Page 78 of The Sleeping Girls

The students and families were all pumped up about the dance and the football game. Just as he’d been fifteen years ago. That was supposed to have been a special night.

But it had blown up in his face.

He picked up the Red Clay Mountain High yearbook and thumbed through it for another girl. So many young faces to choose from. So many innocents.

Only they weren’t all innocent.

The girls on the Homecoming court. The cheerleaders. The tennis team. The drama club.

No… he had another in mind. Although she wasn’t innocent. And she was nothing like Anna Marie.

God, how he’d loved that girl. Hadn’t been able to resist her. Had to touch her and make her his.

But then…

He banished the ugly thoughts steamrolling him. The reminder of his sins. Her scream when he’d tried to touch her again.

He’d had to silence her.

And now he’d do whatever necessary to keep his secrets.

EIGHTY-SIX

CROOKED CREEK

Monday

Ellie woke with a headache to find Cord slumped in the chair by her hospital bed. She’d insisted he and Derrick work the case at O’Connor’s house while she was transported to the hospital. That must have taken half the night.

So when had Cord shown up here?

A knock sounded and she blinked to focus, pushing herself to a sitting position although every bone in her body throbbed from the beating she’d taken the night before.

Derrick poked his head inside the door. A scowl darkened his face as he spotted Cord asleep beside her. Then he turned back to her with raised brows.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

She rubbed her eyes. “Just peachy.”

A teasing glint flared in his eyes. “Liar.”

She shrugged.

Cord stirred and scrubbed a hand over the beard stubble grazing his jaw. “El?”

“I’m okay,” she said, irritated. She probably looked like hell. “Derrick, did you find Caitlin’s back-up files?”

“They were destroyed but her coworker Joleen Hunt is sending over her copies this morning.”

Cord’s phone buzzed, and he walked to the door with his head down, speaking quietly. “I’m sorry,” Cord said. “Someone attacked Ellie. I’m at the hospital now.”

Lola’s voice grew louder. “Of course you ran to Ellie.”

Ellie winced at Lola’s irritated tone, and Cord quickly ducked out of the room.

She and Derrick exchanged a look, then she pushed the covers aside. “Find a nurse and get me out of here,” Ellie said. “We need to look at those files.”

She glanced at the clock on the wall. Ruby had been missing well over twenty-four hours now. “Check with the sheriff and tell him to expand the search area,” she told Derrick. “Then get someone to sign me out of here.”

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