“Hello,” I call out as I flip on lights, my heels seeming eerily loud as I walk across the cool white marble tile toward the dark kitchen. I flip on the light, then go to the stack of realtor cards on the island to see who might be in the house, and Meghan Dame’s card is on the top of the pile. She’s a realtor I’ve hung out with in the past at a couple of events, a cute brunette who is pretty new to town and totally reminded me of one of my sisters every time I’ve seen her.
“Hello,” I call out again, hearing nothing in response, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Maybe they’re in the pool house,” Maxim says, walking to the double glass doors looking out across the pool.
“Maybe.” I go to him, then watch him frown when he tries the door and it’s locked from the inside. “We can still check,” I say, and he lifts his chin, opening the door. We head outside and walk around the edge of the water to the pool house, finding it locked, but I can see the room inside through the glass, and it’s empty. “Weird.”
When we get back inside, I can’t quite shake the feeling that something is wrong, and if it weren’t for Maxim, I don’t know that I wouldn’t just turn around and leave. “Let’s check the rooms.”
I nod, and we head down the hall, finding all the doors open, all staged to perfection—an office, a playroom, a boy’s bedroom, and a girl’s room. “The master is probably on the other side of the house.”
He places me slightly behind him as we head back through the kitchen, a large entertainment room, and down another long hall. I continue to yell out hello, getting no response each time, which is only serving to freak me out even more.
When we get to the only closed door in the hall, my heart pounds against my ribcage, and Maxim tips his head down to meet my gaze. “Hello,” he calls out as he taps the door, and when no one replies, he places his fingers on the handle and pushes in. Because he is mostly blocking the doorway, all I can see is the corner of the bed, but that’s all I need to see.
“Meghan.” I shove past Maxim, and my stomach roils. Blood—so much blood—and Meghan’s naked, lifeless body sprawled out in the middle of the bed.
“Shit.” Maxim pulls me out of the room, wrapping an arm around me while shutting the door.
“She’s dead.” I look up at him, and his jaw clenches as he palms the back of my head. “Who would do that to her?”
“I don’t know, baby,” he says gently, pressing my face against his chest as he moves us down the hall. Before I know it, we’re outside, and a moment later, he’s placing me in the car.
“We need to call the cops,” I say, not realizing he’s already got his phone in his hand.
“Kenton,” he says, looking at the house while holding his phone to his ear, and I frown. “I’m going to send you an address, and I need you to meet me and April here.” He wraps his hand around his hip and looks at his feet. “Girl’s dead in the house April was going to show me this morning. Yeah, calling the cops as soon as I hang up with you.” His eyes drop to me, and he scans my face, his jaw clenching. “Shook up but good. All right, see you then.” He drops his phone, presses some buttons, and puts it back to his ear, giving a brief description of the situation along with the address to who I’m guessing is a dispatcher for the police station.
“Why did you call my uncle?” I ask as soon as he hangs up, and he squats down in front of me, taking my hands in his, and I notice then that mine are shaking.
“I don’t know the cops here.” His eyes take hold of mine. “I wanna make sure we’re covered.”
“Make sure we’re covered?” My head jerks from side to side in confusion. “We didn’t do anything wrong. Why would we need to be covered?”
“I know that, baby, but that scene in there is fresh, and we walked through every room in that house.”
“It was fresh,” I repeat, and he lifts his chin ever so slightly. I swallow, holding his fingers even tighter, and close my eyes. Fresh, meaning she was just murdered; someone did that to her right before we showed up.
Oh my God. My stomach twists.
“As soon as the cops get here and get our statements, we’ll take off.” He lets go of one of my hands and touches my chin, and I open my eyes. “Just keep it together for a little longer, okay?” He lets me go and stands as someone turns up the driveway, and I watch a truck pull up, then two squad cars. As the men who were in the truck head into the house after putting on booties and gloves, two uniformed officers descend on us. I get out of the car, and Maxim wraps his arm around my waist, keeping me close to his side.
While we are giving our statement to the officers, Kenton shows up with one of his guys. Before long, the men all huddle together, talking quietly, and I go to sit in the car once again. With a headache coming on, I dig through my bag for Tylenol and take two while I watch a van pull up, and another group of people head into the house, carrying what looks like large briefcases and a camera.
“You doing okay, sweetheart?”
I look up at Kenton and feel my nose start to sting. I know I should be stronger right now, but I can’t even imagine how Meghan’s family and friends will feel when they find out what happened to her.
“Yeah,” I lie, and he rests his hand on top of my head, making me feel like a small child. “Do you want me to call your mom and dad?”
“No.” I look at my bag still at my feet. My phone has rung a few times, but I haven’t even bothered looking at it. “I’ll call them when I get home.”
He lifts his chin, then asks quietly, “Maxim said you called out her name. Did you know her?”
“Yes.” I clear my throat. “I mean, we weren’t really friends, but I have hung out with her at a couple of events. She was sweet.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I,” I say quietly, and his eyes soften, then he looks to the right as Maxim walks toward us, his concerned gaze locked on mine.
“We can take off. If the cops need anything else from us, they’ve got our information,” he assures, and relief washes over me. “Thanks for coming out.” He gives Kenton a one-arm hug, and when he lets him go, the two of them turn to look down at me.
“Call if you need anything,” Kenton says sternly.
“I’ll call.” He gives me a soft look, then pats Maxim on the shoulder before he walks off toward his truck.
“Ready?” Maxim asks a minute later when he’s behind the wheel.
“Yeah.” I put on my seatbelt as he starts up the engine and rest my temple against the window, the coolness of the glass helping to relieve a little of the ache in my head.
“You’ll be home soon.” His hand wraps around my thigh and stays there as he drives. I want to grab on to him, but I fight the urge.
When we get to my house, he parks behind my car once more, and as soon as the doors open, I get out and head up to my walkway. I let us into the house, take off my shoes, and carry them up to the second floor, dropping my bag on the kitchen island. “Can you please make sure to lock the door when you leave?” I ask over my shoulder, but I don’t wait for him to respond, don’t look at him. I take the stairs up to my room, where I strip out of my clothes and toss them in the laundry basket.