Page 40 of You'll Never Know I'm Here

CHAPTERTWELVE

As soon as there’s daylight outside, I slip out of bed and make my way out of the bedroom, not bothering to do anything more than brush my teeth.

To my utter mortification, I find Memphis sitting on the floor in the hallway, his back resting against the wall. He looks up at the sound of the door opening, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

I shut the door softly, awkward energy coursing through me as I struggle to keep my voice low. “Hi.”

He stands to his feet, his expression pained. “Hey.”

“What are you doing out here? Why are you in the hallway? Did something happen?” I think back to the night before, to the sound we heard. He’d have come to find me if he discovered the source, wouldn’t he? If it was something more than the pipes in an old house?

“What? No. I was…” He stops, rethinking. “I was…just making sure nothing happened to you.” Quickly, he adds, “Anyof you.”

“What? Why would you do that? The floor couldn’t have been comfortable. You said you were going to bed.”

“Well, I lied, I guess.” When I open my mouth to scold him, he goes on, “Look, I told you I don’t sleep well. I figured if I was in my room, it was a waste of my talent.” His smile is more of a grimace than anything. “I’m fine, I swear. I’m just glad the sun’s up. And, about last night—”

“We don’t have to talk about it.” I cut him off.

“I just wanted—”

“We were both tired. Delirious, even. We weren’t thinking clearly, especially after the weird night. It’s okay.”

He swallows, the corners of his eyes wrinkling, and I know he wants to say more, but he doesn’t press the issue any further. We make our way down the stairs and to the kitchen, where I see he has another pot of coffee already brewed. “It’s still hot if you want some,” he says, grabbing a mug from the kitchen island and filling it.

“You should really get some rest, Memphis. I’m awake now. I’ll take over. This isn’t healthy. You can’t justnotsleep.”

“Eh, I dozed off a few times. Trust me, I’m good.” He waves me off. “Well-rested. Couldn’t sleep another wink.”

“Well, are you rested enough to go next door with me?”

He groans. “Somehow I knew you were going to try that again.”

“I have to know.”

“Know what, Lena? The police already told you they didn’t find anything there. What do you think you’re possibly going to find that they missed? Literal professionals whose entire job it is to not miss anything.”

“Well, one, that’s not, like, theirentirejob. And two, maybe they did overlook something. Everyone makes mistakes. ”

He sips his coffee. “Like what? What are you counting on them having missed? A body?”

“Of course not.” I try to think, not entirely sure what I’m hoping to find. “Blood, maybe. Or even a photo of them in a frame that proves they are actually real and live there. Something. Anything to prove what I saw last night actually happened.”

He twists his lips. “I don’t know. It’s dangerous. I think they would’ve seen something if it was there to be found.”

“They didn’t want to believe me. You saw that. I doubt they even looked that hard once they realized they didn’t see a body.”

He sighs, setting his mug down. “Okay, fine. We’ll walk outside and make sure the car isn’t there, then we can see if the door is open. We’ll take a quick look around and get back out of there. No hanging around, no snooping through boxes in the attic. In and out, that’s it. Deal?”

“Fine.” I turn toward the door but stop short. “And thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. No problem.”

We slip on our shoes and make our way out the back door, stopping on the porch.

“I don’t see their car. He’s still gone,” I whisper.

“Okay, let’s go. Quickly.” We cross the yard, looking entirely suspicious, I’m sure, if there is anyone around to see us.

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