I looked down at her.“I do.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“No.”I shook my head.“If this guy wanted you to think Erin was dead, he would’ve shown you a body.”The words sounded rougher out loud than they had in my head, but McKayla nodded slowly because she knew I was right.
The killer liked messages.
Bodies were messages.
This poster was something else.
Another game, maybe.Or a warning?I hated both options.
“You’re really calm right now,” I said.
Her mouth twisted slightly.“I’m trying.”
“Most people would be freaking the hell out.”
“That’s because most people haven’t spent years dealing with cheating spouses, stalkers, missing persons, and meth heads screaming in motel parking lots.”She blew out a breath.“You learn pretty fast that panicking doesn’t help.”
“Still.”
Her eyes came back to mine.“Trust me.My brain is currently screaming.”
Something tight pulled in my chest.I didn’t like how badly I wanted to make this easier for her.
The sound of a boat engine broke through the moment before it got too heavy.
McKayla stepped back slightly just as Anchor docked the small boat hard enough to make Piney complain loudly.
“Jesus Christ,” Piney muttered.“You drive like you hate water.”
“I do hate water,” Anchor grunted.
“Then why the hell do we live on an island?”Piney laughed.
Post climbed out first, followed by Pull.
Anchor stepped onto the dock looking exactly like he always looked lately, tired, pissed off, and one inconvenience away from committing felony arson.
“What now?”he asked while walking toward us.“Because I swear to Christ if this island starts summoning ghosts next, I’m selling the whole damn place.”
McKayla pointed silently toward the tree.Anchor stopped beside us and followed her line of sight.His expression flattened immediately.“What the fuck.”
“Yeah,” Pull muttered behind him.
Post stepped closer.“That her?”
McKayla nodded once.
Anchor walked right up to the poster and stared at it hard for several seconds before looking back at us.“What were you two doing out here?”
“Walking the area like McKayla said she wanted to,” I answered.
Anchor grunted.
“She spotted it,” I added.
