Page 76 of Splintered Memories
“Against who?” I said, desperate.
“Alex Cohen.”
I blinked, not sure why that name surprised me. The former sheriff of Ember Hollow was nothing but human garbage.
“Alex tried to kill Emersyn?” Tristan’s voice from behind me was seething with hate and rage.
Brandon’s eyes met his. “We think so. The shell casings we found are a match for the type of gun he owns. There’s only two other people in town who own a gun like that. There was also some security footage of him exiting the alley after Emersyn claims she was attacked there. We were working on getting a warrant for his gun so we could see if they matched the striations on the shell casings.”
I didn’t need to hear anymore. I let Brandon go and turned to leave.
“Do you need any help?” Brandon asked from behind me.
My gaze met Tristan’s. The look we shared was one of mutual need for revenge.
I shook my head. “I’ve got it from here. If I need anything else, I’ll call you.”
“I hope you find her,” Brandon said.
My body halted near the threshold. I threw a look back at him from over my shoulder. “Thank you.” I knew what it meant for him to give me that information. He was a new detective looking to make a good name for himself in the department. This was a risk for him.
Brandon shook his head. “Don’t thank me. Just find her.”
I nodded. Iwasgoing to find her. I would rather die than fail this time.
30
Emersyn
No.No.Thatcouldn’tbe true.
I stared at my brother, shaking my head. The Shadow Stalker? There was no way Amos could be a…a serial killer.
He was my uncle,ouruncle. He had taken care of us when we were kids and no one else would. He was…my friend.
“That can’t be right,” I squeaked.
I scanned my brother’s face. He looked so sick, like he’d been locked up for weeks. Maybe he had been. Maybe he was just confused.
Even as I tried to rationalize the situation, I couldn’t make sense of it. I couldn’t make sense of how both of us had gotten here.
Tears glistened in Jake’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Emy.” He repeated that apology, his voice broken and horse. “I’m so sorry I was such a horrible brother to you.”
I stiffened. “Who said you are a horrible brother?”
Jake shook his head. “I know that I was, and you deserved better from me. I was trying—I was trying so hard to bebetter for you.”
I didn’t like the way he was speaking. He was talking like this was the last time he’d get the chance to say these things.
“Jake.” I said his name sharply. “Stop that. You’re not a horrible brother. We all have gone through so much crap, and all that matters is that you’re trying to be better. You will continue to be better, Jake.”
A tear slipped from his lashes, leaving a track mark in the dirt on his face. “I love you.”
His broken tone made my chest seize with terror. “I love you too,” I said quickly. “But I need you to stop this. I need you to tell me everything that you know—”
The sound of a lock clicking cut me off. My eyes snapped to a heavy, metal door. It seemed to be the only way out or in. No windows were in this room.
Jake made a gasping, choking noise, and he curled into a tighter ball right as the door was pulled open. My mouth gaped at how thick it really was. It looked like the door of a bank vault. Whoever had made this room had no intention of anyone escaping.
