Gideon’s face blanches.
“I’m telling you, Giddy. It fits.”
His head tilts back and his eyes close against the sunlight filtering through the treetops. A moment later, he looks at me, lips pursed. “Fine. Call Laura. Tell her to go straight home and we’ll come get her. No one’s going to try anything if the three of us are together.”
I dial, but it goes straight to Laura’s irritating voicemail. “She’s not answering.” I try again, with no luck. “She should be out by now. Why isn’t she answering?”
“Maybe when you didn’t show up for practice, she decided to go to the cops. Don’t panic, Cass. I’m still not convinced Brandon would do anything to her.”
We reach my street, and I breathe a sigh of relief that Asher’s car is parked in our driveway. Gideon left his truck in the school parking lot, and we can’t afford to waste precious time walking to Laura’s house. I try Tina’s number, but she doesn’t answer either. I let out a growl. “We’re not allowed to bring our phones into the gym. Call Peter. He was staying after school for a tutoring session. Maybe he can swing by the gym and see if practice ran late. I’ll run inside and grab Asher’s keys.”
“Okay, but Cass.” Gideon takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
It feels different from when he used to take my hand when we were kids. It feels like the time we sat together on the log. My shoulders relax.
I duck inside the house, scurrying through the foyer and down the hall. Asher’s door is shut, so I pound on it.
“Coming,” calls Asher’s muffled voice. He opens the door and speaks through a yawn. “Hey, Cass. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Can Gideon and I borrow your car real quick? We have an errand to run, but we walked here, so—it’s a long story.”
Asher hoists a brow. “So then, everything’s good with you two?”
I nod, too fast. “Yep. Back to normal. So, the car?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. You guys wanna hang out after this errand?” He grins slyly.
I roll my eyes. “Stop being weird, Asher. But yes, we can meet you at Gina’s later. I’ll text you.”
“Sounds good. Don’t have too much fun.”
“See you.” I dash into the kitchen, grab Asher’s keys from the hook, and head out the front door.
Gideon’s standing on the porch. I toss him the keys and we hurry to Asher’s car. “Did you get hold of Peter?”
“Yeah, but he said Laura wasn’t in the gym.”
“No, no, no. This isn’t good. I’ve left her two messages and probably six texts. Why isn’t she calling me back?”
“It’ll be fine. Let’s check her house. If she’s not there, we’ll go to the sheriff.”
“I don’t know. This is all—I just can’t mess up again, Giddy. After Sara and Melody. I don’t know what I’ll do if I mess up again.”
Gideon puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from getting in the car. He twists me around to face him, and I try to hide my quivering lower lip. “You’re not going to mess up anything, Cass. I’m sorry I made you feel like everything was your fault. I was horrible. I know you were scared that day, and I should never have blamed Melody’s death on you. Can you forgive me?”
His arms enfold me and I blink away tears, my lashes dusting his shirt as I nod.
Gideon’s voice is low and frayed. “I’m not me without you. I need you back.”
The words settle in my ears, wrapping around all the hurt and broken parts like bandages. “You have me,” I whisper, looking up at him. His eyes melt away my fears and I straighten up, knowing my purpose for the first time in weeks. “Let’s go get Laura.”
My phone dings in my pocket and I dig it out. An anonymous number again.
Tell Laura to keep her mouth shut, or she’s next.
My heart jolts in my rib cage. This is it—confirmation that Seth, who’s locked in a cell, couldn’t have done it.
The killer’s still out there.
Gideon leans in. “What is it? Cass, your face. You’re completely pale.”
There’s no point in hiding it. I shove the phone into his hands.
He lowers the phone a few seconds later. “This guy needs to be locked up,” he says through his teeth.
“But if we go to the cops, he’ll kill her.” Tears coat my lashes.
“We have to find her and make sure she’s safe.”
“I’ll call her again,” I say, taking my phone back. I dial, but it goes to Laura’s voicemail. I clamp my teeth and send a text. Call me ASAP. You’re in danger.
Gideon looks at me, the corners of his eyes creased. “Do you think he already has her?”
“He must. She would’ve answered her phone. I’m calling Detective Sawyer.”
Gideon nods. “Cass, don’t worry about the notebook or any of it. All that matters is getting Laura back safely.”
“I know.” Gideon pulls me close to him as I dial.
Right now, getting locked up is the least of my worries.
28
We’re halfway to Laura’s house when my phone rings. Sheriff Henderson. “Cassidy?”
“Yes, Sheriff?”
“I’m at the Gellman place, and Laura’s fine. She’s sitting here watching television. Guess she didn’t hear her phone.”
I exhale and mouth to Gideon that she’s fine. “Okay, but you can’t leave her there alone.”
“I’m still out front. Why don’t you come by here and make a statement? The detectives are on their way, and they’ll want to know exactly what’s going on.”
“Already on my way.”
A few minutes later, Sheriff Henderson leads us inside the Gellman residence, where the detectives are waiting in the living room. Laura is seated on a cushiony beige chair, eyes large and elbows tucked in front of her. The entire house reeks of that perfume she wears.
“Go ahead and have a seat,” says Detectives Reyes. “Let’s start from the beginning. Miss Pratt, what gave you reason to believe that Miss Gellman here was in danger?”
“I received a threatening text message.” I hand my phone to the detective. He looks over it before passing it to his partner.
Detective Sawyer shows Laura the message. “What is this in reference to? Keep her mouth shut about what?” She looks at Laura, whose shoulders slump.