Page 86 of The Executioners Three
The tension in the room was thick. Like need-a-carving-knife thick. Although that was more Laina’s doing than Freddie’s, since Freddie was too amped up for awkwardness. Her mind was on High Alert with theories and questions and suspicions burning inside her sleuthing stomach.
She kept openingThe Curse of Allard Fortin. Staring at the poem. Then shutting the book again. All while downstairs, silverware clinked and water boiled.
“I… have a sleepwalking disorder,” Laina said eventually. These were her first words since Divya had left the room. She gazed helplessly at Freddie. “They’re linked to my migraines, we think. And sometimes… Well, sometimes this happens. I end up in the middle of the woods.”
“How often is sometimes?” Freddie asked.
“Um.” Laina shrugged. “Only a few times. It just started last month, but… Yeah, I’m seeing an out-of-towner about it.” Her eyes dropped to her boots.
And Freddie frowned. Sleepwalkers did weird stuff—sure, she could buy that. But did they walk with lit candles to ancient graves?
“Do you speak French?”
“Huh?” Laina blinked.
“Do you speak French?” Freddie repeated.
“No.” Laina wagged her head. “I’m in AP German. Why do you ask?”
Freddie ignored the question. “Do you always go to the county park when you sleepwalk?”
Laina swallowed. “No. I went to Fortin Prep once.”
Freddie’s eyebrows launched high. “The Allard Fortin crypt?”
“Maybe? I woke up near the parking lot, so yeah. Maybe.” She gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t remember, and needless to say, that really freaks me out.”
“Do you normally carry a candle with you on your… trips?”
“I had acandle?”
“Leave her alone,” Divya ordered, shoving into the room with a teacup and platter of cookies. “She’s been through enough today.”
“Sorry.” Freddie popped up her hands defensively. She wasn’t actually sorry, but she could keep her mouth shut. For a few minutes, at least.
Divya knelt beside Laina, and instantly the lines of Laina’s face relaxed. She watched Divya set the tea before her, watched as she laid out the cookies, and were this any other situation, Freddie would’ve been delighted by such a stare and the clear longing in Laina’s eyes. The girl washead over heelsfor Divya.
Right now, though, Freddie had other concerns.
“Your family,” Freddie said as Laina lifted the tea to her lips. The scent of cinnamon wafted through the room. “Does anyone else sleepwalk?”
Laina winced slightly. “Not that I know of.”
“And do you know how long your family has lived in this region?”
“Um.” Laina’s forehead bunched up. She glanced at Divya. “A long time, I think. Does… does it matter?”
“Of course not,” Divya murmured. She shot Freddie a glare.
Freddie ignored it. “What’s the last thing you remember before you woke up in the woods?”
Laina took another sip and gave another frown. “I was in AP Bio, andthen…” Laina’s hand started trembling. Her eyes squeezed shut. “I don’t remember.”
“Try.” Freddie leaned toward her.
“I think… I went to the bathroom, and…” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Please,” Freddie pressed.
