The Sleepover by Samantha King

Author:Samantha King [King, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Published: 2020-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The line of flashlights is incongruously pretty as it hovers like fat fireflies in the dark. I know this park, I’ve walked here hundreds of times, and I can already imagine the heavy stamp of the officers’ boots, the swish of their canes as they cut through the trees.

I know the police looked here once before, in their initial searches after Nick went missing, but that was on the other side of the park, in the formal gardens where I told DS Clarke that Nick liked to play when he was younger. This time uniformed officers are preparing to go deeper into the woods at the other, wilder, less cultivated side. They have Samir’s statement and, whatever inconsistencies it holds, the detectives seem confident his directions will lead them to Nick. An ambulance is on standby; multiple officers have emerged from the police vans. DCI Maxwell assured me they will search all night if they have to.

I want to get out there and hunt for Nick, too, but DS Clarke pacified me by saying it would be faster and more effective if I left it to the experts. She wanted to be sure Nick was alive first. I knew that was the truth behind her gentle diplomacy, and my heart pumps furiously as I stare out into the darkness. It almost beats out of my chest as a fist raps sharply on the window.

“Craig! Where the hell have you been?”

Let me in, he mimes back, pointing at the door.

Before I can reach for the handle, he disappears from view, and I shuffle around, trying to see where he’s gone.

“Beat you to it,” he says, sliding in from the other side of the car a second later.

“Dammit, Craig. You made me jump.” Icy air rushes in behind him, stinging my face.

“Sorry. Here. Let me warm you up.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders; I pull away, even though I’m shivering almost uncontrollably.

“Where were you? I’ve been calling and calling you. I left messages.”

“Sorry. I’ve had a few things to sort out. I was going to phone you back. Then I thought I might as well head straight to the police station and talk to you in person. You’d already left, though. The duty officer filled me in. I got here as fast as I could.”

“Did he tell you about the dare? The terror test?”

“Yeah.” His lips purse. “What the hell were those boys thinking?”

“Did they tell you about Jason, too?”

“Jason?”

“He’s dead, Craig.” I don’t have the energy to soften the blow.

“What?” He pulls back, his eyes narrowing in shock.

“The police divers found him in the river this afternoon. They were looking for Nick. They found Jason instead.”

“In the river.” Craig’s rich baritone voice turns even huskier, his dark brows furrowing so deep that his eyes almost disappear. “Was there some kind of accident?”

“I don’t know. The police are still investigating.” I draw in a breath, wanting to tell Craig everything, but dreading saying the words aloud. I dig my fingernails into my palms.

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