I know his job is important, and logically, I know he’s telling the truth. Still, part of me feels abandoned.
Walking toward me, his smile looks forced. He wraps me in his arms. “I don’t know how long this will take. I’ll call you if I can.”
I stiffen. “I’m sure you won’t have time for that. Call me when you get home. I’m fine.” Pushing away, I wrap my arms around myself.
With a long look, he lets out a breath. “I’ll call you, Tilda.” He pulls his shirt over his head and tugs it down his body.
He moves to kiss me, but I back up a step. “You had better go.”
A minute later, he’s gone, and I’m alone in Mari’s house, wondering why I’ve lingered in this town as long as I have.
I walk out the back door and climb the tower. Closing my eyes, I search for some kind of peace, but images of Max laughing with his friends about how he conquered the vampire swan fill my head. It’s nonsense. It’s not true. These thoughts are the curse that Pierre left me with after so many years of torment.
Determined to push that part of my life aside, I try again to practice the breathing exactly the way Mari taught me.
In the woods, I hear a rustle and open my eyes.
Mari and Sam walk through the cemetery toward me. Their faces are etched with concern.
I stand. “What are you doing?”
Looking side to side, Mari rushes to the wall separating the property from the public land. “Olivia Manning has disappeared. She was asleep in her bed next to her sister, Dorothy, at eight o’clock last night, and when Lori checked on them at three thirty this morning, Livi was gone.”
The idea of the little girl alone in the dark terrifies me. I leap down from the tower without bothering with the steps. “Is she one to climb out a window?”
“No. She’s a thoughtful and quiet child.” Sam’s frown is a rare sight. “We thought we would check the conservation area before we join the search of the town and the surrounding area.”
“I’ll get shoes and go with you.”
Chapter Six
MAX
We’ve been spoiled by the fact that Harmony Glen has always been a pretty safe place to live. I circle around to the Manning girls’ bedroom window and catch the ten-year-old’s scent along with another musty, putrid smell that I don’t recognize. Whatever took her, it’s not human. It’s also not a creature I’ve ever encountered before.
Rounding the house, I knock on the front door.
Lori’s eyes are filled with tears, but she holds them back. “Thanks for coming, Max. I know you’re on vacation.”
I hug her. “No one’s taking time off when Livi is missing, my friend. We’re going to find her.”
She nods, but her chin shakes as she walks to the living room. The chief is already there, his lips pulled tight. The house is modest, with new hardwood floors that Lori recently saved to install. The couch and chair are old, as is the scarred coffee table. An electric keyboard sits in the corner.
“I don’t know what happened. I locked all the doors and windows, Max. I always do.”
“Walk me through it.” I sit so she doesn’t have to crane her neck to look up at me.
Arms wrapped around her waist, a tear escapes. “I was sleeping. There was a strange clicking sound, and I thought the girls were awake, playing a game. I went to their room to get them back in bed, but Dotty was in bed, the window was open, and my Livi was gone.” She gulps down a sob.
“Mommy?” Livi’s twin sister, Dotty, stands in the threshold of a hallway.
“Baby, what are you doing awake?” Lori pulls Dotty into her arms.
“I heard voices.”
“I’m sorry we woke you, Dorothy.” I kneel on the floor. “Can you tell me when Olivia left?”
She rubs her eyes with the back of her hand. Her blue pajamas have a cat wearing a dress on the front. A wild mass of strawberry blond hair forms a halo around her sweet face, and her blue eyes stare at me. “It was dark like a shadow. Livi didn’t scream, but she was scared. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. My bed held me down, and I couldn’t stop the shadow.” Tears stream down her cheeks. “Will you find my sister, Mr. Max?”
