Page 40 of Sinister Secrets

But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the thought of my schedule becoming so busy with this investigation that he starts spending more time with her than me isn’t worrying. I glance over at Gordon’s box, feeling motivated now more than ever to crack this case quickly. Startle so violently at the unexpected intrusion of my phone ringing that I jerk the wheel, tires momentarily leaving the road, sinking into the soft shoulder for a brief second until I bring the vehicle back under control.

My heart gallops in my chest, my breath coming quick and heavy. My palms are slick on the steering wheel as I adjust my grip, preparing to stab at the icon that’s appeared on my car’s touchscreen to answer the call. As a bead of sweat trickles from my armpit down my side, I decide to turn the AC down while I’m at it.

“Agent Knox speaking.”

“Cassidy?”

“Dr. Evangeline?”

The blast of air is so loud that I can barely hear her. I turn it back down, no longer needing it. Something about the way her wobbly voice said my name has chilled me to my core.

“Yes.”

“Did I have an appointment today?” I ask, knowing that I didn’t.

“No, but… could you come in anyway?”

“Of course.” I check that the road around me is empty and make a U-turn. “Is everything okay?”

It seems a silly question. She wouldn’t be calling if it was. Something’s wrong.

There’s a pause, and then, “You’re on your way?”

There’s something strange about her tone—it’s flat and hollow, utterly devoid of emotion, as if she’s purposely working to keep it that way.

“I am. Do you want me to stay on the line?”

Though she tells me no, the hesitation behind the single word rings over and over in my mind, haunting me as I race to her office. Parking, I glance at the box of Gordon’s belongings. Grabbing the papers from within, I sandwich the bank statement in the center before shoving the entire stack into my purse and hurrying inside.

I’m still yards from her office’s entrance when I see it—the loosely hanging knob, the buckled door, the splintered jamb. I didn’t see any police cars nearby. It’s possible that I’m the first on the scene.

Though it pains me to do so, I slow my pace, checking before I place each step. Bring up my camera app and film my approach. But despite knowing that the video I’m taking might be used as evidence, as I cross the threshold and see the absolute destruction, I can’t help but panic.

“Dr. Evangeline?”

The waiting room chairs have been smashed, thrown against the wall in the corner as if someone was building a bonfire. Broken glass from the prints that used to adorn the walls litters the carpet, the frames now mangled masses of broken sticks, the artwork itself torn and crumpled into balls.

“Dr. Evangeline!”

“In here, Cassidy.”

I burst into her inner sanctum, finding the woman looking as defeated as she sounds. She slumps on the couch where I was forced to sit during our appointments, her head cradled in her hands, surrounded by chaos.

Stuffing from the shredded cushions sits in drifts so deep at her sides that it looks like it’s trying to absorb her. Every book has been removed from the shelves that lined the wall behind her desk, their pages ripped from the spines, littering the floor. The shelves themselves, like her desk, now resemble splinters more than their original form. I walk carefully across the room, broken glass and shredded papers crunching under my feet.

“What happened?” When she doesn’t answer, I drop to my knees before her, wincing as something cracks beneath my patella. Taking her hands, I squeeze, urging her to look at me. The woman who lifts her swollen, reddened eyes to mine in no way resembles the confident, put-together doctor that I’ve come to know.

“Olivia?”

I’m vaguely aware that it’s the first time I’ve called her by her first name. I’m slightly concerned that she’ll find it inappropriate, but as a fresh wave of tears streams down her cheeks I realize that none of that matters. Not now.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

She doesn’t sound like it. In fact, she sounds anything but.

“Were you here when this happened?”