When I heard a click, joy burst within me.
I flicked a hopeful look at the girls who wanted to squeal but covered their mouths with their hands.
“Can I have your dirty shirt?” I asked Avery. “I need two of them.”
“Take mine too.” Hailey grabbed both shirts and gave them to me.
“Thanks. Hang out in bed and wait for me. I’ll be back.”
When they were in bed, I nudged the door open and waited. When I didn’t hear anyone, I pushed the door open wider and peeked out. No one was in sight. My heart pounded as I rushed over to the boiler room and saw oil stains like in the room Shawn was in. I took out my lighter and lit the shirt smeared with chemicals. Then I tossed it beside a stack of cardboard boxes, closed the door, and hurried to the boiler Shawnhad tried to repair. I repeated the steps and raced back to the bedroom, shutting the door.
Avery and Hailey rushed over to me.
“Everything okay?” Hailey asked.
Avery looked at me. “I don’t hear any?—”
A loud boom shook the ground, followed by another.
An alarm blared through the area, and voices sounded out in the hallway. I cracked the door and saw smoke filling the hallway.
“Come on,” I said as we headed toward the delivery room.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Kain
“Her phone is here.” Milo pointed to a map of Ozarrow Woods on his computer screen. Harry, Emilio, and Camila sat around the dining table with two large boxes of pizza sitting at the edge.
“Are you sure? The phone activated where the lake is located?” I asked, wondering what I’d missed when I was there not too long ago.
Then I remembered the threatening note. Hawthorne must have his men hiding around there.
Milo nodded. “It turned on three times.”
“Something’s under the lake,” Harry stared at the map, looking concerned.
“We’ll need to investigate if the lake is natural or man-made,” Emilio said.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced down at the text message from an unfamiliar phone number. Normally, I’d ignoreunfamiliar numbers, but something urged me to click on it. When I did, my heart pounded.
Unknown:Eva’s shopping list. Okay to buy.
Unknown:To get the nice repairman Shawn for his new baby boy.
Five links to a baby registry followed.
A wave of relief washed over me. I smiled, knowing Eva was sending me coded messages, informing me she was okay. She somehow got a repairman to send this message. Or she’d gotten a hold of his phone.
God, I love her!
I whipped my attention to everyone at the table. “Eva sent me a message!”
“What did she say?” Hope sparked in Harry’s eyes.
“She used someone’s phone, asking me to purchase gifts from a baby registry for a repairman.” I clicked on the registry and ordered everything for Shawn’s baby. “I need to speak to this man. Can you search for info on the lake?”
They nodded, and I walked over to the window, dialing Shawn’s number.
