Page 20 of Whispers of the Lake

Ben reminded me of that constantly and didn’t stop until it was planted deep in my brain like a rooted tree. Rose hugged me tight and cried with me that day. Then she brought me Oreos and cold milk. We talked about it a little more as we dunked the cookies into the cold white liquid. We liked it when the Oreos got just a little soggy on one half but stayed crunchy on the other.

We started giggling about this boy named Bradley with braces who was dying for an invitation to Rose’s pool party. Both of us had black crumbs and cream in our teeth and we looked ridiculous as tears of joy left the corners of our eyes.

Rose and I had known each other for three years then. We had been friends in middle school, but became even closer our freshman year of high school. I ate alone at lunch on the first day. Back then, I was wary of everyone and preferred being alone.

Rose sat right next to me and said, “I enjoy eating alone too.”

I remember looking at her and smiling. She smiled back then offered me a pack of fruit snacks. Our friendship started out simply. First there were sporadic dinners at her house that Ben would invite me to, then later laughing together in middle school PE. At the start of high school, we began to trust one another more and began walking together in the hallways, meeting at our lockers, and sitting together at lunch every day.

When I ran to Rose’s house that night, it was the first time I’d been truly vulnerable with her. I knew before that I loved having her as a friend, but that night she became my best friend forever. I also knew that I would do anything for her . . . and she’d do anything for me.

Friends like her don’t come around often. But friends like me are a dime a dozen. I’m cheap. Selfish. Hard to deal with. I don’t deserve her. I never have.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Icouldn’t sleep.

Jayson lay right next to me on the bed, one arm draped over my torso, his soft breaths skating down my arm. We’d just had BLT wraps and fries along with some wine. I pointed the ice cream out to him and told him it was Eve’s favorite.

“So, shewashere,” he said.

“Yes, she was,” I answered back. The question was where was shenow?

I gently peeled Jayson’s arm away and grabbed my phone from the nightstand before leaving the bedroom. I turned on one of the lights in the living room and went for my laptop.

I couldn’t help looking out the patio doors in the back along the way. The moon was shining on the lake, revealing gentle ripples bathed in silvery white light.

After logging in, I went to my emails, refreshing constantly until the stupid Wi-Fi cooperated. There was a new email from Nico.

Shouldn’t be sending this via email but my text to

you keeps failing.

Details on Castillo attached.

I clicked the doc.

Of course it took forever to download. When two minutes passed and the thing still hadn’t finished, I got up and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of wine. Walking back to the table, I took a careful sip and allowed the flavors to marinate on my tongue. The file was almost done downloading. I tilted my gaze and looked toward the fireplace. The brick and wood design was gorgeous, and I could tell the mantel was a recent addition. There was no TV in this place at all. Probably the best for someone who wants to escape the real world.

My eyes lowered, and I paused on my next sip of wine when I noticed something sparkling in the fireplace. I set my glass down, making my way across the room to grab a poker. I pushed some of the ashes out of the way. When the object became clearer, my chest tightened.

It was a necklace, silver, with a teardrop-shaped sapphire pendant. The chain was charred and the sapphire was damaged.

“Please, no,” I whispered. I picked it up and raised it in the air with shaking hands. A name was etched on the back of it, one I was hopingnotto see.

Eve.

“Oh, shit.”

Eve never took this necklace off—ever.Not even when she showered. She’d never have left it here either. It was a gift from her abuela, the only relative she and Zoey had who actually showed them love and kindness. She’d never leave something this cherished and valuable behind. For years, Eve and Zoey had lived with their grandmother, even as she grew ill. Their parents were no longer around and she was the only real family they had left.

My throat thickened as I clutched the necklace in my palm. This couldn’t be. How was this here? Who tried to burn it? I rushed for my phone, trying Eve’s cell again. Just as it had the four or five times prior, my call went directly to voicemail. My legs felt liquid as I sat down in front of my laptop again. The download for my document had finally finished. I gave it a click.

I’d asked Nico to figure out the last time Eve had made a phone call. It was on September 5th at 6:24 PM. That had to be the night before she checked out of the cottage. Zoey said she’d tried calling Eve several times that night. I didn’t start calling until the sixth. According to the location provided, she was still in Sage Hill at the time.

So why the hell didn’t she answer her phone?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

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