Page 49 of Whispers of the Lake

“I can’t say for sure, but I do know they’re hiding something.”

“Why would someone just leave her purse on the porch? Who do you think had it?” She was breathing faster, on the verge of hyperventilation.

“I think it was their sister, Rory. I met her when I was taking a walk through the woods and looking for a sign of Eve.”

“Do you think she knows something?”

“Iknowshe does,” I said, thinking about the last thing Rory said before fleeing the cottage.Just keep looking for answers.

“What about Eve’s main phone? Was it there?”

“No. I had Nico track her last location and she was at was a diner in that area. The night before she stopped answering her phone.”

“Oh God,” Zoey moaned. “She’s dead!” She was breathing raggedly now. “She’s dead, Rose! She’sdead!”

I knew this was coming. I sent Diana a text as I told Zoey to calm down and breathe.

The next thing I knew, I was hearing my sister’s concerned voice. She was soothing Zoey, telling her to count down from ten.

“Rose?” Diana called out as Zoey wept in the background. “You okay?”

“I’m okay. I’m in a hotel right now.” My eyes welled with tears. “I don’t know what to do, Diana.”

“Come back home.” Her words were final. “Wherever Eve is or whatever she’s got going on, that’s on her. You did your part, sis. So just . . . come back to Charlotte. We’ll figure things out from here.”

I swiped at my eyes and nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay. Let me take care of Zo. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I hung up and sniffled, wiping my eyes again.

Tears dripped on the bed, some landing on my pajama pants and turning the cotton a darker shade. I drew my knees to my chest and rested my forehead on them, sinking into darker thoughts about Eve. If she was dead, what were we going to do? I should’ve forgiven her. Maybe if I had, she’d have never gone to that damn lake. I wasn’t sure how long I sat that way, curled over and crying, but when my phone rang and I saw Nico calling, I swiftly dried my face and answered.

“Nico.” I sniffled. “Hey!”

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m okay.” I wiped my cheek with the back of my hand. “What do you have for me?”

“I’m at Lincoln’s apartment right now,” he said. “Place is a shit show. He’s got coke everywhere. Pretty sure he’s selling it.”

That didn’t surprise me. “Is he there? Did he let you in?”

“Not willingly. But yeah, he’s here. His lip is busted a little bit but he can still talk. Wanna speak to him?”

“Uh. Sure. Yeah.”

My heart drummed faster as I heard Nico say, “Get the fuck up.”

A deep groan crackled through the receiver. Then came Lincoln’s familiar voice. Definitely the one from the camera.

“Rose, I already told your guy everything.” He groaned again. “I—I don’t know where Eve is.”

“But you were at that cottage with her? In Sage Hill?” I asked.

“Y-yeah I was, but it was only for the first two nights. She said she was staying for two more nights or something. I left the next morning ’cause I had to work.”

---