Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
WHO’S DEAD?
SARAH
A faint shriek cut through the peaceful night. Jolting upright, I blinked rapidly, confused about where I was.
“What the hell?” Connor groaned, his arm tightening around my waist as he buried his head between my ass and the pillow.
There was another scream, and Connor shot up, rubbing his eyes as he jumped out of bed and ran to the window. “Fuck. Get dressed.”
“What’s going on?” I stumbled to my overnight bag and pulled out my clothes.
“I don’t know, but people are running around down there.” He tugged on a pair of shorts and waited for me to get dressed before he threw open the door.
We rushed out of the barn into utter chaos.
The Frattic girls stood near Kat’s van, eyes wide. When they caught sight of me, they came running.
“Sarah, it’s bad,” Olivia said, her gaze drifting to the tree line.
Mona was shaking, her hands buried deep in her hoodie pocket. “Laura came running out of the woods, pretty banged up. The guys are searching for whoever did it.”
Connor put his hand on my shoulder. “I need to find Jamie. Will you be okay here?”
“Yes, go.”
He gave me a relieved smile and dropped a kiss on my forehead, then sprinted away.
“Let’s go sit in the van,” Kat said, scanning the area.
Silently, we followed, climbing into the back of the van one by one. The heat from the day was long gone, replaced by a cool breeze.
“Are you guys okay?”
“Yeah, but something is really wrong. That Laura girl looks like she got the shit beat out of her,” Mona said, glancing over her shoulder out the windshield. “She was yelling about Kimmy and Linc being killed.”
I shook my head, leaning into Olivia. “No. Rick said they caught the Kirksville Killer.”
“The sheriff still hasn’t released their name. And anyway, maybe it’s not him,” Kat offered, her grip tightening around a closed switchblade. “There could always be another psycho.”
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly very dry.
“We need help!” someone yelled from down by the trees.
We shared a look and slowly got out of the van.
“We stick together,” Kat said under her breath. “If the cops show up, don’t say shit.”
“Keep your eyes open,” Mona murmured, taking a canister of the university’s pepper spray out of her hoodie pocket.
Connor raced up the hill, blood streaked across his bare chest.
“Oh, no,” I whispered, my hand going to my mouth. Shaking my head, I ran toward him.
“Is it Jamie?”
Connor nodded, running past me to the barn. Seconds later, he rushed out carrying a first aid kit. We followed him down the hill.
Lying half in and half out of a one-person tent was Jamie. Blood gushed from a huge gash that ran across his forehead, drenching the front of his shirt.
“An ambulance is on the way,” Connor said to his unconscious brother, pressing a clean cloth to the wound. “Just hold on.” His voice came out gravelly as he roughly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
Tom stumbled out of the trees, glancing over his shoulder. “I need a phone. I-I”
“Tom,” Olivia called out, staying glued to my side.
He turned to us, his eyes wide before recognition set in. “They’re dead.”
“Who’s dead?” Mona asked, but he ignored her.
Pulling a phone from his pocket with a shaky hand, he shook his head. “There’s no signal. I need a signal.”
Mona reached out to him once he was close enough, and he jumped. “Hey. What happened?”
The screen of his phone cast a dim glow on his face as he dialed 9-1-1. His bloodshot eyes dropped to Jamie’s still body on the ground, and he froze.
“We need to call the police,” he said, only his lips moving as he stared at the McCormick boys.
“They’re coming.” Connor’s focus stayed on his brother.
“Oh. Okay.” Tom dropped to the ground, crawling toward Connor. “They’re down by the tree house, Con.”
“Who?” Connor frowned, gently checking Jamie for more wounds.
“Kimmy and Linc.”
Connor’s jaw flexed, but he stayed silent.
“Someone killed them.”
The two old friends shared a pained look before focusing on Jamie.
The four of us glanced around the field. Near the smoldering bonfire sat a group of about six girls with Laura in the middle of them.
“I’m scared,” Olivia whispered to me, and I nodded.
Scared didn’t begin to explain the feeling turning in my gut.
We heard the sirens before the flashing blue and red lights cut through the trees. The entire Kirksville PD flew up the dirt road, followed by two ambulances.
Police officers jumped out of the cars and spread out across the field. Bright flashlight beams sliced through the darkness, blinding us as the cops jogged over.
“Send an EMT over to the tents,” one of the officers said into the radio on his shoulder.
In a blur, the EMTs checked Jamie’s vitals and got him strapped to a board. Connor rushed behind them with a singular focus. We followed until we were at the ambulance. Connor climbed in after they got Jamie situated, then looked out at me. “Can you come with me?”
“Sorry, only one family member can ride along,” the EMT said, shutting one of the doors.
“We’ll follow in the van!”
Connor nodded, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
The other door shut, and the ambulance took off.
A radio crackled nearby, and the police took off on foot.
“So, can we go?” Olivia asked, starting toward the van.
I looked towards the lights bouncing between the trees. “I honestly don’t know.”
A large black SUV pulled up, and an elderly white man stepped out, dressed entirely in black. When he turned, the word coroner was across his back in bold, yellow letters.
What the fuck is happening?
After an hour of questioning by the police and gathering Connor’s wallet, keys, phone, and a change of clothes, we finally made it to the hospital.
The doors to the ER slid open, and the smell of disinfectant immediately greeted us. Squinting against the bright fluorescent lights, we rushed to the information desk.
“I’m looking for Jamie McCormick.”
The nurse looked at her monitor and asked, “Are you family?”
“I’ve got them, Ruby,” a tired voice said from behind us.
I turned and let out a relieved breath.
“Oh my God, Ms. McCormick.” Without thinking, I threw my arms around her. “Is Jamie okay?”
She nodded with a sniffle. “He’s stable but hasn’t woken up.”
I didn’t know what to say.
She patted my hand and led us toward the waiting room and out of the way of the front desk. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, adjusting the strap of my backpack. “I brought Connor his stuff and a change of clothes. He left in a hurry.”
“Why don’t I go grab him for you?”
“Thank you.” I gave her a soft smile.
The girls sat, settling in for what was sure to be a long night, but I paced, watching the hallway for any signs of Connor.
Eventually, he pushed through a set of doors. Dressed in a set of scrubs much too small for him, he shuffled down the hallway looking lost.
“Connor,” I called out, already moving toward him.
His face relaxed, and he rushed to me. “You came,” he murmured into my hair as he squeezed me in a tight hug.
“Of course I came.”
He exhaled, but his hold didn’t loosen.
“I brought you a change of clothes and all your stuff.”
“Thank you.” His voice cracked.
Before I could hand over the bag, Laura came through the same doors. “Connor?”
He turned, keeping me pressed to his chest as we looked at Laura.
“Your mom asked me to tell you she’s going down to the cafeteria.”
“Thanks.”
Laura gave him a slight nod, then looked at me. “Sorry about earlier. I was a bitch.” She lifted her bandaged arm, and her lips twisted into a wry smile. “Don’t worry, I learned my lesson. Getting chased through the woods by a psycho with a knife is a special kind of karma.”
I choked out a laugh. “I’m glad you’re okay. Sorry about your friends.”
She hummed and glanced out the wall of windows. Her face fell, and she took a deep breath.
“What—” I looked over my shoulder just in time to watch two middle-aged people in pajamas rush through the automatic doors.
“Laura!” the woman wailed, rushing to her daughter’s side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom. Just a little banged up.” Laura’s body went limp in her mother’s hold, and her eyes welled with tears.
The tall, stoic man stood nearby, his gaze sweeping the room. “Where’s the doctor?”
“I was discharged,” Laura said, trying to pull her mom toward the door. “Can we go?”
Her dad’s mouth opened, then snapped shut when he caught sight of Connor. Narrowing his eyes, he wrapped his arm around Laura’s shoulder and led his family out of the ER.
“Woof,” Olivia said under her breath.
“He hates me,” Connor said.
“Ya think?” Kat threw her thick legs over the armrest, folding her arms behind her head.
Connor let out a tired laugh.
“Connor,” a deep voice called out from the desk.
Dropping his chin to his chest, Connor turned. “Hey, Uncle Rick.”
“A word?”
Connor started toward him, and Rick gestured for me to follow.
“I don’t think—” Connor stepped in front of me, as if his uncle was dangerous.
Rick scoffed. “Come on. Let’s go talk to your mom.”
I reached out and caught Connor’s hand, squeezing his fingers. He squeezed back, his shoulders relaxing.
“We’ll wait here,” Mona called out, leaning against Kat with a yawn.
“You don’t have to,” I said halfheartedly. Maybe I was being selfish, but it was reassuring to have them in the same building.
“We’re not splitting up,” Kat said with her eyes shut and hood up. Her tone left no room for argument, not that I wanted to argue.
I bit back a smile and followed Connor and his uncle through the maze of the hospital down to the cafeteria.
“Are you hungry?” Connor murmured.
I shook my head. There was no way I could eat after the night we had survived. All I could think about was the coroner showing up before we left.
Rick sat next to Colleen while Connor and I sat on the other side of the table.
“I’m going to get right to it. The cops were wrong.”
Connor tilted his head. “Obviously.”
Rick pinned him with an unimpressed look. “After they arrested the guy who broke into your apartment, he was let go.”
“Why?” Connor gritted out, his hold on my hand tightening.
“You chased him, beat the shit out of him on Main Street, Con. To keep you out of trouble, we told him to get his ass out of town.” Rick cleared his throat.
“Then you were ran off the road and we found him behind the wheel of a stolen truck. The cops checked his whereabouts during the three murders, and he was always in the vicinity. They found evidence he was at Thousand Hills the night the sorority girl was murdered.”
“Hailey,” I snapped.
Rick dipped his chin. “The night Hailey was murdered. So, they were confident they had the right guy. Clearly, they were wrong.”
“What does this have to do with me? With us?”
Shaking his head, Rick sighed. “I don’t know. I’m sorry,” he said, sitting up straight when a doctor approached the table.
“Sorry to interrupt.” The handsome man laid a hand on Colleen’s shoulder. “Jamie just came out of X-rays and is back in his room.”
“Is he awake?” She covered his hand with hers and stood.
The doctor smiled gently down at her, his bronze skin somehow resistant to the harsh hospital lighting. “Not yet.”
Rick stood, holding his hand out to the doctor. “Rick McCormick. I’m Jamie’s uncle.”
“Dr. Reyes. I work here at the hospital with Colleen.” His deep brown eyes dropped to her, and he gave her a warm smile.
My bag buzzed, and I dug through it while they all chatted.
“Oh, it’s your phone.” I handed it to Connor.
He took it with a relieved smile. “Thanks.” Tapping the screen, his smile twisted into a frown. “What the fuck?”
“Language,” Colleen absentmindedly said as she leaned into Dr. Reyes.
“Look at this.” He gave me the phone, and my stomach dropped to my ass.
UNKNOWN
Stay away from Sarah, or you’re next.