Page 34 of The Sleeping Girls

So he had.

But now she wanted him to come back. Hell, nothing good could come of that.

His phone beeped. Ellie. “I have to go. It’s work.”

He didn’t wait for a response. He connected to Ellie.

“Derrick, I’m headed to the Tillers. I don’t know what happened, but Mrs. Tiller called, hysterical.”

Derrick pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’ll meet you there.”

The missing teen took priority. He’d figure out what to do about Lindsey later.

THIRTY-FIVE

WHISPERING PINES

Ellie parked at the Tiller house, her stomach in knots. The cloud cover cast the property in an eerie gray, making the woods look even more ominous tonight.

Derrick pulled in behind her, and they shared a worried look then headed to the house.

She heard Jean crying as her husband opened the door. His face looked ashen, eyes glazed. A hint of bourbon wafted from him.

Kelsey’s father motioned them to come in with a shaky hand. “My… wife… in here.”

Ellie’s chest tightened as she and Derrick followed him to the living room where Jean sat gripping her phone in her hand, her body trembling, huge gulping sobs erupting from her.

The couple had sat divided earlier this morning, but tonight Mr. Tiller rushed to his wife’s side, sank down beside her and put his arm around her in comfort.

“What happened?” Ellie asked softly.

He took the phone from his wife’s hands and shoved it toward her. Derrick leaned over her shoulder and they looked at it together.

A sick feeling stole through Ellie. Kelsey was lying on a bed with white sheets, hair fanned across the pillow. Another white sheet covered her lower body.

And a white teddy bear was tucked in beside her.

Eyes closed. Skin pasty. Pale lips pressed together.

Not moving.

“My… baby… She’s d… dead,” Jean choked out.

Ellie chewed the inside of her cheek. The girl looked as if she was sleeping. But the lack of color in her face and her still body did seem lifeless.

“When did you receive this?” Derrick asked.

“Just a few minutes ago,” Mr. Tiller said. “We tried to call the number back but there was no answer.”

Ellie wanted to give the couple hope, but she couldn’t lie. “Do you have any idea who sent this?”

“No,” Mr. Tiller said. “If I did, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I’d have gone after the bastard.”

“Does the teddy bear belong to Kelsey?” Ellie asked.

Jean shook her head no.

“She wasn’t the teddy bear kind,” Mr. Tiller added.

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