Page 64 of A Step You Shouldn't Take

No, no, no. I couldn’t even… Slowly, I backed out of the room, dragging my case behind me.

“New plan. You get the bedroom.”

“What? Why?” He must have noticed my resigned expression. “Tell me there isn’t a ghost in there.”

“Her name’s Erin, and you may want to avoid letting it all hang out because I have a feeling she’ll describe everything to me in excruciating detail.”

“Where is she?”

“On the bed. Wedding night blues. I hope they didn’t splash out too much on the ceremony.”

“Noted. I’ll keep my boxers on. Now can we talk about what happened in the grocery store?”

“I suppose.”

Reed took a seat on the sofa, and I perched on the edge of the cushions. Would it be rude if I took my shoes off? These ones were new, and the toes were a little narrow, and—Kimberly, just get on with it.

“Clyde’s been standing in the same spot for more than four decades, and he gets real bored. So he makes up stories to amuse himself, mostly about people who come into the store. And this morning, he saw E Cullen.”

“Emma?”

“No, this was a man. But Clyde was certain of the name because Ashleigh mentioned it, even if she’d totally forgotten by the time we arrived.”

“Ashleigh?”

“The blonde girl working the register. Apparently, she’s a fan of the Twilight books. Clyde reads them over her shoulder sometimes, but he’s not so keen on them. Anyhow, when E Cullen came in this morning, she made a joke about him being a vampire, like Edward Cullen.”

Blank look.

“You know, Edward Cullen? He’s a vampire in Twilight?”

Nope, nothing. Guess Reed wasn’t a fan either.

“And what did the guy say?” Reed asked.

“Looked puzzled for a few seconds, then laughed and said, ‘A vampire? Not far from the truth.’”

“So are you telling me vampires really exist?”

“How should I know?”

“Well, I just thought as you’ve got a direct line to the underworld…”

“I see ghosts. That’s it. And never once has one of them told me they got bitten to death by a pointy-toothed freak wearing a cape. Clyde’s never seen one either. We discussed it, and Clyde got the impression the customer was speaking more metaphorically. Like he preys on the innocent, and he was making a sick little joke.”

Reed sat stock-still for a moment, then visibly shuddered. This was why I hadn’t wanted to have the conversation in a dirty parking lot. Clyde had told me there was something malevolent about the man in the store. Something dark. I had a horrible feeling Emma Cullen was in trouble, and not just in the way Reed thought.

“And he had her debit card? Then where the hell is my sister?”

“I don’t know.” I gripped his hand in both of mine. “I don’t know, but we’ll find her, okay? I’ll help you to find her.”

“What if this asshole corrupted her? Brainwashed her? What if he’s got her locked up in a basement somewhere? Shit.” Reed leapt up and began pacing. “I bet he took her phone too. What if he’s been the one sending me messages all these years and not her? She could be dead. Buried in a hole while—”

“Stop it! Stop thinking the worst. The message this morning wished you a happy birthday, right?”

“Yeah.”

“How many people know you had a birthday recently? Is it on Facebook?”

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