She stepped up to him awkwardly, a hesitant smile on her face.
“What is it?” he asked her. “Is something wrong?”
He had grabbed her by the shoulders, he realized, and eased his hold.
She shook her head, her smile deepening, her eyes dazzling.
“No, I was just worried about you,” she said.
“Me? Why?”
“I…I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Last night…last night you seemed to be a little restless,” she said. “And then this morning, you went to that poor woman’s autopsy.”
“It wasn’t my first autopsy,” he said.
“I’m sure that…it still must have been horrible.”
“It was horrible. Murder is always horrible. And that’s why this guy has to be stopped.” He winced. “And why Mary has to be found.”
“You think she was taken by the same person,” Rowenna said, and it wasn’t a question.
“I don’t want to think it, but…yeah. And he has to be found. And stopped.”
His grip on her tightened again. He didn’t know why, but he felt as if he were in the vise grip of fear himself.
“Please, be careful out there. Stay with friends at all times, and don’t go wandering off in the dark,” he said. “Promise me.”
“I promise,” she assured him, touching his cheek. “You, too,” she told him softly. “You be careful, too.”
He grinned. “I’m always careful. And I carry a gun.”
“I guess that’s good,” she said doubtfully, then added, “Since I’m sure you know how to use it.”
“People shouldn’t have one unless they know how to use it,” he assured her.
“I carry pepper spray, and I’m not afraid to use it,” she said.
“The point is, don’t get into a position where you’ll need it,” he said.
“I don’t intend to, I promise.”
“Go on. Get back inside with your friends. I’ll find you at the museum later.”
She nodded and turned. He watched her until she was back in the restaurant, then glanced at his watch and realized he needed to hurry. Darkness came quickly to New England in the fall, and he wanted to accomplish a few things before it began to descend—and before it was time for the museum to close.
If he couldn’t make it this afternoon, he would forgo the farmhouse until tomorrow.
But he was going to find Eric Rolfe.
The man who had recently returned to the area.
The man who had once created the creepiest scarecrows.
And who was now creating images of the Devil himself.
11
Rowenna stood by the doorway, watching Jeremy as he walked away.
He really didn’t remember last night, when he’d been standing at the bottom of the bed, naked and sound asleep, talking to someone who wasn’t there.
But at least he was going to come get her at the museum, so there would be no reason to go back to that house by herself.
She wondered why she was so afraid of something that seemed so simple. If she was afraid of anything, it should be the fact that there was a killer on the streets, a killer who did terrible things to his victims. And she was afraid, of course, but she was going to be intelligent and stay in the company of friends.
And then there were the dreams. She was afraid of her own dreams.
She really didn’t need to fixate on Jeremy’s, too.
But her own dreams were something that she needed to pursue. Because that was where she had first seen the corpse in the cornfield. And if she could figure out how to access what she saw in her subconscious…
“Ready?”
She turned. The others had joined her at the door.
“Did you say an extra goodbye to your special friend?” Eve teased.
“What is this? Are we back in high school?” Rowenna demanded. “Let’s not forget that he’s here because a friend of his is missing.”
“I don’t want to think about it,” Eve told her. “I want to enjoy the fall, and I want to be a little bit happy. We can’t take every death to heart or we’ll go crazy. Do I sound terrible?”
Daniel stared at her, arching a brow. “How about we go show Rowenna those nasty masks in your store? There’s a cheerful thought for you.”
Eve shot him an icy look, then lifted her chin and hurried away, carrying her to-go box of sushi.
The other two grinned and followed.
Eve had been busy, or rather, Eve and Adam had been busy, Rowenna thought. The front window was enticing, draped in a majestic purple, with a dazzling display of silver jewelry and seasonal decorations. Colorful leaves were strewn seemingly at random against the purple backdrop, and Thanksgiving and harvest-themed items were arranged in eye-catching ways.
As they entered, bells chimed softly from above the door. Adam looked up and acknowledged them, then went back to showing a customer what was clearly one of Eric’s ghoulish masks.
“Ugh,” Eve whispered. “Come on back and see the rest.”
As they passed the counter, Eve set Adam’s lunch beside him, then led the way to the back of the store.