“I’m okay.” She closes her eyes, concentrating on her breath. “I’ll be okay.”
I’m not sure what to do. Don’t they say you’re supposed to put your head between your legs in this situation? But Chelsea seems like she’s got it under control. She’s hanging onto me, taking deep breaths until her shoulders relax. I wait outside with her, even though it’s pretty cold out here. Although now that the power is out, it’s pretty cold inside too. But at least the wind wouldn’t be flicking droplets of water at us.
“You okay now?” I ask her when she finally opens her eyes.
Chelsea nods.
“We need to go back inside.” I don’t phrase it as a question. If she doesn’t come with me, I’m going anyway. “We can’t stay out here.”
She looks at me for a moment, then she nods. I turn the doorknob to the back door and push it open, feeling obscenely grateful for the dry air in the kitchen. It’s dark in the kitchen, and we both jump when we hear the door to the room crack open.
“Brooke?” It’s Tim’s voice—I’m relieved. While I know Shane isn’t a murderer, there’s nobody I trust more than Tim Reese. “That you?”
I nod, but then realize he probably can’t see me. The room is all shadows. “Yes, we’re back. Where’s Shane?”
“He went outside to see if he could get a cell phone signal.”
Chelsea tugs on my arm. “I need to sit down, Brooke.”
Chelsea feels really shaky again, so I help her across the kitchen and into the living room. Tim helps support her and we get her up on the sofa. She ends up lying down, her hand strewn across her face. Whatever comes of this, Chelsea will never be the same. Finding her boyfriend murdered has done a number on her.
“Hey.” Tim taps me on the shoulder. “Can I talk to you for a second in the kitchen?”
I squint at Chelsea in the darkness. She looks okay for now. “Fine. But I don’t want to leave her for too long.”
Tim leads me into the kitchen. As we disappear behind the door, the thought flits through my head that none of us should be alone right now. We should stick together. Yet we’re leaving Chelsea alone in the living room, and Shane is wandering around outside.
What if something has happened to Shane? What if he’s lying on the ground dead like Brandon?
“So I took another look under the blanket.” Tim winces as he says the words. “It looks like Brandon was stabbed to death.”
“He… he was?”
Tim’s face is so close to mine, I can make out all his features in the dark. But I can’t see the freckles that are usually slightly visible when I’m close to him. “But there wasn’t a knife next to him. I couldn’t find one, anyway.”
“Oh…”
Tim jerks his head at the kitchen counter. “I got worried that whoever it was would come back, so I went to get a knife from the kitchen. And guess what? All the knives are gone.”
I stare at him. “What?”
“Right? Pretty weird. There’s a knife block on the counter and it’s empty.”
I shiver and hug myself. “So what does that mean?”
“I’d say it means that whoever did this planned it in advance and got rid of all the other weapons in the house.”
“Tim.” I feel like I’m choking. “What are you saying?”
“I think you know exactly what I’m saying, Brooke.”
Chapter 26
PRESENT DAY