Up ahead, something flashed in the blackness like a beacon. He’d turned around to check if I was still following. My breath rasped in my throat as I jumped over a fallen trunk. The forest was cloaked in mist, concealing the outline of the mysterious figure.
I was startled by a sudden buzzing from my pocket. My foot caught on a rock, sending me flying. I landed face-first in a bed of leaves, the wind rushing out of my lungs. I stumbled to my feet but the stranger was gone and so was the mist. Over the steady drum of the rain, I could no longer make out his footsteps.
I took the phone from my pocket, and saw I had an incoming text from Alec.
Meet me at the bus stop at 11
A glance at my watch revealed that it was ten fifty-five. Alec seemed to forget that my legs weren’t quite as long as his.
Now that the adrenaline had left my body I realized just how tightly my clothes—luckily sweatpants and an elastic shirt—fit, how even my shoes had stretched, and how the wristband of my watch had cut into my skin. I shape-shifted back into Madison’s body. The seams of my shirt were partially ripped and a cool draft wafted against my butt. Apparently I’d also made a hole in my pants.
I wished I’d grabbed a sweater from my dresser before I’d started my chase. I looked around for the pepper spray I’d dropped but it was too dark. Shivering, I trudged through the forest in the direction of the bus stop, roots and stones digging into the thin soles of my flats. My cell phone buzzed again.
Where are you?
I ignored him. After a few minutes the trees thinned out and eventually I was back in our neighborhood. The asphalt felt good under my feet.
When I rounded the corner near the bus stop, Alec was already waiting for me, tapping his foot impatiently. His eyes scanned me from head to toe. He rushed toward me and grabbed my shoulder, making me wince. He pushed my ripped shirt aside to check the spot I had bruised with my fall. His fingertips were gentle as they traced the injury. A bluish spot was already blooming on my skin. The leaves hadn’t cushioned my fall as well as I’d thought.
“Are you okay?” he asked, hands brushing back the hair from my face and lingering against my cheeks. His palms felt warm and rough.
“I’m fine.”
He removed his hands slowly. “What the hell happened? You look like you had a fight with a bear.”
I slumped against the street sign, trying to take my weight off my feet. “I was trying to catch my stalker. He was watching my window again.”
His eyes flashed with displeasure. “You shouldn’t have followed him. You can’t just do things alone! It’s too dangerous.”
“If it weren’t for your stupid text, I would’ve caught him. I was so close until you startled me.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “There’s been a new development.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
“FEA pathologists examined Madison’s body and detected a growth—”
“She was sick?”
“No. Pregnant.”
“Is Yates the father?” I asked.
“We don’t know. But she wasn’t far along. The pathologists estimate only four or five weeks. It’s quite possible that Madison wasn’t even aware of it yet.”
Strange certainty cut through me. “No. She knew.” Alec raised his eyebrows, so I continued. “I think that was the reason for her meeting with Yates at the lake. He said they wanted to talk.”
“So you think she wanted to tell him about it?”
I paused. Yates had acted oddly when I’d talked to him about the reason for their meeting. “I’m not sure. I think he might’ve known about the pregnancy. Maybe they wanted to discuss their options.”
“I bet Yates would’ve wanted her to have an abortion,” Alec said.
“I’ll ask him about it. Maybe I can get it out of him.”
“I don’t want you alone with him again.”
“I’ll approach him in school tomorrow. I’ll just pretend that I suddenly remembered the pregnancy.”
Alec frowned. “All right. But there’s more.”
More?
“I had a discussion with Major and we agree that aside from Yates, Devon is our prime suspect.”
“Devon? Are you kidding me?”
“Today when he was supposed to be at wrestling practice, I saw him sneaking around the places where the last two bodies were found. I don’t know what he wanted there but he was definitely looking for something.”
“But why would he return to the crime scene? Maybe he’s trying to solve the case. After all, it’s his sister who was attacked. Or maybe he was just jogging.”
“He wasn’t there to jog and I don’t think he’s investigating. He went to the exact spots where the bodies were found. What could he possibly find there after the police already searched the place several times?” He paused. “Sometimes murderers return to the place where a murder happened because it gives them a kick. It’s a compulsion. And what’s more important, he knew exactly where Madison’s body was found. The police never disclosed the exact location.”