Page 24 of Misdirection

Very possibly.

She nodded slowly. “I guess you will.”

But Olive wasn’t sure if seeing him around was a good or a bad thing.

CHAPTER 9

EIGHT YEARS AGO

Olive’s entire world went still until all she could hear was the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.

Cautiously, she pushed open the door to her parents’ bedroom.

Her breath caught.

Her dad lay on the carpeted floor directly in front of her, one arm outstretched as if his last movement had been to reach for help. Blood stained his back and hands.

Olive fell onto her knees beside him. “Dad!”

Her finger went to his neck. Wasn’t that what people did? Touch someone’s neck to see if they were still alive?

But what was she feeling for? A pulse, she remembered.

Where exactly would it be? Because she didn’t feel anything. Was she feeling in the wrong place?

That had to be it. She wasn’t touching the right spot.

But where was the right spot?

What if he was still alive and Olive could help him? What if she was wasting time right now?

Tears pressed her eyes.

But she knew the truth, even though she tried to deny it.

Based on the amount of blood around him, her dad was dead. That was why Olive couldn’t find his pulse.

Another thought hit her, and she stiffened. “Mom . . .”

She reached for the light switch and flipped it.

Nothing happened.

She remembered those trashcans that had been moved. The electrical panel was near them, wasn’t it? Had someone moved the trashcans in order to cut the power to their house?

Olive rushed to the bed.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness just enough that she could see her mom. She wasn’t moving.

Maybe she was just sleeping hard. Olive knew the excuse was flimsy, but she needed to believe it.

She fumbled with her phone, nearly dropping it. She caught it and shone the flashlight on her mom’s face.

She gasped when she saw her mother’s lifeless eyes staring at her. When she saw the blooms of blood on the bed sheets.

Tears began to pour down Olive’s cheeks.

Her parents had been shot. They were dead.

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