Page 42 of Her Wicked Knights
It's the girl with Rev who answers, though. She chokes on a sob, sucks in a breath, and then cries, "She's dead."
22
Marley
Familydinnergotcanceledwhen dad called to say he was working late, so it's a girl's night after all. I love my dad, but a girl's night feels like just what my soul has been missing.
I'm on the couch, tucked between Hadley and mom, who's shaking her head at the TV screen, where the friends are refusing to become lovers despite the fact that we've watched an entire hour of how fucking perfect they are for each other. It's actually kind of maddening. Hadley claimed the movie was boring, and while I don't agree, mom's pick has been my least favorite. I chose Jaws because shark movies are elite, Hadley put on Friday the Thirteenth, and whatever this is that mom chose doesn't match with our thriller theme, but it's a pretty perfect reflection of who Ginny Lavigne is.
When they finally kiss in the last frame of the film, mom squeals with her excitement and Hadley springs off the couch for more popcorn. It's late, but none of us are tired. I wonder if I get to pick another movie, and I'm already debating between Freddy Vs. Jason or going off the script with a comedy like Zombieland when the chime of the doorbell goes off, alerting usthat someone is on the step. Dad had a security system put in a few months ago, despite the fact we definitely used to sleep with the doors unlocked when I was younger. I assume that was accidental, because my dad's pretty preachy about safety, which I guess is fair, since that's kind of his job.
The key in the lock tells us dad's finally home a minute before he gets the door open.
"Daddy!" Hadley says excitedly. I'd make fun of her for calling him that, except I can't imagine going months in between seeing him or mom. I'd probably call him that too, if it made me feel like a kid again. I'm almost an adult, so I think I'm supposed to want to escape my parents, but the truth is, some days I wish I could be a kid again, when my mom's kisses and my dad's hugs and maybe an ice cream cone made everything better.
Dad wraps her in his arms gratefully, but I watch his face fail to turn into a smile, and my stomach twists.
"What's wrong?" I ask as Hadley pulls away, and mom grabs the lighter to start burning candles. Even I can tell his energy is heavy, so I can't blame mom for wanting to try and ease it a little.
"Tough day at work." He admits, shaking his head before his eyes find mine. "There's something I have to tell you."
The sinking feeling in my gut deepens until I'm pretty sure my organs are at my feet. But also, my heart feels like it's in my throat somehow.
"Daniel..." Mom says hesitantly.
"I don't want to tell you, but you're going to hear it. I'd rather you hear it from me."
"Hear what?" There's definitely panic in my voice; it sounds oddly shrill. Hadley puts an arm around me and pulls me close, but I don't feel any comfort because my head is spinning with possibilities.
"I worked late tonight because there was a homicide."
"Okay," I agree, because I need him to get to the part where this connects to me. Maybe it's selfish, but my heart can't take the anticipation.
"She was a girl in your class."
A girl in my class.
So, the boys are okay. If it was Audrey, I assume dad would have told me that instead of beating around the bush.
I blink.
"Who?"
Dad scrubs a hand over his face. "We haven't released it to the media. Her family's been notified, but this is privileged information, okay, Mars? I need you to keep it to yourself. You can't mention it to anyone."
"Of course." I nod, because gossip is the last thing on my mind.
A murder.
Here? In Serenity Hollow? I assume it would have to be, otherwise dad wouldn't have been on the case, right?
"Her name was Jenny Clark." Dad swallows. "Her mother reported her missing yesterday, which is why I've been gone all day. We were out searching for her, everywhere. I thought she'd show up, that maybe she was just having a little fun somewhere, but her mother said there was no way. She said something was wrong, so we kept looking and... we found her." His voice breaks, and mom rushes in to wrap him in her arms.
I watch him hug her back, even as he struggles to hold it all together. Watching my father cry feels wrong, especially because he didn't know Jenny Clark.
"You found her... dead?"
"I'm sorry, Mars." Dad says, shaking his head as mom takes a step back to give him some space. "Yes, we found her body."
