Chapter 18
I yanked my phone out of my pocket, desperate to make a call, but I had no cell service. Giovanni didn’t either.
“We need to get out of here and get back to town,” I said.
“You’re worried about Cora,” he said.
I nodded.
“The first thing I thought when I saw the writing on the wall was how much I wanted it to be a prank,” I said. “I figured it could have been the work of a bunch of high school kids who heard about this place and think it’s haunted. You know how rumors go.”
“All too well.”
“My instinct tells me it wasn’t, though.”
“You think the killer knows Cora is back in town.”
“I do, and it makes me think he’s close by. Close enough to keep tabs on what’s going on around here. Cora and her family need to be made aware of what we found.”
Giovanni agreed, and we raced downstairs, blowing past the tripod without stopping to grab it. There was something much more important we needed to be holding right now—our guns.
We headed back to town, my eyes making frequent contact with my phone to see if I had service yet. Six excruciating minutes later, I did, and I gave Cora a call. It rang several times and went to voicemail.
“No luck?” Giovanni asked.
“She’s not answering.”
I drummed my fingers along the armrest, trying to decide what to do next, and then I got an idea. I called Aunt Laura. Given she was friends with Cora’s mother, Ginger, I figured she could give me her number.
The phone rang once …
Twice …
Three times …
And then, “Hello, kiddo. How’s your day been?”
“I … uhh … it’s been crazy.”
“You sound like you’re out of breath. Is everything okay?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Care to talk about it?”
Not right now.
I had more pressing matters on my mind.
“I’m in the car with Giovanni,” I said. “We just came from Millie Callahan’s cabin. I’ve been trying to reach Cora, and she’s not answering her phone. Can you give me her mother’s number?”
“She’s not home right now. She’s at the grocery store. But you’re in luck. I’m already at their house, waiting for Ginger to return. I made dinner for them tonight. Anyway, Cora’s car is in the driveway, though. I haven’t talked to her yet, but I’m guessing she’s in her room. I’ll walk down the hall and see, and then I can give you the phone, so you can talk to her. Hold on a second.”
I heard the sound of footsteps shuffling down the hall.
There was a knock, and then, “Cora, dear. It’s Laura. I have Georgiana on the phone. She’d like to speak with you.”
I waited.
It was quiet for a moment, and then Aunt Laura said, “How odd.”
“What’s odd?” I asked.
“Cora hasn’t acknowledged me, and she’s not coming to the door. What would you like me to do?”
The uneasiness stirring inside me was growing worse.
“Don’t wait for her to come to the door,” I said. “Check and see if she’s in her room.”
“She might be asleep. How about I check the rest of the house first before I enter her room without permission, though?”
“All right.”
A few minutes passed, and there was no sign of Cora.
“I’m heading back to her room now,” Aunt Laura said. “Care to tell me what on earth is going on?”
I took a deep breath in and said, “When we were at the cabin, we saw an ominous message written a message in red marker on Millie’s bedroom wall. I believe the person responsible for the murders twenty years ago knows Cora is back in town.”
“Oh, dear. I’m entering her room as we speak.”
A door was opened, and Aunt Laura said, “Cora, are you here?”
“Is she there?”
“I don’t think so. Let me check the bathroom.”
After a brief pause, Aunt Laura said, “She’s not in the bathroom either. It doesn’t make sense. She didn’t go with Ginger to the store, and like I said, her car is in the driveway, so …”
“Look around the bedroom. Tell me what you see.”
“Let’s see … I’ve just walked over to her bed. There’s an open yearbook on top of Cora’s pillow, and, oh, even more strange. Her cell phone is here. I can’t imagine Cora leaving home without it.”
There was a loud gasp, and I said, “What is it? What’s happening?”
“The window’s open, which wouldn’t alarm me, except the screen is missing. I’m sorry to say I don’t know where Cora is, Gigi. But I can tell you one thing for certain—she’s not here.”