“Of course.” I hung up. “What do you know, Lynn?” I asked, following her to the bathroom.
“Nothing yet,” she bit out, and then she went back to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed to put her shoes on.
“What do you think you know?”
“Nothing yet.” She grabbed her keys.
“Where are you going?”
“To find Aubrey.”
“How the fuck are you going to do that?”
She stopped and glared at me. “How do you think?”
My heart jolted. “You think Shelly had something to do with this?”
“They had words last week,” Lynn muttered.
“About what?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Why did they have words about me?”
“Apparently, Aubrey made some disparaging remarks about you in public the other day. Shelly didn’t like it. I’m afraid…”
“You’re afraid of what?”
“You never know with Shelly.”
Then she slipped out the door. I rushed to get dressed so I could go with her, but by the time I turned the corner, she was long gone.
Twelve hours later, Malcolm and I were sitting on the couch together, twiddling our fucking thumbs, waiting to hear something from Lynn. Still no word. Lynn wasn’t answering her phone, and I had no idea what was going on. Then the door snicked open.
Lynn walked into the room, towing Aubrey in behind her. She shivered and could barely take a step. Lynn placed a finger to her lips and warned me with a flash of her blue gaze.
Lynn gently led Aubrey toward the bathroom, and then she stepped inside with her.
A moment later, Lynn came out. “She doesn’t want help from me. She says I look too much like Shelly. Maybe we should call your mother.”
“Maybe we should take her to the hospital.” I looked anxiously toward the bathroom door.
“I tried. She refused to go. She’s not hurt. She’s just tired. She’s been eaten up by mosquitoes and her feet are pretty bruised. But I think she’s okay. Just scared and tired.”
“What did Shelly do to her?”
“She dropped her off in the forest.”
“What the fuck!” Malcolm jumped to his feet. “She just left her there?”
“Apparently.” Lynn swiped a hand down her face in frustration.
“Where the fuck is she? I’ll kill her.” Malcolm began to pace.