Chan leaned forward on the balls of his feet. “What makes you so sure Paige is fine?” Detective Chan asked, picking up from where he’d left off earlier.
I made myself take a deep breath before I went off script. “I don’t know,” I said. “It’s just a sense that I have. She’s alone, but she’s not harmed.”
“What I don’t understand is how you and your mom saw so many of the same things.”
“What do you mean?”
“You both saw water. You mentioned a farm; your mom thought she saw some kind of field. But how do you explain that your mom’s vision is different in one big way? You say she’s fine; your mom isn’t so sure.” Detective Chan raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know the spirits were so unreliable.”
Detective Jay cleared his throat, sending Chan the message to turn the sarcasm down.
“I can’t explain what I do, or my mom. All I can tell you is what I feel. And all that really matters is finding Paige.” I realized I was picking at the ragged edge of my thumbnail again and made myself stop.
“We’ve got a car headed out to check a few leads based on what the two of you said. If she’s there, we’ll find her,” Jay said.
“Or we’ll waste a bunch of time and resources chasing after messages from the great beyond,” Chan said quietly.
Jay glared at him, and Chan shrugged. Detective Jay pushed up from the table. “Look, why don’t you wait here? We’ll know soon enough if she’s out there. And if not, we’ll want to talk to you more, see if we can think of any other ideas based on what you saw.”
Chan mumbled something under his breath. I couldn’t make it out, but I wasn’t interested in asking him to repeat it. My insides were already pinched and tight without adding to my stress levels by knowing what he really thought of me. Jay brought me a glass of water and left the door open when he walked out. I peered down the hall into the lobby.
It was empty this early in the morning. I couldn’t see her from this angle, but the receptionist had a super-long manicure, and her nails clacked on the keyboard. It reminded me of the sound of beetles scuttling around.
I stood and then sat again. Needing something to do, I tossed the cold water back quickly, like it was a shot of tequila. I looked at my phone again to check the time—?well, that had killed all of thirty seconds.
What were the odds that my mom would have a vision about Paige on this day of all days? She didn’t know anything. Water? We lived in Michigan. You couldn’t go a mile without stumbling across a river, pond, lake, or puddle. Water could also mean a bathtub or a pool. It was a rural area, so farms and fields were also useless data. Her vision would only sound correct when they looked back on it once the truth was out.
The phone at the reception desk started erupting with calls. A few officers bustled in and out of the back, and I heard raised voices from somewhere down the hall. Something had happened. I heard Officer Chan’s voice.
“Someone get the Thorn woman from interview room three and put her in with her daughter.”
I stood up straight. They’d found Paige.
Thirty-One
Mom plopped into the seat across from me and pulled her CoverGirl compact out to rub beige powder over her cheeks. Under her chin, I could see the tan line where her makeup wasn’t blended to her skin.
Before I could open my mouth, Chan marched in, his eyes flashing. “You called the media?”
My mom nodded. I drew back at his anger, but she didn’t seem shocked at all. When the press outside heard that Paige had been found, they were going to think my mom was the second coming. The fact she was alive and not dead wouldn’t matter. My mom would claim that the death she saw was what would have happened if Paige hadn’t been discovered in time. Worse than just claiming it, she’d believe it. She’d stumbled into the psychic lottery—?a lucky guess that paid off huge.
“What? I had a vision about Paige.” Mom shut her compact with a click. “I have a responsibility to share that. I’m doing my best to get the girl home.”
I stared at her. My heart cracked, and my throat tightened. My mom wanted this so bad. To discover that she was the chosen one and that her whole crappy life was for a bigger purpose.
Chan shook his head, his annoyance at my mom dripping from his expression. Jay joined him and shut the door.
“The girl is dead, isn’t she?” Mom asked before the detectives even sat down.
Chan nodded. “Paige Bonnet was found murdered at a fruit stand on County Road Forty.”
Thirty-Two
I stood up so quickly my chair fell to the ground with a clatter. “What do you mean, she’s dead?” I looked back and forth, waiting for one of them to admit it was some kind of horrible, not-funny joke.
“Why don’t you sit back down.” Detective Jay picked up my chair for me and guided me into it.
She’s dead. Paige is dead. Oh my god. I swallowed over and over to keep from vomiting.
“That poor girl.” Mom shook her head. “Have you told the family?”
“No,” Detective Jay said. “Not yet. The patrol just called it in. We’re taping off the scene now.”
“I’d be happy to speak to her parents if they’d like that.”
“I think you’re the last person they’ll want to talk to,” Detective Chan said. His face was blotchy and red.
Mom tugged her shirt down. “I’m not trying to upset anyone. I’m simply trying to help.”
“You don’t seem surprised that she’s gone,” Chan said.
Mom blinked. “I’m not. Have you forgotten that’s why I came here today?” She sighed. “I hoped I was wrong, but when I didn’t sense her at all . . . well, I suspected this would be the outcome.”
Chan rolled up his sleeves. “What else can you tell us? What’s the manner of death? Was she shot? Stabbed? Did she know the attacker?”
As he fired off options, images popped up in my head like some kind horror slide show. I pictured Paige lying there in a puddle of blood. Her hair sticking to the ground as the blood dried a dark maroon, turning tacky. Her eyes would be wide open, and her flesh would be cold. If she’d been tied up waiting for me to send the cops to her, she wouldn’t have even been able to fight back. She’d have been a sitting duck.
Mom spread her hands wide. “I’m sorry. I told you everything I know already.”
Chan spun to face me. “What about you?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Should I ask for a lawyer? Mom reached over and patted my hand.
“If you have any information, now is the time to start talking.” Chan was so close to me I could smell coffee on his breath.
“I don’t know anything,” I whispered. Every time I blinked, Paige’s terrified face flashed through my mind.
“Do you have any sense when this happened?” Detective Jay asked. His voice had grown cool and professional.