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“You okay?” Luna asked.
My eyes darted up to see concern on her face, and I wondered how long she’d been staring at me while I was lost in thought.
I waved my hand dismissively. “I’m so sorry. It’s just that dream. It was… very real.” I took a deep breath and blew it out, allowing it to cleanse me a bit. “I think I need to make a phone call.”
“At 6:30 in the morning?” she asked.
I forgot it was that early, but that was here in California. In Indiana, it would be 9:30.
“Yeah. Uh, a friend. Back in Indiana. It’s later in the morning there, and I think she just got to work. She’s been keeping an eye on things for me, and I want to check in with her.”
Luna nodded. “Okay. Well, let me know if you need anything.” She lifted her phone and shook it back and forth a couple of times. “And don’t let these assholes ruin your day. It’s just gossip. It literally doesn’t matter. If you can point tooneasshole in thiswholeschool who hasn’t had sex with at least two people in the last six months, hell—in the lastweek—I’ll buy them a car. They don’t matter, so don’t let them slut shame you. It’s not their fucking business. Fuck the whole football team if you want. Your body. Your choice.”
That was oddly motivational, and I actually felt a lot better about the situation. I was pissed before, and I still was, but I felt like I could walk into it now while rolling my eyes and popping off smartass comments instead of feeling worried and desperate for it all to end.
If they saw they couldn’t get to me, they’d get frustrated. Then they’d ramp up their game. Then when that didn’t work, they’d probably try harder, and then they’d just run out of shit to do. I just need to be patient. My lifewouldbe hell for a while, but it would stop. They might win battles, but I would absolutely win the war.
“I’ll see you at lunch,” Luna said before giving my hand another squeeze and hopping off my bed.
“See you then,” I said.
When the door opened, I heard the lock on the doorknob lock. Good, I wouldn’t have to get up and lock it back.
Once she was gone, I grabbed my phone and found Detective Abbott’s number. She answered on the second ring.
“Temperance! Hi! How are you? How’s California?”
I paused, unsure how to respond to all that, so I just went for it. “Uh, well, it’s… going. That’s about all I can say. It’s beautiful here, and the weather is perfect, but this school is full of the biggest jerks I’ve ever seen in my life.”
She laughed. “Oh, no. I’m sorry to hear that. I really hoped it would be better for you. Just give it time. Hopefully things will get a bit better once the dust settles there. Are you calling for an update on your case? If so, I’m sorry, bu—”
“Actually, no,” I said, cutting her off. “I might actually have something for you. I don’t know for sure. It’s probably nothing. In fact, now that I’m mentioning it, I feel pretty stupid, but it’s all I have. I figured it would be better to tell you than not.”
“Of course,” she replied, her voice soft and sympathetic. “You’re absolutely right. Even if it sounds stupid, what’s the worst that can happen? It leads to a dead end? Trust me, I have plenty. I’m used to it. So, lemme have it.”
Once again, I took a couple of cleansing breaths, trying to calm my anxiety. It was buzzing pretty good this morning after waking up like I did.
“I’ve been having nightmares. I’ve had them since the attack, but they’ve become more frequent. Four to five days a week. They’re always the same except for last night.”
“That’s not fun. I’m sorry to hear you’re suffering so much in that way, but don’t get discouraged. That isn’t at all abnormal. And if you saw something new, it could be memories resurfacing. The doctor mentioned the memories could come back at random. Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something.”
I remembered back to my mother’s lifeless eyes staring at me as she told me everything was my fault. “Maybe. Then again, this might be just a weird ass dream.” This sounded dumber and dumber the longer I spoke. “I woke up in a panic. Maybe this was just a stupid overreaction. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Take a breath. You’ve been through a lot. It sounds like you’restillgoing through a lot. I can’t help if you don’t talk to me. It might be a waste of time, but what if it isn’t?”
When she put it like that, I supposed that made sense. After all, what could it hurt?
I quickly recounted everything to her from the very beginning all the way to when Luna woke me up. She asked pointed, specific questions, so I even described the locations of everything I could see—like Adeline Riley’s body. I didn’t remember seeing her when looking for my father that day, so that was a new detail.
“Just a sec,” Detective Abbott said. Papers shuffled around and the sound of a filing cabinet drawer opening and closing filled the line. “Hmm… Yes. Okay, Adeline Riley.”
The moment she said the girl’s name, a sharp intake of breath followed.
“What? What is it?”
There was a sigh on the other end of the line. “That’s definitely a new detail. Well, a new detail for you. Where you saw her in your dream is exactly where she was laying in the church. That’s why I asked you about details. Since you accurately remembered Miss Riley, there’s a chance there’s something to the texts. And you’re absolutely certain you didn’t ask your mom to be there?”
I shook my head even though I knew she couldn’t see it. “Hell no. I love—well… loved—my mom, but I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her when it came to keeping appointments with me. I hadn’t spoken to her since my birthday. I remember thatverywell, and I can remember literally everything from getting ready and the drive there up to walking in and sitting down on the pew. That means I would remember conjuring up a plan to get her there. I’ve never asked that woman for anything. Something else had to have happened. Someone must have gotten a hold of my phone. I just don’t know how or when.”
