“That means no.”
Push’s mouth twitched as he slowed near the far dock.
The ghost town area came into view as we approached.Weathered storefronts lined a dirt path beyond the dock, all designed to look abandoned and haunted.A fake jail.A saloon.A general store with one broken shutter hanging at an angle.Wanted posters were nailed to posts and walls.Barrels sat tipped over near a trough, and old wagon wheels leaned against the side of a building.
During the day, it looked like a movie set.
At night, with fog and actors and boats dropping tourists into the middle of it, I bet it was creepy as hell.
Push docked the boat smoothly and helped me out.
Piney climbed onto the dock behind us and stretched.“Exhausting voyage.”
“It took six minutes,” I said.
“Still.”
I stepped off the dock and onto the packed dirt path leading into the ghost town.“This is where they get off during the tour?”
Push nodded.“Boat drops them here.They walk through the ghost town trail, get some scares, then loop back to the haunted house area.”
I looked around slowly.“I need to see this when everything’s running.”
Push’s eyes came to me but he didn’t say anything.
I kept walking, pretending I hadn’t felt his gaze.“I came twice before, but I was too busy trying to find Erin to actually pay attention to anything else.”
“Maybe when all this is over, we’ll walk through the haunted house and do the ghost boat tour.”
The words landed softer than they should have.
When all this is over.
We’ll.
Like I would still be here.Like he expected there to be a version of us after the bodies and the footage and Erin being missing.
My chest tightened strangely.
I hadn’t stayed in one place for a long time.Not really.My work kept me moving.Next case.Next town.Next person who needed answers.My whole life fit into a duffle bag and a laptop case, and for years, that had felt efficient.
Free, even.Until Erin disappeared.
Then being able to move anywhere hadn’t felt like freedom.It had felt like having nowhere to belong.
The good thing about living minimal was that I had money saved.Enough to keep me going while I searched for Erin.Enough that I didn’t have to take another case right away.
And being stuck on Skull Island had one practical perk.I wasn’t spending much.
Except emotionally.
Apparently that bill was climbing fast.
“McKayla?”
I blinked and realized Push had stopped a few feet ahead of me.
“You good?”
