Page 59 of Sinful

Augustus waved Jean-Pierre back. His face was pale and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. “Rosamund has gone missing,” he said stiffly. “You two have spent quite a lot of time together lately. She’s always had her curiosities about the outside world, and you’re an outsider, so I hardly think it’s a coincidence that the timing of your appearance has matched almost perfectly with her disappearance. Now tell me the truth. Did you take her out? If so, where is she?”

I affected a shocked expression and lifted my palm. “Wait, what? Rose ismissing?”

“Answer the question, Mr. Thorne,” Jean-Pierre said, nostrils flaring.

I cut my eyes at him. “I had nothing to do with this. Ask the watchmen. I left yesterday morning.Alone.”

The watchman next to Augustus nodded. “That’s true. He was alone.”

“You’re sure?” Augustus looked up at the other watchman, who was still on top of the wall. “You witnessed it as well?”

“Yes, sir. I can assure you he was alone. Also, my daughter helped Rosamund serve food at the Rite of Communion feast yesterday, and that was hours after Mr. Thorne departed,” hesaid. “She specifically mentioned it because of her excitement to be spending time with the last Tetrad virgin.”

“See?” I tipped my head. “There’s no way we could’ve left together. Also, sorry to be so blunt, but do you really think I’d ever be that stupid? You’ve so generously let me in here to finish my mother’s research notes, even though you prefer outsiders to stay away, so why the hell would I go and break the rules by messing with your daughter and taking her out of Alderwood? That’s a one-way ticket right out of here. Forever.”

“That’s true,” he muttered, stroking his beard.

“Listen, Augustus.” I squared my jaw and looked him right in the eye. “Rose has been a good friend to me in my time here. She’s educated me on many things, helped me with my notes, and introduced me to a lot of people. I appreciate that, and I would never do anything to hurt her or jeopardize her status in the community. I know how important she is. And the only reason I’ve spent a little more time with her than any of the others is because I was under the impression that youwantedme to. You mentioned on my first day here that Rose could benefit from more conversations with people, because she’s so shy and tends to keep to herself.”

He exhaled deeply, shoulders sagging. “You’re right, Sebastian,” he said, rubbing one side of his face. “It wouldn’t make any sense for you to take her out. I’m just worried about my daughter, and I jumped to an erroneous conclusion as a result. I’m sorry.”

I shook my head. “No, don’t apologize. I understand your worries. Believe me, I know exactly what it’s like to have a loved one go missing.”

“Yes. Of course you do,” he murmured, averting his eyes.Fucking coward.

“It’s terrifying, and it makes your mind go to all sorts of crazy places, so I really don’t blame you at all for thinking ofme,” I went on. “But what exactly happened? When did Rose go missing?”

“I awoke just after midnight with an awful headache. I thought I might have caught some sort of influenza, and I worried Rose might be feeling the same sickness, so I went to check on her. She wasn’t in her bedroom, and she hasn’t returned or been seen by anyone since then.”

“Shit,” I muttered, shaking my head. “That’s not good. Especially if she’s sick.”

“Yes.” He swallowed audibly. “I’ve looked everywhere I can possibly think of. She’s just… gone.”

“What about those hot springs you have on the edge of town? She told me that she goes there when she can’t sleep. So maybe that’s where she went last night.”

Jean-Pierre piped up again. “We’ve checked there already. She’s nowhere in the town or the surrounding areas. The only explanation is that she’s wandered off into the deeper woods. Either that, or she’s left Alderwood altogether.”

“Well, the latter isn’t possible, is it?” I jerked a thumb toward one of the watchmen. “They’d see her if she walked through the gates, and she can’t climb an electric fence, so she must be on Covenant land.”

“Yes, butwhere?” Augustus rubbed the side of his head with the heel of his hand. “She often goes for long walks in the woods, but she’s never stayed out for this long. Never missed a day of teaching, either. We have a few search parties out, but they’ve failed to turn up anything so far.”

I stepped forward. “Look, I was planning on interviewing some more villagers and working on my mother’s notes today, but obviously, this is not a good time. So why don’t I help you look for her instead? Seeing as I’m already here.”

His eyes shot up to meet mine. “You’d be willing to do that?”

“Of course. You’ve been nothing but hospitable since I arrived here. Let me repay that kindness, Augustus. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“That’s very generous of you,” he replied. “Especially since… well, as you said, you don’t exactly have the nicest memories regarding missing loved ones in this part of the world.”

“It’s no problem. I can’t stay past five, because I have more business to attend to down in Pinecrest Falls, but I can help you search from now until then.”

“Thank you, Sebastian.” Augustus swallowed hard again. “I know she’s probably just lost her way somewhere, but there’s wild animals out there. Traps, too. I can’t help but think—”

I lifted my hand again. “Hey, now. Don’t think like that. It’s like you said. She’s probably just gotten lost somewhere. Or maybe she’s sheltering herself from this awful weather. The rain has been on and off all morning.”

“I know that’s the most logical explanation, but Rosamund has been exploring the woods since she was a child. She knows them like the back of her hand, so it doesn’t make much sense that she’d get lost. And rain has never bothered her.”

“I think she’s hurt,” Jean-Pierre interjected. “She’s tripped somewhere and can’t walk, and she needs to be carried back. But the important thing is that she’s still alive. It’s just a matter of finding her as soon as we can.”

---