Chapter 27
Will: Anything yet?
Tate: No.
Will: I feel like something’s coming. Do you?
Tate: Yeah. He’s here somewhere.
Will: Take care of her.
The library was completely decked out for an evening of witches and fun.
There were witch statues and black crepe paper draped everywhere.
I wore a red sweater and a witches hat that Ann found in an old costume box.
I wouldn’t win any costume contests, but I didn’t care.
I was here for girls’ night and to prove a point to Leroy that I was done hiding.
There was a costume contest, music, food, and lots of laughing and catching up with old friends.
I also received a pink “I voted” sticker after I finally put in my vote for the mayor’s love life.
I voted for the mayor’s secretary, whom I’d seen him laughing with at the fall festival.
If I ended up being right, I’d have bragging rights for life.
I chatted with the girls—Ari, Sadie, and Emma.
And there were only a few times when my eyes scanned the room looking for Leroy.
The rest, I left to Tate, who was sitting at a table in the corner of the library, definitely not reading the book he’d placed as a prop in front of him.
I made my way closer, and he glanced down and pretended to read, his lips twitching slightly.
“How’s your book?” I asked, sliding over a plate of Halloween-themed snacks I’d brought for him.
“Boring. I keep getting distracted,” he murmured, turning a page.
“Distracted? Maybe you should choose a better book.”
“Maybe you should wear a different outfit.”
I looked down, taking in my red sweater and jeans. My heart began pounding in my ears. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, so I just smiled at him before turning to go.
“Olivia.”
His voice stopped me. I turned back around. He was watching me, waiting until he had my full attention.
Newsflash: he’s had it for weeks.
“Yeah?” I answered, a little breathless.
“Red is definitely your color.”
He held my gaze for a long moment, his eyes almost a dare, while a flush crept up my neck and tingles lit my spine. And then he moved his attention back down to his book. And somehow, I made my way out of the clouds and back to Ari and Sadie.
Every year, on October 31st, the Walker straw maze became haunted with teenage workers dressed to impress in scary costumes.
They’d roam the maze, hide in corners, and wait to jump out and scare willing participants there for a thrill.
This was the last night before the maze shut down for the season.
The town always showed up, almost as if they were saying goodbye to fall and welcoming in a new season.
I used to love the haunted maze. As teenagers, Ari, Reese, and I would lock arms with our friends and bravely trek through the pathways, bracing ourselves for a night of controlled fun and terror.
I wasn’t planning to actually go through the haunted maze this year, for obvious reasons.
I had enough terror in my life to go begging for more.
But I wanted to come and soak in the scene, the sights, the smells, and the laughter heard throughout the night.
It would be the perfect setting for the last scene in my screenplay.
And quite possibly the last scene for Tate and Liv.
We still hadn’t talked about the fact that Tate had to be back at work in two days. We hadn’t talked about where I’d be or the two bright-gold bands on our fingers. It was like we were both waiting with bated breath for Leroy to make his move. But there had been nothing.
Tate hadn’t kissed me since our boxing lessons in the field a week ago. And as the time for him to leave crept closer, the growing panic in my body bloomed.
We had just parked the truck at the maze when Tate’s phone lit up with a call. Tate put Will on speakerphone so we could both hear. I braced myself for whatever news Will needed to call us about on Halloween night.
“We got him,” Will said, the excitement bouncing from his voice.
Tate and I looked at each other, brows furrowed.
“What do you mean?” Tate asked.
“Leroy. We got him.”
I slid across the bucket seat, next to Tate, and stared dumbfounded at the phone in Tate’s hand. My mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. My mind was racing too fast. What?
“How?” Tate asked. Even with this news, his eyes were still scrutinizing the parking lot before us, watching for threats.
“We sent a few decoy social media messages to different groups Liv’s involved in—or used to be involved in. Your old Pilates class. Old friend groups. Your walking club at work.”
“What did you say?” I asked.
“Just that you’d been away for a while but were moving back and wanted to get together.”
“What?” Forget Leroy. This was a new nightmare unlocked.
“It’s fine,” Will said impatiently, annoyed that I was raining on his parade with details he found insignificant.
“He’s been monitoring you somehow, and we wanted to make him think you were home.
Last night, I got permission to move our agent inside your apartment again to pretend to be you.
And the next afternoon, a strange guy was lurking around your carport.
He was holding flowers. He fit the description. And he drove a gray Toyota Camry.”
It was all too much, too fast. It didn’t seem real. I didn’t even have to beat anybody up. Or watch Tate beat someone up. But…they found him? My head couldn’t process the information.
“Guys! Did you hear me?” Will asked.
Tate, his eyes now on me, said, “Do you have a picture of him?”
Will sighed. “My agent got one of him by Liv’s car, but she was all the way across the street. I’ll send it to you, but it’s blurry, though. He’s in questioning right now, so I’m headed back to the station, and I’ll send you a better picture when I get there.”
Tate’s phone buzzed, and he pulled up a blurry, zoomed-in image of a man who was indeed hovering by my car. He seemed about the same size and body style that I remembered. My stomach clenched in disgust at the sight.
“How bad is it on the legal scale if I go and punch him at the station?” I asked. “Tate said I’m getting good.”
“I said she’s getting pretty good,” Tate amended, not taking his eyes off the photo.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Will said. “Anyway, keep your phones on, and I’ll send you both a better picture in a half hour. But we got him. We can all get back to our lives now.”
Will hung up, leaving us alone, the last of his words hovering like a heavy rain cloud above us.
We sat next to each other in his truck for a long moment, disbelief etched on both of our faces.
“How do you feel?” Tate asked, his voice low and gravelly.
“I’m having a hard time believing it,” I said. “You?”
He nodded. “I’ll feel better when he sends us a better picture.”
“He never saw Leroy at his wedding,” I said.
Tate nodded, stroking his face with his hand like that had been something he’d been thinking about too.
“He sounds pretty sure, though,” I said. “And why would anyone else be hanging around my car with flowers?”
“I can think of a few reasons,” he said with a small smile before he motioned toward the entrance. “Should we go?”
He grabbed my hand and gently pulled me out of the truck.
I shivered slightly, the cool night air causing me to zip my jacket and tighten the scarf around my neck.
The scent of fresh maple donuts and hay mixed most pleasantly in the air as we made our way closer.
Tall light towers stood above the maze in all four corners, casting harsh white circles across the maze.
Beyond their reach, the rows dissolved into darkness, leaving pockets of shadow where anything—or anyone—could disappear.
As we made our way closer, I tried to convince myself that Leroy was currently sitting in a police station in Montpelier.
Ann was in the fee booth, collecting money, and waved us through as we snuck past the line to pay.
Families and groups of teenagers stood talking and laughing near the entrance of the maze.
Off to the side, a large section of the field was dedicated to carnival games and pony and tractor rides, which we shared with the Bugelbach Pumpkin Farm.
There was so much laughter and movement everywhere we looked. People were eating and playing games to the sounds of friendly shouts and screams throughout the maze, as workers dressed in masks and robes jumped out and terrified everyone who came in their path.
Observing all of this, Tate eyed me warily. “Let’s go home. This isn’t the right place for you.”
I wanted to go home. It seemed like a cruel injustice that Leroy was caught in Montpelier.
Not here. There was no closure with a capture like that.
I needed to see it for myself, to watch them drag him away in handcuffs.
But going home still felt like Leroy was winning, and I was determined not to let him win anymore.
“I want to stay for a while.”
“Liv,” he began, shaking his head.
“At least buy me a donut first.”
He gave me his look of gentle exasperation but eventually maneuvered us to the back of the line at the donut stand.
We were joined by Luke and Ben, who had spotted us and came over to say hi.
Soon, we were all standing in a circle, eating donuts and talking.
I noticed Tate didn’t tell his brothers of Leroy’s capture, preferring instead to hang back, keep quiet, and continually observe our surroundings.
We both constantly checked our phones, watching for updates that never came.
Luke was in the middle of telling us a story about the time he’d worked here in high school when the unmistakable smell of smoke filled the air.
We glanced around in confusion. Luke spotted it first. He swore, pointing to a spot near the edge of the maze, where a small puff of smoke was billowing out past the straw bales, a foggy cloud in the hazy, dark scene.
We all stared for a moment, horrified, before we lurched into action.