“What?” he asks, sitting up. He’s staring at me with a startled look. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” I say, my heart pounding in my chest. “No, you didn’t. It’s just that—”
I look at him, at the confused look on his face. At the concern in his eyes over causing me pain, the hurt he must feel at the prospect of me physically recoiling from his touch, his fingers like matches, leaving burn marks on my skin. But then I think about the way he kissed me last night, in the kitchen. The way he felt the pulse beneath my jaw with his fingers, the way he grabbed my neck gently yet firmly.
I lean my head back onto my pillow and sigh.
“I’m sorry,” I say, pinching my eyes shut. I need to get out of my head. “I’m just wound kind of tight right now. I’m jumpy, for some reason.”
“It’s okay,” he says, folding his arm around my waist. I know I’ve ruined the moment—his arousal is gone, and mine is, too—but he holds me anyway. “There’s a lot going on right now.”
I know he knows I’m thinking about Aubrey and Lacey, but neither of us mentions it. We lie in silence for a while, listening to the rain. Just as I think he might have fallen back asleep, his voice breaks into a whisper.
“Chloe?” he asks.
“Mmm?”
“Is there anything you want to tell me?”
I’m quiet, my outstretched silence telling him all he needs to know.
“You can talk to me,” he says. “About anything. I’m your fiancé. That’s what I’m here for.”
“I know,” I say. And I believe him. After all, I’ve told Daniel all about my father, my past. But it’s one thing to recount memories with detachment, relaying them as simple facts that happened and nothing more. It’s another thing completely to relive them in his presence. To see the face of my dad in every darkened corner, to hear the words of my mother echoed in the voices of others. And it’s even worse because this has happened before—this feeling of déjà vu. I’ll never forget the look on Cooper’s face as he stared at me that day, years ago, as I tried to explain myself, explain my reasoning. The look of concern intermixed with genuine fear.
“I’m fine,” I say. “Really, I am. It’s just a lot all at once. Those girls disappearing, my dad’s anniversary coming up—”
My phone vibrates violently across my bedside table, the light from the screen partially illuminating our still-dark bedroom. I lean on my elbow and squint at the unknown number trying to reach me.
“Who’s that?”
“I’m not sure,” I say. “It shouldn’t be for work, this early on a Saturday morning.”
“Go ahead and answer it,” he says, rolling over. “You never know.”
I pick up my phone and let it vibrate in my hand before swiping the screen and lifting it to my ear. I clear my throat before answering.
“This is Doctor Davis.”
“Hi, Doctor Davis, this is Detective Michael Thomas. We met at your office on Monday regarding the disappearance of Lacey Deckler.”
“Yes,” I say, glancing in Daniel’s direction. He’s on his phone now, scrolling through emails. “I remember. How can I help you?”
“Lacey’s body was found early this morning in the alleyway behind your office. I’m sorry to have to tell you this over the phone.”
I gasp, my hand instinctively moving to my mouth. Daniel looks at me, lowers his phone. I shake my head silently as tears begin to well in my eyes.
“We need you to come down to the morgue this morning. Take a look at the body.”
“I, um…” I hesitate, unsure if I heard him correctly. “I’m sorry, Detective, I’ve only met Lacey once. Surely you’ll want her mother to come identify her instead? I barely know her—”
“She’s been identified,” he says. “But since she was found right outside your office, and the last place her mother saw her was dropping her off there, it’s safe to assume at this point that you were the last person to see her alive. We’d like you to take a look at her and tell us if anything seems different than it did when you saw her for your appointment. If anything looks out of place.”
I exhale, moving my hand from my mouth to my forehead. The room seems to be getting hotter, the rain outside louder.
“I really don’t know how much help I can be. We were together for one hour. I barely remember what she was wearing.”