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She looks me in the eye. “Earlier, you didn’t admit you saw someone because you were sure it was a stump. You didn’t want to look scared and silly. Same here, only it’s worse, ’cause I’m a kid, and everyone expects me to be silly and get spooked. Especially that Garrett guy.”
I want to tell her not to give a damn what Garrett Emerson thinks of her, but I realize he’s only the excuse. She doesn’t want to look bad in front of Kit and Jayla, even if they’d never judge her for it.
I glance toward the window. “I’ll go check it out.”
“What? I mean, yes, someone should, to see if there are footprints or whatever, but I’ll go with you. We’ll take the gun. Is it up here?”
“No, I left it in the office safe.”
We head into the hall. We’re halfway down the stairs when thedoor nearest ours creaks open. I turn to see Jayla, yawning and peering at us.
“Just checking something out,” I whisper.
“Coming with,” she whispers back, and pads barefoot into the hall. I glance at Madison, who hesitates, and then nods.
When Jayla catches up to us, Madison says, “I heard a noise and thought I saw something. I’m sure I was imagining it, but we’re checking it out after we get the gun.”
Jayla gives us the thumbs-up.
I have two gun safes. One is in my room, and the other in my office. As I open the office one, Madison tells Jayla that she had a peeper a few weeks ago, which means she could just be paranoid.
“Don’t make excuses,” Jayla says. “Trust your gut, carry a knife, and don’t worry about what anyone thinks.”
“You carry a knife?” Madison says.
“Always.”
The safe beeps as I finish entering the code. The door pops open and…
It’s empty.
The others peer in.
“Let me check the bedroom one,” I say. “Hold on.”
I slip upstairs and into my room, where the safe is behind a hidden panel. Pop the panel. Enter the code. Door pops open…
No gun.
I go back downstairs, shaking my head. “Kit must have taken it out earlier. He’s the only one with the code.”
“Get him then,” Jayla says.
I turn toward the stairs. Then I remember hearing Sadie in Kit’s room.
“Uh, that… could be weird,” I say, trying for a smile. “His ex waking him in the middle of the night. Might freak him out.”
“Pretty sure Kit wouldn’t mind,” Jayla says.
I’m about to mention hearing Sadie in there. Then I notice Madison listening intently. I can’t say anything that might turn her against Kit. She still hopes we’ll reunite, and her parents split because her dad was fooling around, which could make this extra awkward.
“Let’s just go,” I say. “You have a knife. I’ll get a knife. Madison can take a fork. We’ll all be fine.”
SIX
It’s not until I’m outside, armed with my knife, that I realize what we’re doing. Madison thinks she saw a shadowy figure on my private island, after someone left blood and scratches in the closet. Now we’re venturing outside to investigate?
Coming out here had seemed sensible. Hell, I’d wondered if I was overreacting by getting a knife first. Now we’re making our way through the darkness, the whistling wind drowning out all sound.
