Into the Sublime by Kate A. Boorman

Author:Kate A. Boorman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2:45 P.M.

The CB was crackling loudly. “C451, come in.” Vargas tore her attention from the girl, disoriented, irritated at the interruption. “C451.”

Draker left his position and jogged back to the patrol car.

Vargas kept her attention on Amelie, trying to parse through this new information. She couldn’t remember seeing these “striations” on H’s skin. Then, it had been such a mess when they’d arrived, and the paramedics were intent on getting the two to the hospital—she might’ve missed it. “Devon drugged you?” she clarified.

“It seemed that way,” the girl replied.

“You say she was acting weird.” Amelie had also, more than once, mentioned Devon’s strange interest in Sasha.

“Yeah.”

“You thought she was dangerous?”

“Yes. And I tried to convince the other two of that, after.”

“After.”

“After we went into the lake.”

A chill touched Vargas’s arms.

Amelie’s gaze flicked to the patrol car. “Should I wait for the other deputy or keep going?”

“You went into the lake?”

“We had to.”

“Because of the lore? Because you wanted it to…” Vargas hedged. “Change something?”

“Oh, no. I mean, yes. I wanted that. But…” The girl paused. “Well, Gia wasn’t on the trip because she thought the lake could cure her panic attacks.”

“She thought she could, if she put herself in enough dangerous situations,” Vargas clarified.

The girl nodded. “And H … well, for all of her talk, I don’t think she ever believed in the lore, either. She was like Gia: taking control of her life in a very specific way.”

“With her parents.”

“Yeah.”

“And Devon?”

“Devon’s harder to explain,” Amelie said. “But she definitely believed the lore. She and I were the same, that way.”

That way, but very different, by Amelie’s account.

“So why did you go into the lake?” And was this what had happened to Devon?

Amelie’s eyes were suddenly guarded. “I need to tell you about the dream I had, first. When we fell asleep onshore.”

The car door slammed. Vargas glanced back to find Draker looking at the ground, one hand gripping the back of his neck. It was his thinking stance. He was making no move to head their way. He obviously had information he wasn’t sure what to do with.

“Can you hold that thought?” Vargas asked Amelie. “I’ll be right back.” She hurried to the car. “Hey.”

Draker raised his head, took a moment to focus. “That was Cheyenne. I’m not sure how or if this fits.”

“Okay.”

“The Desmarais accident wasn’t the first time Devon Kirneh was questioned by police.”

“Oh?”

“Her name comes up from an incident eight years ago. Her brother, who she was alone with at the time, suffered burns from a space heater on the lower half of his body.”

Vargas paused. Amelie said Devon had alluded to this; she’d talked about her brother staying in the hospital burn unit. “Okay…”

“The mother suspected her daughter had something to do with it. She insisted on a psych eval. The girl was recommended for a stay in Denver Children’s.”

“Diagnosis?”

“Those records aren’t available. But based on the police intake and what Cheyenne searched up, she mentioned…” He looked at his chicken scratch. “Alexithymia?”

Vargas squinted.

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