Page 149 of What Comes Around

I closed my eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly. Not shock. Apple didn’t surprise me anymore. Just… confirmation.

“She’s already posting, isn’t she?” I asked.

“Oh, she’s posting,” Amy said. “Full victim mode. Black and white edits, dramatic captions. You ‘killed’ her baby.”

Of course.

I dragged a hand through my hair, still trying to wake up fully, my gaze drifting toward the console by the wall.

The drawer.

I crossed the room and pulled it open, my fingers closing around the second phone. Apple’s clone phone.

“She won’t stop,” Amy continued. “Not until she’s forced to.”

“She will be,” I said quietly, already unlocking the device.

The screen lit up in my hand. I scrolled through the recent activity, my focus sharpening as I went.

Then I saw it.

A message from an unsaved number, sent yesterday.

“I swear I thought it was him. I didn’t mean to ruin anything.”

My grip tightened slightly.

“Amy,” I said. “I just checked Apple’s phone. Listen to this.”

I read the message out loud. “It’s from an unsaved number.”

“What’s the number?” she asked immediately.

I recited it. On the other end, I heard the rapid tapping of keys. It took less than a minute.

“Got her,” Amy said.

I leaned back against the wall, fully awake now. “Who is it?”

“Name’s Elena Voss,” she said. “Works for a cleaning company.” A few more keystrokes. “They supply staff to hotels. Mostly night shifts.”

A hotel.

I scrolled further back through the thread, my thumb slowing as older messages came into view. About six months ago, there were more.

“He is here. Suite 214.”

Then, an hour later:

“He left. I collected the package. Where should we meet?”

And Apple’s reply. An address.

“Amy,” I said quietly, “there are older messages from this number.”

“Read them.”

I did.