Page 42 of His Sacrifice

“She can’t find out that you know,” I worried. “If she finds out, she’s going to hurt my mom. Please, Creed,” I cried. “You can’t let her find out I told you.”

“Shh, gorgeous. She’s not going to find out. I told you nothing is going to happen to you or your mom,” he promised.

Murphy pulled out his phone. “She wants to meet in two hours. We need to get with Leo and find out what he wants her to tell Candace.”

“You guys can’t go rushing out of here,” Tatum pointed out. “You do that, and if she is watching, she’s going to know that Jada told you guys.”

“She can’t know,” I insisted.

“So, we don’t move. We do what we normally do. Once the store closes, Tatum and Murphy go home. You act like you’re going home, and I’ll go somewhere.” Creed threw his hands up in the air.

My phone buzzed again.

Murphy looked at it and shook his head. “Yeah, she is definitely watching you.” He held out the phone to Creed and me. “Tell the Ken doll and your mother is dead,” I read off. Another message appeared, this time a picture.

I stumbled back when the picture downloaded. “Oh my god,” I gasped.

It was a picture of Candace sitting next to my mom at the Larson House. Both of them were smiling brightly for the camera, and Candace’s arm was around my mother’s shoulders.

“Fucking bitch,” Creed shouted.

Murphy took the phone back.

“She’s with my mom, Creed. She has to know I told you. Why would she see my mom if she didn’t know I told you about her?” I demanded, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. “I have to go. I have to make sure she’s okay.” I was so careful about who I told about my mom because I didn’t want her to get hurt, and now Candace was just waltzing in there, making friends with her, and taking pictures.

“She doesn’t know,” Murphy called from the other side of the room. “Look at the digital clock behind them. She took this photo before she even talked to you.” Murphy tossed the phone to Creed.

Creed snatched it out of the air and zoomed in. “The clock is dated last month,” Creed confirmed. “This isn’t right now.”

“Unless the clock at the nursing home is wrong,” Tatum said, clearing her throat. “I’m just playing the devil’s advocate here, okay? The broke clock on my stove is only right two times a day. That one could be the same.”

“Baby girl, do you think you are helping right now?” Murphy asked, shaking his head as he punched a few buttons on his phone. “You’re not really helping to keep the panic to a minimum.”

“You calling Leo?” I asked, trying to steady my breathing.

Murphy nodded. “Figure that’s the next best thing other than rushing out of here like the building is on fire.”

I paced the room, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts. My mom was vulnerable, and Candace being with her could mean trouble. I couldn’t just sit around and wait.

“I can’t just stand here and do nothing,” I said, my voice breaking. “What if she’s planning something?”

Creed stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Jada, we need to think this through. We can’t afford to make any rash decisions.”

Murphy held his phone out in front of him, and it rang loudly.

“Leo does FaceTime?” Tatum whispered. “How high-tech of him.”

Murphy cut a glare at her. “Leo,” he called when he picked up, “we need your help. Candace just reached out.”

Leo’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Good. What’s going on?”

Murphy quickly explained the situation, showing him the photo and describing the timestamp on the clock. Leo listened intently, then sighed.

“Okay, first thing’s first,” Leo said. “We need to verify the timestamp on that clock. Do any of you have contacts at the Larson House who can check it for us?”

Creed shook his head. “No, but we can call them.”

Creed dialed the number for the Larson House and put the call on speaker. After a few rings, a receptionist answered.

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