Page 22 of Symphony for Lies

What a horrible morning.

I ran a shaky hand through my hair as I called my boss.

It barely rang twice before she picked up.

“Amelia, thankGod! I’ve been worried sick!It’s chaos out there! Where are you?”

She was worried? I pulled my phone away from my ears to glance at the time.

It was past eight.

I hadn’t realized so much time had passed.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I-I saw something horrible today. I’m with the police right now.”

Linda let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the line.“We heard something terrible happened. It’s all over the news. The radio keeps talking about a massive police presence in the park. They’ve also postponed our interview again.”

I hadn’t even thought about how quickly the story was spreading. But with so many people gathered around, there were bound to be journalists in the crowd.

“Are you okay, Amelia?”

I sighed, “Would it be okay if I stayed home today? I-I don’t feel well.”

Her voice was warm. Understanding.“Of course, it’s okay.”

“Thank you. I should go. The officer is waiting.”

When I ended the call, Officer Wilson was still waiting patiently beside me, and he motioned toward his cruiser parked by the curb.

I followed silently, only asking for a slow drive when I sat down.The ride was silent, something I greatly appreciated.

I didn’t want to talk. Not when my mind was racing. Not when I was trying to piece everything together. If that was the same cat from the clinic, then it would make sense why the body was missing!

A deep, bone-chilling shiver raced through my body.

A killer was in our city. Maybe even closer than I thought. And the boy seemed so young. Who was he?

No one deserves to die like that.

“Miss Walker.” Officer Wilson’s voice broke me from my thoughts. “We’ve arrived. But it looks like you don’t want to get out.”

I blinked, startled, and looked outside.Home. My safe place.

I hadn’t even noticed.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“It’s alright. Can you give me a number at which we can reach you?”

I nodded, reciting it aloud as he scribbled it on his notepad.

“We’ll contact you in the next few days. For now, just rest.”

“Thank you.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door handle.

“And Miss Walker?”

I glanced back. The officer’s expression was unreadable.

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