“Can someone please fill me in on what the fuck is happening?” Cade barks.
“He’s been messaging her.”
Cade’s head swings to Ian, and he takes a step forward. “What the hell is he talking about, Ian?”
“I swear, I don’t know where she is.” His hands raise, and his lip is bleeding from biting down on it when I slammed him against the wall.
“I need to know what you know, Ian.”
“About a month ago, I saw Garrett on his computer. There was an article up about a family that was murdered. It was right after that first victim. I guess he was doing research on past stabbings or something, I don’t even know, but anyways, he got called out, and I thought, what a gnarly story, so I kept reading. I didn’t think much of it again. And then one day, Jade looked so familiar to me and I couldn’t place why. I asked you, remember?”
I nod, remembering that day.
“Well, I couldn’t shake it, so I wracked my brain, and then it clicked. I googled that article, and bam. The girl in the picture was most definitely Jade. She was a lot younger and her hair colour was different, but I was certain it was her. I started dropping hints and messaging her, hoping she would come clean. When you never said anything, I started to get pissed that she was lying to you. But I swear to God that’s all I did. I just wanted her to be honest with you.”
“Why wouldn’t you have just come to me, Ian? We’re friends!”
“Look, I’m sorry, man. I admit, I went about it wrong, but I never wanted her to get hurt. I didn’t even know this creep had been watching her until you put out the APB.”
“Fuck.” I slam my fist into the wall and clench my teeth at the crunch of my knuckles before storming off to my office, Cade on my heels.
“I won’t fucking survive if we don’t find her, Cade.”
“Fuck off.” Cade hurls everything on my desk to the floor, getting in my face. “Look who the fuck you’re talking to, West. You’ll survive. You have no fucking choice. You think I wanted tobe here after I lost Clara? I get the pain you’re feeling, but, West, you’ll fucking survive.”
I hang my head in shame, because of course Cade understands. I won’t compare Jade missing to the death of Clara, but he’s right. I’ll need to go on.
But I won’t stop looking for her.
Not until my dying day.
I’m so close. I feel the ropes around my wrist loosen, and I want to cry at the hope of it all.
This morning when Garrett was here, he told me it’s been a week.
God. It feels so much longer than that.
My body is weak, and I’m not sure how far I’ll even make it in these woods, but I have to try.
I can feel blood drip down my wrists from the fiction, but I don’t stop.
I will get out of here.
“Nick. It’s nice to meet you.” I hold out my hand for the man to shake.
“Wish it were under different circumstances,” he says somberly, taking my offered hand.
“You and me both.” I sigh.
Nick arrived this morning. The man isn’t what I expected. I assumed he was an older guy, but he’s probably only a few years older than me. His hair is free of grey, and he has an air of authority around him.
I lead him over to Garrett’s desk. “This is officer Montgomery’s desk, but you can take it over while you’re here.”
“Sounds good.”
Garrett’s desk is a fucking mess. Scooping up all the files and garbage, I open his drawer to throw them in when a small picture floats down to the ground.
It looks like it’s been cut from a newspaper. The picture is black and white, and on closer inspection, I see it’s a photo of a man carrying a lifeless girl. My eyes squint, and all air in the room seizes. This is a picture of Jade from the night of her attack.
