Page 93 of Firefly Effect

My face heats, and I know I’m turning bright red.

Apparently, my non-answer is enough, because Patrick chuckles and lifts his tumbler to his lips. “Well done, Evie girl. I’ll drink to that.”

Gabe’s frown deepens when he doesn’t get a reaction out of Patrick. “Don’t drink that too fast. He’s only renting out your house, Pat. He’s not planning to stick around.”

I open my mouth, ready to tell off Gabe, but Patrick beats me to it.

“Actually,” Patrick says, “Lincoln asked for the rent-to-own agreement that I offered him. Looks like he has intentions to stick around. For whatever reason.”

Warmth blooms in my chest before the sight of Gabe’s scowl annoys me all over again. “What are you doing here, Gabe? Drinking on the job, or just paying Patrick a visit?”

He tilts his head at me, a challenge in his stare. “Neither, actually. Remember that guy Billy from last week? The guy you kicked out of here?”

I nod, feeling Patrick’s focus shifting between the two of us. “Yeah, what about him?”

“He and his friends were planning on leaving Deep Creek a few days ago, but they haven’t been able to find Billy. Have you seen him again since that night?”

I shake my head, not needing to think about it. “No, not at all. I figured that group left town after the weekend.”

Gabe studies me for a second longer then looks around the room before leaning in like he wants to tell Patrick and me a secret. “The story is that Billy and his friends went into the woods on Tuesday night, and Billy didn’t come back out. No one noticed until the next morning, but they didn’t start panicking until Thursday. That’s when they called me.”

Dread fills every inch of my body. “Are you sure none of them saw him? Or maybe he passed out somewhere in the woods and got lost?”

Gabe shakes his head. “I don’t know. We sent our K-9 unit into a section of the woods earlier today and came up empty. We’re going to try again tomorrow. We’ve already interviewed that entire group, but I wanted to check with you, just in case I was missing something.”

Something clicks in my brain as I think back to that night. The fact that Lilith was with them didn’t faze me that night, but it does now.

“Lilith left with them from here, hanging on Billy. Maybe you should talk to her.”

Gabe’s brows raise. “Right.” He checks his watch. “She should be back from the field trip with her kid. I’ll give her a call.” He taps the bar and tips his head to me. “Thank you, Evie. See you around, Patrick.”

Gabe takes off, but I can’t stop thinking about what he just said. Field trip. Maybe that’s where Lincoln has been all day. If so, then he’s been with Lilith all day.

Annoyance rumbles in my chest. I hate that she bothers me so much, but it’s not like she’s ever tried to make friends with me. I reach for my phone to text Lincoln, curiosity taking the reins.

Evie: Did Lucy have a field trip today?

I’m surprised by how quickly he responds.

Lincoln: No. I mean yes, but she didn’t go.

Evie: Oh, okay. Hey, did you hear that drunk from the bar went missing?

I help several customers before he finally responds.

Lincoln: Billy. Yeah. Just found out.

Evie: Gabe just stopped in and gave us the news. Wanted to know if we’d seen him. So strange. I hope he’s okay. Anyway, I reminded Gabe that Lilith left with them that night, so maybe she can help.

My phone buzzes in my hands, Lincoln’s face popping onto the screen. I turn away from the bar and answer it. “Hey.”

“Hi,” he says, sounding distracted. “Where’s Gabe now?”

I frown at this unexpected question. “He just left to go track Lilith down. He said her daughter’s class went on a field trip, so I figured you might be there too.”

Lincoln makes a noise in the back of his throat. “No fucking way. They were going to spend the day at Deep Creek Campground, so I refused to sign the permission slip.” I hear noises from the other end. “Hold on, Evie. I’m picking up Lucy now.”

I wait nervously, then loud, muffled voices come through the line, and I try to listen closer. It’s Lincoln, raising his voice, but why?

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