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I back away, this tiny female looks like she’ll explode at any minute. “I’ll get you that coffee.”
She sits down at the dining table where my laptop is and stares at the phone, her mood bitter. “So, she’s still going ahead with this dumb gift idea? This is years and years of data.”
I walk over with a mug. “As long as she’s happy. You…” My words trail off as I see a strange look pass on Mia’s face.
She grows pale while staring at the screen. “What the fuck is this?”
I turn my gaze towards the screen and see pictures open in different windows. one by one. I freeze at the content of them and the mug slips from my grasp as bile rises in my throat, and I grab my phone, dialing Caleb’s number.
With my gaze on the screen, I tell him, grimly, “You need to see this.”
Caleb’s face is harsh as he stares at the images on the screen, and I can hear Lucas in the background, on the phone with the authorities from Halley’s hometown. Oliver and Duke have been assigned another task, which my befuddled mind can’t grasp.
Mia is being comforted by Kendall and Elise.
“I can’t get in touch with Halley.” I put down my phone, my blood thundering in my ears. “It’s ringing but she’s not picking up.”
The images of the woman on the screen are burned into my eyelids. I can now see that Halley has grown up to resemble her mother, greatly, right down to the cheeky smile.
However, in the further pictures, Lily Cooper is no longer smiling, her eyes are haunted.
The programmer is working furiously on the laptop, trying to deduce the date and time stamps and a possible location of when these pictures had been taken, and is looking more and more tense. He finally stops and picks up the harmless-looking device that is still linked to the laptop. “This was one of the most secure pieces of tech back then, man. It cost a couple grand. How did your man get a hold of it? It’s nearly impossible to crack one of these open or even get any further information on these pictures.”
Caleb gives him a cool look. “And yet, Halley was able to do it. Keep at it. Mia.”
Mia looks up at the authoritative tone aimed towards her, and although she looks near tears, she walks over, her steps steady.
Caleb points towards the screen. “Do you know where these places are?”
The pictures aren’t of the best quality and Mia stares at them, clearly trying not to flinch.
The pictures range from creepy to horrifyingly detailed. I can’t wrap my head around the undeniable truth that is before me.
Raymond Silverton had an unhealthy obsession with Halley’s mother. Most of the pictures have been taken from far away, and in the ones taken up close and personal, Lily’s eyes hold undisguised fear. In the latest pictures, she’s completely nude, her form battered, her hands tied.
“Do you know where this is?” Caleb asks.
Mia looks uneasy. “This could be anywhere.” Then her eyes widen. “No, wait, this is the underground shed in Raymond’s house. We were never allowed in there when we went over but we once sneaked in. It was bare and there was a bed there and some tools. Nothing weird.” She points towards the screen. “I remember seeing that stain on the wall. It looked red, so we always thought somebody had been killed in that house.”
When I stare at her, horrified, she shakes her head, hastily. “It’s not really old blood. It’s just paint.” Her lips purse. “Miss Cooper doesn’t have the tattoo here.”
“Tattoo?” Caleb asks.
Mia nods. “Yeah. She got one when Halley turned eleven. We all thought it was pretty cool.” Her words are absentminded and then they turn sharp as she gazes at the naked form of her friend’s mother, her midsection blooming with bruises. “It was on her right wrist, like a bracelet. This picture is very old.”
Fear is making my mouth dry and I look towards Caleb. “I should go now—”
“You don’t know where they are, Jace,” Lucas advises. “She’s not at her old house and Raymond isn’t at his house as well. Their neighbors say that the house is sealed and nobody has entered.”
I stiffen. “So, we have no way of knowing where he took her?”
“Did he know that Halley has this phone?” Lucas asks, sharply.
I shake my head. “No. She sneaked it out. It was a surprise for his birthday.”
“There’s another folder!” The programmer, Isaac, exclaims.
All eyes turn to him.
