Page 68 of Veil of Silence

Nora kept one hand on Christian’s arm as she led him into the kitchen. The words from the hymnal page followed her inside.

Someone had underlined a call to come home.

Less than two hours later, Christian had walked toward the woods as if answering it—and begun carrying rocks from one pile to another for a reason buried somewhere he refused to remember.

That wasn’t a coincidence.

Austin had interviewed sleepwalkers before. He’d seen people wake in strange places, do bizarre things, and insist afterward that they remembered nothing.

This felt different. Maybe because Christian had looked straight through Nora. Maybe because he’d walked barefoot without flinching.

Or maybe because of the words he’d whispered.

Sinner, come home.

Austin followed them inside and locked the back door.

Christian stood near the kitchen table, his bare feet leaving damp marks on the floor. Nora wrapped a throw around his shoulders and warmed a mug of water in the microwave.

“Sit down,” she told him. “You’re freezing.”

Christian lowered himself into the chair closest to the stove and curled both hands around the mug. His gaze moved briefly to Austin before dropping to the table.

Austin stayed near the counter, giving him space. The kid looked embarrassed now, but Austin had seen the terror on his face when he woke.

“Do you remember getting out of bed?” Nora asked.

Christian shook his head. “No.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Going upstairs. I got in bed and fell asleep.”

“You said something outside. You said, ‘Sinner, come home.’”

Christian looked at her over the rim of the mug but said nothing.

“Were you dreaming?”

“Maybe.” Christian shifted beneath the blanket. “I already told you I don’t remember.”

“Okay.” Nora straightened. “I’m not trying to upset you.”

Christian pushed his chair away from the table. “Can I go back upstairs?”

Nora handed him a dish towel. “Dry your feet first. I don’t want mud all over the stairs.”

A motion almost resembling a smile touched his mouth. He wiped his feet, then stood with the blanket still around his shoulders.

“I’m leaving the hall light on,” Nora told him. “If you wake up again, call for me before you get out of bed.”

Christian nodded and headed upstairs. Austin listened until his footsteps reached the second floor and a door closed.

Nora wiped away the remaining damp footprints. “Don’t say it.”

“That wasn’t random wandering.”

She stopped wiping. “He was sleepwalking.”