“He’s home at The Sea Witch. Rhonda, the night manager, is with him.”
“Okay. That’s good.” I hopped on one foot as I tugged on my socks. “And where are you?”
“I — I don’t know. I’m just going in circles. The streets downtown are still so crowded and—” A sob caught in her throat. “If I don’t find him?—”
“Stop. Don’t say that. Don’t even think it.” Fully dressed, I walked back out to the kitchen. “I’m going to text you Cade’s address right now. You’re going to come pick me up, and then we’re going to decide what to do next. Together.”
“But—”
“Honey, you shouldn’t be alone right now. You definitely shouldn’t be driving around when you’re this upset.” I sucked in a breath that did nothing to steady me. “I’m going to hang up and text you the address. If you aren’t here in ten, I’m calling you back. If you don’t answer, I’m hunting you down.”
She was quiet for a beat. Her voice was almost childlike when it came again. Shattered. Broken. But she agreed.
“Okay, Imogen. I’ll come.”
“See you soon, Gigi.”
The second the call clicked off, I texted her Cade’s address. Then, I grabbed the spare key off the dog leash and shoved it into my backpack. Flipping off the kitchen lights, I crossed through the dark living room — Socks was still sound asleep in his crate, a small miracle — and pulled on my boots in the entryway. I locked the door behind me and sat on Cade’s front steps to wait, jittering with nervous energy.
The streets had emptied out a bit, but they were by no means abandoned. While most of the youngsters had been home in bed for hours, there were still plenty of teenagers out causing trouble. Toilet paper streamed from the branches of the neighbor’s maple tree. I saw several smashed jack-o-lanterns on the sidewalk across the street, their orange guts splattered all over the pavement. Two lanky boys about Declan’s age pedaled by on mountain bikes, their costumes covered in a thick layer of what looked like shaving cream. The sharp wail of a firecracker split the sky like a scream.
Finally, a pair of headlights turned down the street. By the time they came to a stop in front of Cade’s house, I was already halfway down the walk. I flew to the driver’s side door and practically yanked Georgia out from behind the wheel. Before she could say a word, I pulled her into a hug.
She dissolved instantly in my embrace, sobbing against my shoulder like her world had come to an end.
I supposed it had.
“I c-c-can’t,” she hiccupped. “—believe this is h-h-happening."
“We’re going to find him,” I told her fiercely, stroking her hair. “I’m sure he’s just wandered off. He’ll be back home before you know it.”
But the truth was, I wasn’t sure.
I wasn’t sure at all.
* * *
I drove Georgia’s sporty hatchback station wagon, as she was in no fit state to be behind the wheel. First to The Sea Witch, where we collected a shellshocked Declan from the care of Rhonda, the dour-faced night manager. Then, to the Salem Police Department.
I’d never been to this particular station before, but I’d been in plenty of others in the past. It was a pretty brick building near the center of town, no more than a few minutes’ walk from The Gallows. Twin spotlights lit up the flagpole out front, along with the large round SPD seal — the city’s trademark flying witch — emblazoned proudly on the brick.
Despite the late hour, the station was a hub of activity. Uniformed officers were pouring through the tall glass doors into the dark parking lot, moving quickly to reach their cruisers, heads tilted to listen to radio chatter. I wondered if they were headed out to look for Rory.
I hoped to god they were.
I parked in a spot directly in front of the flag pole. Gigi was out of the car the second I shifted into park. She practically sprinted into the station, too distraught to remember she wasn’t alone. I wasn’t surprised — she was in another world, at the moment. She’d barely said two words to me on the drive. She’d kept her face pressed to the passenger window, staring out at the people on the sidewalks as we passed.
Now that the trick-or-treating was over, the city was shifting into the darker side of Halloween. One designed for adults, not kids. At its core, Salem was a college town. Plenty of twenty-somethings in scanty fishnets and clingy corsets were stalking the streets, looking for a spooky good time. The entry lines to every local bar were wrapped down the block, already at capacity. And the night was young.
The thought of Rory somehow lost in their midst…
A shiver moved through me.
I grabbed Declan’s hand, squeezing tight as I led him inside. He squeezed back, but said nothing. He was normally such a chatterbox. Seeing him like this — so solemn, so shaken — made my stomach twist.
The room was surprisingly full. Several seats along the side wall were occupied by people in costumes, waiting to speak to the receptionist about issues unknown. All of them looked decidedly peeved their fun Halloween plans were ending in a fluorescent lit precinct.
Georgia didn’t take a seat to wait her turn. She marched straight across the drab concrete floor, planted herself in front of the reception desk, and stared at the woman sitting behind the plexiglass partition until she stopped clacking away on her keyboard.