by Polen, Teri
No sign of Sarah, but I theorized the smudging yesterday might have weakened her a little and she was staying away to conserve her energy. At least that’s what I was telling myself. Sarah being weak might be the only thing standing between life and death for Nathan or Jacob tonight. Thinking about Liam’s horrific death made me notice I’d been absent-mindedly rubbing my thumb across the protective amulet Mona had given me. Maybe we could get a couple more for Nathan and Jacob, although I questioned whether Jacob would wear his. Nathan might wear both of them for double protection.
The ding of my phone a little after midnight let me know I had a new text. When I saw who it was from, I briefly closed my eyes in relief. Finn had called it. The text was from Nathan and he wanted to meet with us, but it had to be kept from Jacob. No surprise there. If Jacob had possessed duck tape on the beach, he would have used it on Nathan to keep him quiet about the secrets the two of them were keeping.
Bringing Nathan to this house was out of the question – he’d never make it across the threshold. A dead body, not to mention the high likelihood of blood spatter, would get Mom’s attention, with the odds overwhelmingly against the police buying my story about a ghost being responsible. My future would consist of numerous psych evaluations and therapists for many years to come.
Meeting in a public place wouldn’t give us a lot of privacy, especially if Nathan started freaking out, so I decided Finn’s house was the best option. After letting Nathan know I’d get back to him about a meeting place, I started dialing Finn’s number, but then stopped. What if Sarah was listening? For all I knew, she might have been looking over my shoulder while I texted Nathan, but I felt like if she was, the room temperature would have dropped. Would she have to be in the same room to listen to me? Could she hear from the attic – if that’s where she was right now?
Texting seemed like the smartest choice, so after a few back and forths, we decided on meeting tomorrow after Liam’s funeral. Nathan said he’d get away from Jacob and be there. By this time tomorrow, we might know the truth about what happened and where Sarah’s body was buried and put this whole nightmare behind us. I hoped.
. . . . .
School was a pretty grim place Monday morning. Several girls were crying. Some were Liam’s friends, but I wondered if the others even knew him. There were always people who lived for the drama. Although Jacob hadn’t seemed too broken up about Liam’s death, most of the football players were pretty somber, many of them wearing black arm bands. One guy had even shaved Liam’s jersey number into his head. Grief counselors were available and the funeral was scheduled for two hours after school to give students enough time to attend.
Stalking me seemed to be Jacob’s new hobby because every time I turned a corner in the hallway at school, he was there, leering at me. When I went downstairs to chemistry class, there he was again. From the way he kept appearing out of nowhere, I wondered if he was a ghost too, or just an experienced stalker. Maybe he’d had practice with Sarah. I’d hoped to catch Nathan alone and find out where Sarah’s body was buried before we met later, but Jacob made sure that wasn’t a possibility.
Nathan looked even worse than he did yesterday, with dark circles under his eyes and a rumpled appearance. His posture was slumped and he kept looking over his shoulder, like he expected someone - or something - to be following him. I could empathize. Sleep and I hadn’t been very good friends lately, but I’d become well-acquainted with fear.
. . . . .
Lunch in the cafeteria was kind of unidentifiable, although I think it was some sort of greenish-gray meat. Maybe. The cottage cheese might have been the smartest way to go after all.
“Couldn’t you have just asked Nathan to text you the location of the, um, dig last night? My thinking is the sooner we have that location the better,” Finn said, poking at his food as if checking for signs of life.
“I mentioned it, but he didn’t want to put that kind of information on his phone. It’s pretty incriminating stuff.”
“Guess that makes sense.” Finn had abandoned the meat thing for the nonthreatening french fries, although he kept glancing back at it like he expected a surprise attack.
Lindsey slid into the chair beside me and my day got a little brighter, then approached supernova when she leaned over and kissed me.
“Hey, you. How did things go yesterday? It’s horrible what happened to Liam – to die like that. I can’t put it into words. And his parents – just unbelievably sad. We’re thinking this was Sarah, right?”
Finn dropped his spork and gave me an incredulous stare. “You didn’t tell her?
“Didn’t tell me what? Did I miss something else?” Lindsey asked, her head swiveling between the two of us.
Before I could answer, Finn did it for me. “Now two people may be gunning for your little stud muffin here. Well, one person and one ghost. Guess it just depends on who gets to him first, but I don’t think that protective amulet can help him much with Jacob, unless he stabs him in the eye with it. Whether it works on Sarah is still a gray area, too.”
Lindsey grabbed my forearm, gripping it tightly. “She threatened you? Cain, why didn’t you tell me?”
Stupid Finn. The corner of his mouth twitched as he portrayed the perfect picture of innocence. “I didn’t want to worry you this weekend. You had enough on your mind with the state orchestra tryouts coming up. And it’s not like she could have done anything to me, because she was a little incapacitated at the time, thanks to Mona’s smudge stick.”
“So, it helped,” she said, relaxing her hold. “But what about when the effects wear off? What happens then?”
I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know, Lindsey. Guess it all depends on the amulet. Besides, Sarah seems more concerned with Jacob and Nathan right now. After that, who knows what will happen unless we find her body?”
“I’m seeing Aunt Mona after the funeral today. Do you need anything else from her?”
“Could you get an amulet for Nathan? I guess one for Jacob too, but I doubt he’d even take it. Maybe it would give Nathan some peace of mind just wearing it. We could give it to him this evening when we meet at Finn’s.”
“Sure. Maybe I should get a couple for Finn and me, too.”
“I figured that was a done deal. The two of you wearing them would give me some peace of mind.”
. . . . .
As I rounded the corner on my way to the last class of the day, someone grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me into a dimly lit supply closet. My books fell to the floor as I was jerked around, then shoved against the wall. And found myself face to face with Jacob.
“What’s your problem, Jacob?” I asked, shoving him back.
“Shut up, Shannon! I don’t know why you’d invent that wacked out story you told yesterday, but you’d better not be spreading it around. Nathan’s all freaked out that you’ll tell someone and get us both in trouble, so keep it to yourself, got that?”
“What makes you think I’d tell people something like that? You still think I’ve got some personal vendetta against you? You’re wrong - I don’t care if you’re dating Erin. I’m better off without her, believe me. I only told you about Sarah to protect you.”
“Protect me? From something that doesn’t even exist? Look, Shannon, I didn’t even know the girl and if I hear you accusing me of doing anything to her, maybe you’ll be the one found at the side of the road.”
“I could bring up how it wouldn’t be your first time killing someone….” He lunged toward me, fist raised. “Just hang on and listen, Jacob!” I said, pushing him back. “But what I have to say may save your life, so give me the benefit of the doubt.”
When he didn’t punch me right away, I hoped it meant he was considering his opt
ions. Maybe he was smarter than Finn thought.
He lowered his fist and leaned back against the wall. “Fine. I’ll listen, but that doesn’t mean I believe you.”
“Jacob, I’ve seen Sarah and she’s a walking nightmare. While she was pinned to my ceiling, watching me all night, she told me in detail what happened to Liam. And she’s not finished. She’s seen you and Nathan, how you’ve gone on with your lives and shown no remorse.
“Finn and I have talked to people and researched our options and unless we find her body, I don’t know if she can be stopped. You may think all this sounds insane, but if you’d lived through and seen what I had over the past couple of weeks, you’d be dragging me to where she’s buried instead of threatening me. We need to know where Sarah is, pour salt on her remains, and burn them. If that doesn’t happen, she’ll kill you and Nathan, but only after you’ve experienced indescribable pain.”
With the murky light in the closet, it was hard to be sure, but Jacob’s coloring seemed kind of ashy and the tendons in his neck stood out. He raised his hand and stabbed his finger into my chest. “You’re crazy, Cain. You and Finn stay away from me.” Then he flung open the door and stomped out.
Jacob could deny everything, threaten me and call me delusional, but I wasn’t fooled. Before he’d touched me, I’d seen his unsteady hand and heard his wavering voice. Jacob was scared.
Chapter 27
Did it make me a horrible person to wish I’d never come to Liam’s funeral? With the sudden loss of my Dad last year, it’s not like death and I were unacquainted. I’d also lost my grandmother to cancer a couple of years ago and then my grandpa had a heart attack just last year. My grandmother had been sick for a long time and we knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer, and my grandpa was old, stubborn and wouldn’t give up the cigarettes and take care of himself, so their deaths hadn’t been unexpected.
Liam’s funeral was completely different and I hoped to never experience this again. Now I understood what they meant when people said parents should never have to bury their children.
A heavy cloud of grief hung over all those in attendance. Liam’s mother cried through the entire service - not silent crying into a tissue, but agonizing, gut-wrenching sobs that made me feel as if we were all intruding on a private moment. His father sat beside her, arm around her shoulder, but his eyes were glazed over and distant, making me think he’d been medicated. Liam’s younger sister sat by herself, head lowered, legs kicking back and forth, her parents’ anguish so great they were incapable of consoling her.
Liam’s teammates were there and many of them tried to hide their tears, but some weren’t embarrassed at all to be seen crying for the loss of their friend. I would never, ever wish this kind of torment on my worst enemy. Just the thought of Mom experiencing something like this with Maddie or me felt like someone had reached inside me and twisted my internal organs.
Sarah was responsible for all the grief, pain, and sadness here - the loss of a son, a brother, and a friend. This was something his parents would never get over. Not only was Liam dead, he’d been murdered and they’d probably never learn the identity of his killer. Even if they were told Sarah took their only son from them, they’d never believe it or be able to accept it. All this misery and fear because of a testosterone-fueled bet that went off the rails and shredded the lives of so many people.
On the other side of the grave, directly across from me, I saw Jacob’s defiant stare, with no trace of fear now as he slowly shook his head. I assumed that was his way of reminding me to keep my craziness away from him and Nathan.
Wait - Nathan. I didn’t remember seeing him here, but he’d mentioned earlier he would be at the funeral. I scanned the crowd frantically, trying not to panic, thinking maybe Nathan had been too upset or scared to attend. He could be holed up in his bedroom hiding under the covers for all I knew. I continued searching the grieving masses, knowing how easy it would be to overlook him and almost believed that was possible - until I caught a glimpse of Sarah, partially visible behind a group of tearful girls, her gruesome smile victorious.
. . . . .
Nathan was missing. In the rec room of Finn’s house, I paced between the mini kitchen and window with a view of the driveway, checking my phone every thirty seconds for messages. He should have been here two hours ago and we’d heard nothing from him.
“Did he text back yet?”
“No, Finn, he hasn’t responded to any of my fifteen texts, ten voice mails, and twenty-two calls,” I growled, knowing none of this was Finn’s fault, but still barking at him. Lindsey had dropped off the protection amulets earlier and offered to stay, but I knew she had orchestra tryouts this weekend. Besides, I was a little unbearable to be around this evening. But that hadn’t stopped her from kissing me senseless before she’d left.
“You know, Cain, strutting around here like a model on the runway isn’t helping the situation,” Finn said, lounging on the couch and flipping through a Sports Illustrated magazine.
How he could be so calm was beyond my comprehension. Even if it was last year’s swimsuit issue. “What if he’s dead? What if she’s torturing him right now? We’ve got a protection amulet for him and it’s useless. We’re too late.”
Finn tossed the magazine on the table, then went to the mini fridge and took out two bottles of water. “We don’t know for sure if that’s what happened – not at the moment anyway, unless Sarah turns up to gloat again.” He tossed one of the bottles to me. “Take a seat and let’s talk about what we know.”
It had always been this way for us, balancing each other. His parents’ divorce, my Dad’s death. When one of us freaked out, the other became more calm and rational. More evidence we acted like an old married couple. I flopped down on the couch and cracked open the bottle of water, drinking half of it in one swig.
“I think we should ask Jacob if he knows where Nathan is,” Finn said.
“Yeah, that’s the logical thing to do. But what if Nathan is with him and can’t get away? I’d hate to see him in trouble with Jacob because of us. I don’t care what Jacob does to me, I can hold my own with him, but it seems like Nathan goes along with whatever he says.”
“I really think if he was with Jacob, he would have found a way to text us or make an excuse and get away from him, don’t you? Go to the restroom and text, it’s simple. Even if he’s not with Jacob, maybe Jacob knows where he is. We’re not getting anything done by sitting here waiting.”
After texting Jacob a few times with no reply, I decided to call. If he was annoyed enough, maybe he’d answer the phone to shut me up. Or block my number.
On the third try, he finally answered.
“What do you want, Shannon? What part of keep your crazy away from me didn’t you understand?”
“Is Nathan with you?”
“Seriously? This is what you’re calling me about? Text him you..”
“Jacob, this is serious,” I interrupted. “I need to know if he’s with you or if you’ve seen him today.”
I heard Jacob muttering to himself, curses directed at me, mostly. “No, Cain, I haven’t seen him, alright? He was the only player who missed the funeral and hasn’t gotten back to me since after school. After hearing all that trash you’ve been spouting about some ghost coming after us, he’s probably hiding under his bed like a wuss.”
Pounding my fist against the wall in frustration, I tried to get him to listen. “Look, Jacob, Nathan was supposed to meet me at Finn’s house this evening. I know you don’t believe me about Sarah, but I saw her at the funeral today and with Nathan missing, I’m afraid she may have gotten to him.”
“Wait, you’re telling me you saw a ghost at the funeral today? Seems like if some dead person was walking around, som
eone else might have noticed, don’t you think?”
Punching the wall wasn’t enough. My fist ached to connect with Jacob’s face. “I don’t know why only I could see her, but that’s not the issue, Jacob. We have protection amulets for both you and Nathan. That’s one of the reasons he was coming here tonight. We were hoping he’d also tell us where Sarah is buried so we can get rid of her and maybe save your miserable life.”
“And don’t think we haven’t had second thoughts about that!” Finn yelled, loud enough for Jacob to hear him and toss back some choice words of his own.
“I’ve had enough of this, and I’m done. I don’t know where Nathan is, but some imaginary ghost isn’t the reason he wasn’t at the funeral. You and your freak of nature friend have him scared and he’s probably hiding. If he said he knows something about a grave, that’s on him, but don’t go accusing me of killing someone and hiding a body. And don’t bother me with this again!”
He hung up on me – not unexpected, but now we knew Nathan wasn’t with him and Jacob hadn’t seen him or talked to him since school today. And that didn’t speak well for the status of Nathan’s life right now.
“He called you a freak of nature.”
Finn tilted his head to the side and pondered those words for a moment. “I wouldn’t necessarily take that as an insult. Freaks of nature can be pretty awesome sometimes.”
“He hasn’t seen Nathan.”
“I figured as much. Maybe we should both go to your room and wait for Sarah to show up – see if this protection bling really works.”
“Are you sure you want to do that? With the way she looked the other night, seeing her again could do some serious psychological damage. Even a mother couldn’t love that face.”