Page 14 of The Forbidden Note

“Are you sure?” Viola, Cadence’s little sister, cries out. The two girls look alike, but Viola seems more fragile than her sister. “Are you sure she’s dead this time?”

This time?

Cadence walks right up to the dead body and pokes it.

My jaw drops.

Dutch snorts.

Zane shuffles his feet and coughs into his hand.

Finn narrows his eyes in disgust.

“I’m sure,” Cadence says flatly.

My eyes travel from her dull expression to the body and back again. The light above us flickers and it feels like I’m in a classic horror novel.Frankenstein.Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dracula.

I may not be a guidance counsellor, but I don’t think these kids are okay.

Viola covers her face with her hands. Her dark hair flails against shoulders that shake with her sobs.

My heart aches for her.

Whatever Cadence’s complicated relationship with her mother, it’s clear that Viola had a much different experience.

“Sorry, Vi,” Dutch Cross says. His tall form casts a shadow over the cadaver.

He doesn’t look sorry.

More like annoyed.

Cadence just stares at her mother’s body, unmoving from her place at the head of the metal slab.

Viola cries louder.

Zane gives her a hug. He’s much bigger than her. Covered in tattoos. A bad boy in a groomsman tux. But, when he brushes his fingers over the little girl’s face, he’s gentle.

Viola turns into him and hugs his waist.

Touching Cadence’s shoulder, I say, “I’ll wait outside.”

Zane catches my eye as I slip past him to get to the door. I pretend not to see and stop in the lobby just outside the morgue.

The air is cleaner here. Not as cloying. Not as much bleach.

I press my hand against the wall and place a fist to my chest.

Memories of another dead body fill my head.

Except her body wasn’t in one piece.

Don’t think about it.

I cover my stomach with one hand and try not to hyperventilate.

The sound of heels clicking prompts me to turn around.

Cadence, Viola and the Cross brothers are walking out of the morgue. Cadence’s fingers are tight in the skirt of her fluffy white dress. Her little sister is under her arm, still crying. The sound of her stifled sobs make my stomach turn.

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