Page 89 of Our Lips Are Sealed
Samuel made his way off the bed, dragging her with him. “After I have an EMT look you over, we can go home. Cohen says getting your statement can wait until tomorrow.”
“Home,” she breathed the word. “Getting actual sleep inourbed.”
Taking her hand, he lifted it to his lips. “You know, I hear that if you have a concussion, you should avoid sleep.”
“And strenuous activities.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” He gave her finger a light nip. “You can just lay there. I’ll do all the work.”
Evie snorted out a laugh, but then groaned when a sharp pain pierced her skull. “What about everyone else?” she asked. “Are they okay?”
“Toby gave Abe something to make him sleep, and he’s still a little groggy but fine.”
“Jamison? Annabeth?”
“Come see for yourself.”
Samuel led her to the balcony door, pushing the curtains aside. The flashing lights were gone, but through the glass, an army of police spread across Haven’s grounds. There were twice as many as the night of the break-in, some in uniform and some without. One or two of them even had FBI jackets on.
“It’s going to be like this for days,” Samuel told her, opening the door. “A necessary evil.”
They stepped out onto the balcony together. With the sun long set, darkness blanketed the world, but they could see the front lawn without issue thanks to Haven’s new security lights.
“Poor Simone,” she said. “I know how much she hates having all these cops here. It reminds her of that night.”
Several cats sat among the patio chairs, with Fitz being one of them. He slinked over to rub himself against her ankles.
“I’m okay.” She gave him a pat on his black head. “But the next time I bring a killer home, feel free to bite him.”
Samuel brought her to the railing, and as she looked down the world tilted, blurring her vision. But even so, Evie could spot Annabeth standing in the crowd.
Alone.
“Well, look at that.”
Samuel’s arms surrounded her, his chin resting on her shoulder. “I thought seeing her would make you happy.”
They stayed there for a few minutes, beaming like proud parents. When Annabeth caught them watching, she waved with a shy smile.
“Guys?” Selah called out, his head popping through the balcony door. “Dad just texted. He needs us all downstairs. Mathis found something.”
Chapter 27
“Webelievethebodyfound is that of a female, most likely in her mid-twenties,” Mathis announced to those gathered on the side porch. “She’s been in the ground for maybe three months, if not less.”
Down front, Simone stood with her back ramrod straight, hands clasped before her. “How long will it take to receive positive identification on who the girl is?”
Across Haven’s lawn, officers moved in and out of the forest, their somber faces as cold as the rain lightly falling from the heavens. They were angry and in pain, having lost one of their own in this nightmare.
“When we’re finished with the crime scene, we’ll know more,” Mathis answered Simone. “But I’ll see if I can rush things along.”
Something that sounded close to singing tickled the inside of Evie’s brain. It started not long after she stepped outside, steadily growing louder as she tried to listen to what Mathis was telling them.
Run, run, run as fast as you can.
The voice was sweet and melodic, but that didn’t change the fact that it was freaking her out. She burrowed into Samuel’s side, praying the singing would stop. The EMT that checked her over had assured them she had nothing more than a mild concussion, but gave a list of things to watch out for in case she had a hidden brain bleed.
And vivid hallucinations was the number one thing on it.
