AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s the odd thing. She just disappeared. William has been spending serious money on private investigators, but so far, they haven’t found anything on her.”
“Hmm.” I stare at Darin. “Is it possible her disappearance caused William to spiral and since he returned home because of his dad being sick, caused him to revisit his obsession with Irelynn again?”
“It’s quite possible.” Vanessa pauses again, the sound of her fingers clicking over the keyboard coming through the phone. “Ah, yes, here it is. Remember when Jack and Rosalyn told us about Isabella, William’s mom? Well, I’ve found pictures of her. Long blonde hair, big brown eyes, petite, and beautiful. Remind you of anyone?”
Irelynn’s face is already floating through my mind before she’s finished with her description. “So Irelynn resembles his mom, who was shot when he was ten years old?” I sigh, my hand going through my hair. “Not surprising, really.”
“Yup.” Vanessa pauses and we hear ice rattling, as though she’s drinking something. “Emma and Bryan aren’t in California, either. So wherever William went, they are either with him or close by.”
“Do you know who Emma is, besides Bryan’s mom and the housecleaner and cook for William when he was in college?” Darin says, holding the phone in one hand, the fingers of his other drumming against the steering wheel.
“Um, yeah, let me search my document.” She’s quiet for a couple of minutes as she types, then says, “Yes, here it is. She worked for the Anderson family and was hired a year before William was born. She then became Isabella’s personal servant. Elizabeth, Emma’s sister, was hired as a servant for the Andersons after her husband died. She ended up getting pregnant by Gregory when William was a year old. Big scandal in the Anderson household.” She takes another drink, then continues. “William overheard his mom and dad fighting and that’s how he discovered Damian was actually his half-brother. He was furious that his dad cheated on his mom, but blamed Damian and Elizabeth for the affair. He cut Damian out of his life. Had a lot of behavioral issues in school for about a year until he became best buds with Bryan Whitfield. Seems they’ve been tight ever since.”
“But you have no idea where William, Bryan, Emma, or Damian are, right?” My tone is full of frustration, and I speak without giving it much thought.
Vanessa handles it well. “We are still working on that, Max.”
I curse under my breath, my fist going to my mouth as I turn my head, staring out the passenger side window. I’m aware Vanessa is doing everything she can to help, but I’m still frustrated.
As Darin takes her off speakerphone and talks with her, I tune him out completely. I’m lost in my thoughts, going over my dream, like a detective sifting through evidence. I analyze every single detail, mull it over, starting with the forest. There is a feeling, like a premonition, rolling through me.
My gut is screaming at me that I know where she is, and my dream holds the key to finding her.
Chapter twenty-one
Max
October15,2018,8:00p.m.
A jolt goes through my body at the piece of my dream that just ran through my head. It happens again as I force my thoughts to slow down.
As I walked through that clearing and spotted the house in my dream, my heart rate speeds up. That house. I know that fucking house in the woods. I’ve seen it before. But where?
Darin is still talking to Vanessa, their words a bunch of background noise.
My ears ring as I retreat inward again, focusing on the trail that led to the house. The bridge was unfamiliar, but once I was across it, that trail was familiar.
And then it hits me.
That day Irelynn and I ran in the woods. She ran away from me, choosing the fork in the trail that she didn’t normally take. I caught up to her and we decided to see where it went. The narrow path was surrounded by lots of foliage and huge trees that reached high into the sky, limiting the light that penetrated the region. It was treacherous in places, narrow with moss-covered rocks and huge tree roots that snaked throughout the terrain. It forced you to concentrate hard, keeping your eyes on the ground so you didn’t trip. There were a lot of inclines and steep hills as we hiked, and it was a good five or more miles until we reached the huge house. An old, dilapidated mansion, surrounded by miles of forest.
Irelynn and I had stopped where the clearing met the forest, observing the back of it, with the cracked, broken windows that had been boarded up. The house was overrun with gnarled vines twisting up the sides, tall grass and weeds covering the overgrown yard.
But on the opposite side, which we assumed was the front, there was a flurry of construction vehicles and workers working hard, like they were restoring it.
Closing my eyes, I remember Irelynn’s hand was cool and clammy when I wrapped my fingers around it. When I asked if she was okay, her pale face turned to mine. Her eyes were unfocused, and she shivered, dropping my hand and crossing her arms over her body.
Her words in my memory haunt me. “I have no idea why, but this place gives me thecreeps.”
My eyes fly open.
Oh my God. Is it possible she’s been right under our noses all this time?
“Darin.” My voice is harsh and stern from the rising panic inside me. “Is Vanessa with Savannah now?”
Darin stops speaking, looking over at me with wide eyes, like I’ve lost my mind. “Yeah. Why?”
“Ask her to search a decrepit mansion in the woods, approximately eight or so miles from Irelynn and Vanessa’s apartment.”
