets with Sonia. Sonia is in the city to help prepare for a fundraiser for Saint Agnes. Hazel tells Sonia that she thinks Mia left willingly with someone by boat on the lake. Hazel asks Sonia what she knows about the “unusually high number of girls” (119) who have gone missing from Saint Agnes. Sonia admits it is sad but points out that Saint Agnes is not a prison and many of the girls there are troubled. She insists, “no one cares for those girls like we do” (119). Hazel says she needs to talk further with Dr. Mackenzie. Sonia invites Hazel to the fundraising gala the next day so she can try to learn more. Hazel feels as if Sonia is her “new best friend” (121).

Hazel returns to the office. Inspired by Sonia’s confidence, Hazel decides to clean the office before returning to the investigation. Once the office is tidy, Hazel calls the known relations of the other girls who went missing from Saint Agnes. After a few hours, she finally reaches a woman named Sarah Blankenship, whose cousin Olivia went missing from Saint Agnes a decade ago. She is happy to hear Hazel is looking into the disappearances. She tells Hazel that Dr. Mackenzie called Sarah the day Olivia went missing, but Sarah had no idea where Olivia might have gone.

Sarah remembers that Olivia seemed excited about having been “discovered” because her choir teacher had said she had star potential. Sarah recalls that Olivia had told her she was going to perform at the Dionysus Theater. She tells Hazel that Dr. Mackenzie was the only person who seemed to care Olivia had gone missing and that she was suspicious of the security guard, who seemed to take “an inordinate interest in the young ladies” (127). The police still have Olivia’s letters, and Hazel offers to try and get them back for her.

The next day, Hazel prepares to go to the fundraising gala. She buys a cheap red dress in Chinatown. Kenny serves dinner and tells her he has finished working through the study guide and is ready to sit for his police officer exam. She congratulates him. He asks about the investigation, but before she can fill him in she has to leave for the gala.

Hazel feels out of place and awkward amongst the elegant guests at the Harvard Club. She sees Dr. Mackenzie expertly hobnobbing with potential funders, including the Warren County sheriff. She sees Sonia chatting some wealthy men up as well. Sonia waves at Hazel and then shows the wealthy men into a side lounge. Dr. Mackenzie sees Hazel there and tells her he will not answer any further questions. She asks him about the unusually high number of missing girls, but he walks away without answering.

Hazel sees Mr. Goolsbee and is about to approach him when a 12- or 13-year-old girl in a red dress similar to Hazel’s own approaches her. She says her name is Nora and asks if Hazel is there to adopt someone. Hazel says no. Nora expresses doubt she will ever get adopted because there are “so many other pretty girls” (137) and she points at the group of Saint Agnes girls, who are all wearing red dresses like Hazel’s.

Startled, Hazel steps backward and trips. She is caught by a very handsome man who introduces himself as Andrew DuPont. They go to the bar and have a drink. Hazel tells Andrew she is a private investigator investigating a missing girl. He tells her his father is “a big donor” (140) to Saint Agnes. He describes Dr. Mackenzie as a “saint.” Before Hazel can ask too many questions, Andrew is summoned from across the room by his father. He asks her out to dinner and they exchange numbers.

Hazel arrives home tipsy to find Kenny drinking on the coach. He tells her he is worried about her investigation because it involves a lot of rich, powerful people and warns her to be careful. She tells him she met Andrew DuPont at the gala. Kenny knows him from his summers at Lake George and says he’s “nice.”

The next morning, Hazel wakes up to the sound of her buzzer. She is hungover. Madeline is downstairs and demanding an update. Hazel buzzes her in. Hazel gives Madeline an update on her investigation so far. She tells Madeline she is sure “it’s an inside job” (149). Madeline is not impressed with what Hazel has found thus far.

Hoping to win her favor, Hazel tells Madeline that Mia and Olivia’s disappearances are tied to the Dionysus Theater. Madeline is intrigued. She says she has never heard of the Dionysus Theater. Madeline tells Hazel she wants a report on what Hazel can find out about the Dionysus Theater the following morning at 8 AM.