Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
A SECOND MURDER DOOR
SARAH
“I can’t believe she’s dead,” Carter said, gazing off into the distance where the police were still questioning our friends.
Red and blue lights flashed up the hill where the cops had the area taped off. Hailey was already gone, but the police were still combing the area for evidence.
“Yeah,” I murmured, sitting on the picnic table next to him. Despite my best efforts, my eyes were drawn to the spot where Hailey had been killed. It was probably my mind playing tricks on me, but the foul smell of blood and bowels lingered in my nose no matter how many times I rubbed it.
And her killer is still out there.
I looked over to where Connor was standing with his brother, waiting for his uncle to show up. While I called 9-1-1, he called his uncle, which was pretty weird. The police questioned us and told us we were free to go, but he insisted on waiting until his uncle showed up.
Carter leaned on my arm, his thigh brushing mine as he collapsed into me. “I should’ve been with her.”
“It‘s not your fault.”
“I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight.” The water bottle in his hand crinkled in his grip. “I shouldn’t have gotten so drunk.” His chin dropped to his chest, and he choked out a sob.
Rubbing his back, I let him cry. I’d known Carter for a long time, and I’d never seen him get so emotional. Despite having lost Emma just a few months ago, I was no better at dealing with loss. Add to the fact that I watched Hailey get gutted, and I had no words for Carter.
Our friends silently passed, casting uncomfortable looks at Carter. Not one of his brothers offered to take him home. Instead, they bailed, leaving him drunk and with me.
Kat joined us at the picnic table, expressionless and quiet. She had been the first to reach us after hearing my screams for help. She was also the one who kept her wits about her and helped Connor lead me back to the party to wait in the safety of the crowd.
Mona walked Blake and her sorority sisters to their cars, then came back to us. “This is going to be a million times worse than Emma, isn’t it?”
“Ya think?” Kat scoffed, glancing at our cars. “What are we waiting for?”
As the words left her mouth, an enormous truck pulled up, and a large, blond man hopped out of the cab. Adjusting his baseball cap, he scanned the scene before casually walking over to Connor and Jamie.
“Uncle Rick,” I said, watching as the middle-aged man hugged his nephews and pulled the sheriff into a conversation.
“That‘s the mayor,” Carter said, hiccupping as he wiped his eyes. “What‘s he doing here?”
I stood, brushing dirt off my ass. “I’m going to find out.” Standing to my full height, I confidently walked over to the men. “Ready to go?” I asked, using it as an excuse to interrupt. “Carter needs someone to drive his car back.”
Rick McCormick gently smiled at me, holding his hand out. “You must be that Sarah Tilney the boys haven’t shut up about.”
I gave him a firm handshake and forced a polite smile onto my face. “And you must be their uncle. It’s nice to meet you.”
He let go of my hand and looked at the sheriff. “We all good here?”
“Yeah,” the sheriff said, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. Turning to Jamie, he gave him a stern look. “No more underage drinking. We clear?”
“Crystal,” Jamie said, taking off toward my roommates.
“Keep an eye on him. I don’t want to get another call like this,” Uncle Rick said to Connor.
“You got it.” Wrapping his arm around my waist, he curled his fingers into my side. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going to take her home.”
The sheriff smiled and nodded. “You take care now, Ms. Tilney. We‘ll be in touch if we have any more questions.”
“Okay,” I said, letting Connor lead me to my friends.
“Are we free to leave?” Kat said, standing from the picnic table.
“Yep.” I looked at Carter, and my heart broke. “You want to come back with us to Frattic?”
He wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand and nodded. “That would be great.”
Mona looped her arm through his and walked him to Kat‘s van. Connor opened the passenger-side door of the Lincoln for me, helping me in before slapping Jamie on the back of the head. Grumbling, Jamie slid into the back as Connor got into the driver’s seat.
Leaning between the front two seats, Jamie said, “Like you never drank at the lake before you were twenty-one.”
“The difference is Uncle Rick never had to bail me out,“ Connor snapped, putting the keys in the ignition. His shoulders dropped, and he sighed. “Listen, I’m just freaked out.” Turning in his seat, he said, “Sorry.”
Jamie nodded and sat back. “No worries, just keep those freakishly large hands away from me.”
Connor lifted his hand and frowned. “They’re not freakish.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jamie said. “You guys okay?”
“No,” I said honestly.
“Fair.”
Back at Frattic, Kat and Mona were already making pancakes.
“Where’s Carter?” I asked.
“Passed out on the couch,” Mona said, pointing the spatula at the living room. “You guys hungry?”
“I’m not, but you guys eat,” I said to the McCormick boys. “I’m going to go get changed.”
I trudged up the stairs, the events of the night catching up with me. I’d thought seeing Emma’s head splattered across the gravel next to my car was traumatizing. Turns out, seeing a girl’s internal organs fall to the ground was much worse.
I grabbed fresh pajamas from my room, then shuffled into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, avoiding my reflection above the sink.
The skin around my eyes felt tight from dried tears, so I could only imagine how I looked.
Stripping off my swimsuit, I hopped in the shower, taking my time to scrub every inch of my body.
I waited for the tears to come, but they never did.
I was just numb. After Emma died, I was a total mess, but now the only tears I’d shed were from the violence of vomiting up the contents of my stomach.
No. Instead of feeling grief for the loss of a young life, I was hung up on the fact that Hailey’s killer was still out there, doing God knows what.
I went through my nightly routine, slathering my limbs in body butter.
If I have to be fucked up in the head, at least I’ll have fantastic skin.
When I walked into my room, I found Connor sitting on my bed, freshly showered and in one of his McCormick Construction t-shirts and shorts.
He must’ve gone to his place and come back. How long was I in the shower?
He stood, running a hand through his wavy, wet hair. “I didn’t know if you wanted to be alone or—”
I dropped my dirty swimsuit and towel on the floor and walked right into him, needing his steadiness. He immediately wrapped me up in a bear hug, burying his nose in my hair. Despite the shower, the subtle scent of the campfire clung to his skin.
“I needed that,” I said, leaning back and giving him a soft smile.
“Are you okay?”
“As okay as I can be considering there’s a murderer on the loose.”
Connor tilted his head toward the bed. “You want me to stay tonight?”
“If you don’t mind.” I hugged him tighter, resting my cheek on his chest.
He chuckled, kissing the top of my hair. “Not at all. You can keep me safe.”
I gave him a tired smile. “Jamie still here?”
“Yeah. He’s passed out on the couch across from Carter. I’m surprised we can’t hear them snoring all the way up here.” He cupped my face, running his thumb across my cheekbone. “You look exhausted.”
I leaned into his hand and shut my eyes. “It‘s been a long few months.”
Connor kissed my forehead. “Let‘s get you to bed.” One more good squeeze, and he let me go.
While I picked up my dirty clothes and put them in the laundry basket, Connor glanced around. “So, this is your room.”
“Sure is.” I turned on a lamp and flipped off the overhead light.
“What’s that?” He stood next to my desk, pointing at the wall.
I sat on my bed, leaving space for Connor to join me. “Oh, just a tiny mystery door.”
“Why is it a mystery?” He sat on the bed, adjusting the pillows.
“It doesn’t open.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “Who knows what’s behind it.”
“It’s where you keep the bodies, isn’t it?” His eyes went wide when he realized what he had said. Holding up his hands, he started to explain, and I waved him off.
I threw the duvet over my legs, pinning him with a serious look. “Don’t make me add you to the count. You’d take up too much space.” I let my gaze wander over his large frame. “I’d need a second murder door.”
Connor’s shoulders relaxed. “I’ll do my best not to get murdered by you. I’d hate to be an inconvenience.”
I scooted down the bed, nervously waiting for him to settle in. “That’s what I like most about you. You’re not a bother.”
“Just how my mom raised me.”
We lay side by side for a moment, then Connor lifted his arm and said, “Get over here.”
I don’t need to be told twice.
I carefully laid my head on his chest, and he pulled me closer. Throwing a leg over his, I sighed.
“You okay, pretty girl?”
“I’m doing surprisingly well, all things considered.”
He ran his hand up and down my back, and my eyes grew heavy. His steady heartbeat grounded me, relaxing me enough to fall into a deep sleep.
I woke up the next morning alone.
There was a single moment of peace before my brain kicked on, reminding me of the moment the light flickered from Hailey’s eyes.
Throwing an arm out, my hand hit a piece of paper. I frowned and held it up to my face.
Sarah,
Sorry, I had to go. My uncle called me to the Thousand Hills site. I’ll call you later.
XO,
C
“Perfect,” I muttered, dropping the note on my nose.
My phone buzzed, and I groaned before answering. “Hello,” I said, my voice rough.
“Hey, Sarah. It’s Christie from College Bound. Sorry to be calling this early during the weekend.”
I cleared my throat and sat up. “Oh, no problem. What’s up?”
She sighed, and there was the shuffling of paper.
“I have some bad news. Word about what happened last night has already spread, and parents are withdrawing their kids from the program. The foundation has decided to pull the plug on camp for the rest of the summer. The good news is you’ll receive the complete stipend you were promised. ”
“Oh.”
Is it wrong to accept money for nothing? Doesn’t feel right.
“We’d love to have you back next summer if you’re available.”
“Thank you. I will definitely be in touch.”
Christie happily sighed, “Awesome. Now onto call one hundred and five of this morning.”
“Good luck.” I chuckled.
“Thanks. Have a great weekend.”
I went through my morning routine at a glacial pace, enjoying the silence of the empty apartment. Everyone was gone, giving me rare alone time. I‘d just finished cleaning up from Mona’s culinary adventure when Kat walked in.
“Morning, princess,” Kat said as she dropped her bag on the counter.
“You worked at the hardware store this morning?” I popped some acetaminophen and chugged down a glass of water.
Kat dug through her bag and sighed. “Yeah. I opened.”
“That sucks.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “What are you doing?”
I looked around the kitchen and then back at her. “What do you mean?”
“This—” She flipped her wrist between us. “We don’t talk.”
I thought about it, and she was right. I could count the number of times Kat and I had hung out alone on one hand.
Nodding, I picked up my phone and read Jamie’s text.
Connor had apparently left just after sunrise, hungover and without eating.
I’d asked Jamie to send me Connor’s Greek Corner order so I could take him lunch.
“Sorry,” Kat said reluctantly, and I dropped my phone in my purse. “This asshole hit my van in the parking lot at work, and I left my wallet somewhere. Sorry for being a bitch.”
Wow. An apology.
I gently smiled at her. “I was thinking about running Connor some lunch. I can swing by The Depot and check for you.”
Kat deflated. “Yeah, that would be great. I’m fucking exhausted.”
I glanced at the time on the microwave and grabbed my keys off the counter. “I don’t know how you’re still awake.”
“Coffee and spite.”
“That‘ll do it.”