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She taps me with something. I look down to my bicep where she’s poking my vibrating phone into me. “Relax. It’s a phone call.”
I take the phone, staring at the name in the contact field. Sheriff Rory McEvoy. “Th-thanks.” My heart throbs as I raise the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Constance, you’re not going to believe this?—”
His urgency puts my whole body on alert. “What is it?!”
“I just got a call from the high school.”
“And?”
Rory sputters, trying to grip on reality. “One of their skeletons has gone missing.”
I grab my tea off the counter, abandoning Kate without another word as I head for the door. “I’m on my way.”
16
Rory
“I obviously haven’t been in since we left for spring break,” the science teacher, Mr. Chrisley, says, wringing his hands. I’m a tall guy, but he’s even taller than me, lanky like a beanpole, and in all ways, a stereotypical science teacher. “I came in to get labs ready today and was horrified to see Rodney wasn’t there.”
“Rodney?” I ask.
Mr. Chrisley shakes his head nervously. “The skeleton.”
“Ah.” Of course he has a name…
I hear the clunking of clogs from the hallway. I can’t believe I recognize the sound of Constance’s footsteps before she even enters the room. As soon as she walks through the doorway, I hold my breath. It goes without saying she’s beautiful today as every day, but something about her light auburn hair is windswept in a way I’d like to run my hands through.
“I came as soon as I could,” she says with an intensity that might bowl me over.
“Con! Thank god you’re here,” Mr. Chrisley says, smiling with relief.
I furrow my brow. “Con…?”
“Of course, Ben, I mean the second I heard a skeleton was missing from the school.” Constance settles in next to me. “McEvoy.”
My mouth grows hot. So he’s Ben and I’m McEvoy, huh? “Chaplin. You two know each other?”
“We did science Olympiad together in high school,” Constance says.
Ben’s smile grows. “She kicked butt at the fossil identification event.”
She flushes.Flushes!“Well, if you had put an anatomy and physiology exam in front of me, I would have been a lost cause.”
I see red. Is she really flirting with this guy in front of me after last night? I guess she’s really trying to hammer home thatwearen’t happening. I know she can be cold, but this is just downright cruel, especially after I thought about her all night.
“How’s Lena and the new baby?” Constance asks.
“Just great. Everyone’s happy and healthy,” Ben replies.
Lena? New baby? Guess I… got ahead of myself. “Um, can we stay on the topic of Rodney please?” I prod.
Constance whips her head toward the display stand near the window that is currently skeletonless. “Wow. All gone. That’s impressive.”
“Well, almost,” Mr. Chrisley says, triangulating his fingers. “Most of the rib cage was stowed under my desk. Along with some of the arm bones.”
Constance hustles over to the desk and ducks her head under to take a look at the bones. “Huh.”
