Page 113 of The Haunting Plot

“MOM!” McKenna yells, running into the room with Jane close behind her. The hair on the back of my neck prickles.

“What’s wrong?” Raven races over to McKenna.

“Jonah is gone. Tommy too.”

My gut sinks. “Are you sure? They’re not upstairs?”

Jane shakes her head. “No, we looked everywhere.”

“Girls, I need you to check outside before I call it in. Look everywhere: the swing, in the bushes, along the tree line.”

They race out the door, and I turn to Raven. “When was the last time you saw Jonah?”

“I don’t know. There were so many people in the house. The last time I for sure saw him was before we talked in the basement. Do you think he was down there and heard us, got upset, and ran away?”

“I was thinking the same thing. Is this something he does when he’s upset?”

“Meltdowns are the most common thing for him, but he’s run away once before, after Kris died.”

“Where did he go?”

“We were at the other house, and he ran into the woods and climbed a tree. I had to call the fire department to get him down.”

“I remember a call like that coming in, but I wasn’t there.” I take a deep breath as my mind races through all the steps I need to take to report this, and all the information I need to gather.

“What was he wearing?”

“I think he was still in his costume. I hope he was.”

“Got it. So we’re looking for a giant chicken and a turtle. That shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

The girls run back inside, confirming our suspicions. The boys are gone.

CHAPTER 29

RAVEN

Irace over to the door, looking for Jonah’s book bag. He takes it with him everywhere he goes, and it has an AirTag sewn into it. If he has it with him, we can find him. A rock sinks in my gut when I find it under a jacket next to the front door. Loud ringing fills my ears, and I walk to the couch like a zombie, pulling up the locator app on my phone as I nervously lean against the armrest. All the AirTags are showing up at home.

“I double-checked everywhere, looked under all the furniture, in all the closets. They’re not up there,” Sawyer’s voice booms as he jogs down the stairs.

“The basement is empty too,” McKenna says, walking into the living room with Jane.

“Okay, I’m calling it in. I already texted several of the guys to search the woods around here, but local police will have better tools than us, like a drone that detects body heat,” Sawyer says, holding up his phone as he calls 911.

I’m numb. I can hear his conversation. I’m in the room. I can feel the carpet beneath my feet, the leather armrest under my fingers, but none of their words are registering. My heart’s beating too fast, and my anxiety is already eighteen steps ahead, playing out worst-case scenarios in my brain in vivid detail.

A hand wraps around my waist, and I’m pulled into a hug. The smell of woods and musk tickles my senses but not enough to pull me from my haze. Warm hands clasp my cheeks, and Sawyer’s bright blue eyes fill my vision. The creases on his brow are so deep. I can’t stop staring at them as he speaks.

“Raven. Did you hear me? We’ll find them. They couldn’t have gotten far.”

Jonah has run away before, but we’ve always found him quickly. Something about this time feels different.

Bella bursts through the front door. “I came as soon as I heard.”

I stare down at my hands, unable to look at her as she approaches.

Do not cry. Do not cry.