Chapter 60
KAIDEN
A week later, the cops still have no leads, which isn’t surprising since they’re a bunch of idiots.
We’re closer to finding out the truth than they are, and it makes me angry but almost thankful.
Part of me is glad no one’s looking at Aaron, so we can deal with things the way we want to.
I want the opportunity to rip him limb from limb, and I don’t need the cops interfering.
There isn’t much we can do besides hop a bus to California and track Aaron down, so we spend Monday morning scrolling different websites to try to get the best deal for the three of us.
I think all of us have grown so angry and bitter that it’s an impulse to push away the depression of loss. Focusing on revenge makes things easier.
The only thing we want now is for Aaron to pay for what he’s done, and we want answers for why he did this to his niece and her grandmother. After that, we’ll see what happens.
Becks, Vinny, and I are discussing our best plan of action for getting to California, when there’s a bang on the door of my garage. Becks, who’s sitting closest to the door, jumps a little, and Vinny laughs.
“Grab that, would you?” I ask, scrolling one of the travel websites on my phone.
Becks goes and opens the door, and after a few seconds, he calls for us. “Uhh, guys?”
I look up, finding him standing in front of the open door with a large envelope in his hand, something thick inside. Sweat beads at the back of my neck, and I jump up, run out the door, and try to catch whoever dropped it off.
“Fucking no one,” I growl under my breath, then Vinny is behind me, breathless and equally as annoyed that whoever just dropped off our newest present of torment is already in the wind.
When we walk back inside, Becks has the envelope on the table, and he’s sliding his finger under the paper to rip it open. Lifting it, he lets the contents fall out.
“This is mine,” Becks says, looking at the photo album that’s now sitting on the table, and as he tosses the empty envelope to the side, he runs his fingers down the front of the book. “This is the polaroid book Sage got me for Christmas.”
“What?!” Vinny questions in a panic, now sitting next to Becks on the couch. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah, I’m positive,” Becks says, and I watch in silence as he flips open the front page of the book. “Someone must have taken it from my house.”
The first two slots are filled with polaroid photos of the entrance of the cemetery, the front sign that says BLACKMORE CEMETERY, 1812. Both images are from the same angle, but one was taken during the day and the other at night.
The next pages follow the same theme, except they’re all of the crypts.
Some of the polaroids are from before the fire, hinting that whoever has Beckham’s camera had it before Sage’s death.
Most of the polaroids, though, are from after the fire, showcasing the extensive damage the flames made in the grass, the concrete, the furniture, the walls, and everything else.
As Becks slowly flips through the book, my blood freezes. Why taunt us with this? There’s no changing what Becks has already done.
When Becks gets to the last couple of pages, the messages in red ink start.
YOU TOOK MY LEGACY is first, written on the border of a polaroid of the wall in the Hallows Crypt.
The next page finishes the sentence.
SO, I’M GOING TO TAKE YOURS is written on the border of a polaroid of a blonde head of hair.
“Sage?!” Becks screams, his shaking hand going to the photo, but my stomach has turned leaden, and my mouth is watering painfully.
“Turn to the last page, Becks,” I croak, my vision going spotty with panic.
Becks turns the page, then I drop to the ground, because in place of another polaroid is a small piece of photo paper.
An ultrasound image of a baby.