Letting You Go (Stone Lake 1)

There’s something in his tone that worries me. I study him noticing there are three deputies standing behind him. My hold on Gavin tightens. Something is going on here and whatever it is, it is not good.

“What’s up,” Gavin asks, he might sound relaxed, but his body is tense against me.

“You need to come with me,” the principal says again. All around us people are gathering, knowing something is up. I ignore them and instead focus on what is in front of me.

“Tell me what’s going on here,” Gavin argues and that’s when the deputies move up beside the principal.

“You’re Gavin Lodge?” one of them asks.

“Yeah,” Gavin answers, confused.

“We’re going to have to ask you to come down to the station with us.”

“What’s going on here?” Atticus asks, appearing behind us. Gavin ignores him, and I don’t have time to look at him. My heart is beating crazily in my chest and my palms are damp with sweat. I keep holding on tightly to Gavin, afraid to let him go.

“Come with us son, it will go easier that way.”

“What will go easier? What in the hell is happening? I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on,” Gavin growls, anger bleeding through his words.

“We’ll explain it down at the station,” the deputy says.

“You’ll explain it now. I’ve got the right to know what’s going on.”

“We were hoping to do this privately, but you’re not leaving us any choice.”

“Any choice on what? I don’t understand—”

“Gavin Lodge, you’re under arrest,” the deputy announces, jerking Gavin from my arms, and twisting his hands behind his back. Gavin lets him, his head twisting to find me, his face looking bleak.

Oh God, this can’t be happening…

“What am I under arrest for? You could at least tell me that!” Gavin growls.

“You’re under arrest for the murder of Julie Sampson,” the deputy responds.

My heart feels like it stops mid-beat. My body flushes, but with a cold heat that seems to chill me all the way to the bone.

Jules…. Dead…

I hear screaming, and I barely register the sound is coming from me. My legs give out and I’m dropping to the floor. I feel arms go around me, but I ignore them.

Jules… Dead…

I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I. Can’t. Breathe.

“Luna, I didn’t do this,” Gavin yells over his shoulder looking at me. I can barely make him out through the tears in my eyes as sobs wrack through my body. “I didn’t do this,” he yells again, and then he’s lost to someone screaming in pain…

And this time I don’t even realize it’s coming from me.

Chapter Fifty Eight

Gavin

“Hello.”

“Luna,” I breathe. “Thank God.”

“Gavin?”

“Are you okay, Moonbeam?” I ask, breathing into the phone.

I lean my head against the wall, close my eyes and try to picture her. I’ve been worried since the moment they brought me in. All I could see was the way she crumbled before my eyes and I was helpless, because I couldn’t get to her and comfort her.

“Gavin,” she breathes. “They let you go? Oh God, I was so worried, and my dad showed up. He wouldn’t let me follow you and—”

“They didn’t let me go, Luna. I’m still here.”

“Then how are you—”

“They gave me one phone call, I called the only person that matters.”

“Gavin, no. You need to call your Dad. You need him to—”

“He’s not my Dad, Moonbeam. He’s nothing to me,” I tell her. What I’m not telling her is that I really had no one here in Stone Lake to call. As for dear old dad. He’s been here, helping them create a case against me. He even did it sober. I’m not sure I’ve seen him sober in years, but he was when they escorted him by me to take his statement.

He even did it smiling.

“We have to find someone to help you,” she whispers so quietly into the phone that it’s hard to make out what she’s saying.

“I’m not important, Moonbeam. I just need to make sure you’re okay.”

“Jules is dead, Gavin.” It’s a simple statement, but tears and pain ooze through it and I hold the phone away from my mouth as I curse the fact that I can’t be there with her. I should be there.

She needs me.

“I know, Baby,” I tell her, wishing I could hold her.

“They… They found her with a rose, like the last girl.”

Fuck.

“I’m sorry, Luna.”

“Once they figure out that there’s no way you committed the murder, they’ll let you go, right? They have to know that the guy who killed the other girls did this one too.”

“I gotta go, Moonbeam. They only let me talk for a few minutes. I just… I wanted to know you’re okay.”

“Gavin? They’re going to let you go, right? They can’t keep you, not now that they know she’s been killed by the same killer.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, Babe. All I know is that I need you to believe in me. I need you to know that I didn’t do this.”