Page 69 of What Happened on Roslyn Street?
“I’m safe with Caldwell,” I say. “And I’m safe with you. I go everywhere with you two. No one else is going to get to me when you’re around.”
“I know,” she says softly, the words muffled. “So…staysafe. That’s all I want.”
“I can do that.”
“And Tobey?” She pulls away, fixing me with a stern look.
“Yes?”
“Don’t go to the vampire club without me. I want in on that action.”
Chapter Fifteen
Ihaven’t been to Roslyn Street I found the bird mask. If ghosts are real, Poppy’s is haunting the woods. It’s easier to be here now that I’m closer to avenging my friend—and with Caldwell by my side.
The scent of rotting leaves and damp soil is the only thing with us—no killers and no bird masks in sight, even after half an hour of looking around the place and picking up rocks.
Caldwell and I walk hand-in-hand, and I realize I’m finding comfort in him. I let myself lean on others lately, for the first time in a long time.
After months of handling the loss of Poppy alone, it feels right to have people by my side.
“Is this where they found her?” Caldwell asks tentatively.
I point into the distance. “Over there.”
“What was her cause of death?”
“That’s the worst part. We don’t know. Her parents weren’t interested in investigating it.”
“What?” He sounds rightfully outraged.
“I know.” I shake my head. “She didn’t have the best relationship. When the cops tried to rule it as something drug-related, her family accepted it. They held the funeral and moved on. It’s sickening.”
“Then it could have been anything.” He frowns.
“Or anyone.” I hesitate. “I’ve been operating under the assumption that it’s a vampire, but now I don’t know. It could be anyone in a bird mask.”
“I have no reason to believe it’s a vampire,” he says. “We shouldn’t rule it out, but let’s keep our options open. There are a lot of people on campus who can kill a human without a trace.”
“Our options aretooopen,” I mumble. “We have no leads, now that you’re not the murderer.”
“I apologize for that,” he says in a deadpan voice. His lips twitch in amusement.
I roll my eyes as we continue forward.
“This is where I found the mask,” I say, standing in front of the spot. “It was months ago, and… I still have it at my parent’s house, if that matters.”
I’m half-expecting the mask to be there now, but it isn’t. The only thing on the ground is the damp, rotting leaves.
“I don’t know if we’re going to find anything else.” He squats closer to the ground, his hands ruffling over the fallen leaves.
“I know.”
“It would make it easier on us if they chose the same murder spot for their victims, but… alas.” He looks up at me with a crooked smile.
“There’s nothing in common with the victims, either. They’re different ages and genders, and… everything.”
“I know. I looked into that as well. Strode isn’t even the thing to connect them. Poppy had noties to the school.”
