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I’m glad she has Jordan because I know if anyone can help her, she can. She seems so fragile and broken. It hurts to watch her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I stare in a trance out of our flat window, wincing at the amount of rain pouring. Instead of the snow the weatherman predicted, we got rain. I guess it’s better than snow. But still?rain.
Today’s the day of the charity rugby match, and if I weren’t all about supporting my boyfriend and desperately wanting to see him in his uniform again, I’d totally ditch to snuggle in bed and read.
But what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t turn up, especially after he took me to a book signing.
“What time do we have to be there?” I ask Willow, who is finishing filling our flasks with hot drinks.
“We’ve still got thirty minutes.”
I nod, my attention turning to the TV when I hear the news reporter mention Whithall University.
“Oh, my God,” I gasp. The girls turn to the TV, and I hear their horrified gasps follow mine.
“Marie Fleet, age nineteen, was reported missing this morning. An inside source says Miss Fleet was taken from her shared house sometime last night between ten p.m. and seven a.m. Roommates returned home this morning and found signs of a struggle, before calling the police. Whithall police department aren’t giving a statement at this time.
“If anyone knows anything related to the abduction of Marie Fleet, police are asking them to step forward.”
I mute the TV, my arse hitting the sofa with a thud. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Jordan is as white as a ghost. “This is bad. Really bad. This guy just became a serial killer. There’s no telling when this will end.”
“Do they have any leads?” I ask her, hands shaking.
She stares blankly in space for a second before meeting my eyes. “No.”
“We were friends,” Rosie admits from the sofa, her complexion as pale as the rest of us. “We both took our required English course together at the beginning of term. She has a twin sister who is a few years ahead of her on the course. Marie was recovering from cancer at the time, which is why both went into medicine. She wanted to find a cure.”
Tears gather in my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Rosie. Do you still speak to her sister? Maybe you can take her a gift basket, let her know you’re thinking of her.”
She nods, taking out her phone. “Kate has probably got her phone turned off. She loves her sister. It’s why she wants to be a doctor. She hated the way her sister suffered, so she wanted to do something that could help others.”
She quickly types out a text while we stay quiet, feeling remorse on behalf of our friend. She’s been through so much already; she doesn’t need this.
Her phone beeps and she glances down, her face scrunching up in pain, before she starts sobbing. We all move to crowd around her. I rest my hands on her knees, rubbing my thumbs across her skin.
“It will be okay, Rosie,” Becca whispers, pulling her friend into her arms.
“She—she said—” She chokes up and Jordan takes her phone.
Her eyes fill with tears as she stares down at Rosie’s screen. “She said: Thank you, Rosie. I appreciate it. But there’s no point in praying. She’s gone. I can feel it in my soul. I don’t feel her with me.”
I start crying, dropping my head into Rosie’s lap. My heart hurts for Kate. I sit up, wiping furiously at my tears.
“The police need to find out who is doing this. How could they do this to innocent people?”
Willow reaches over and squeezes my shoulder. “He’s a monster. Hopefully the police find him before he hurts her. There’s still a chance she’s okay. Linda Cooper was found two weeks after she disappeared. You’ve got to keep praying. You can’t give up.”
“She’s her twin,” Rosie whispers, lifting her head out of her hands. Her eyes are swollen and red. She wipes her nose with the sleeve of her T-shirt, turning to Willow helplessly. “If anyone would know, it would be her. They were close, as close as any siblings I’ve ever seen.”
Willow takes her hand. “The closest thing I have to a sibling is Allie, so I can only imagine the pain she’s going through right now. But at the moment, she’s grieving. Her sister has been taken and she’s scared. She’s letting her grief drive her emotions. Just be there for her, support her. That is all you can do. Remind her she’s not alone.”
Rosie nods, wiping her eyes. “You’re right. I’d feel the same if I lost Becca. She’s like my sister.”
Willow leans forward and kisses her cheek. “It’s all you can do.”
