Read Online Buried Secrets (New Adult Dark Suspense Romance) by Emme Rollins - Free Book Online
Authors: Emme Rollins
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Sheriff Thompson said. “We're just about going crazy down here trying to catch the thing.” Although additional help has been called in, the only other Larkspur officer is Deputy Matthew Burr.
Peter Friedman, county coroner, said, “I've never seen anything like this, except for the time I was working in Australia and I was handling a lot of shark attack victims. It's definitely an animal. I'd say it's a pretty large bobcat. We get those every so often up here. It has tremendously powerful jaws.”
There have been no reports of missing animals from any of the neighboring towns or zoos, leading officials to believe the animal must be wild. According to the Larkspur police department, extra men have been called in from Millsberg to patrol the streets after sundown.
Sheriff Thompson said, “I'd advise everyone to be wary, at least until we catch this thing. Stay away from the cemetery at night. There's no need to panic. Just take a few extra precautions and we'll be able to keep Larkspur safe.”
Dusty set the paper face down on the table.
Safe from what? You’re not even sure what it is!
“Dusty, I'm going to go through Nick's room later.” Julia crossed something off her list, starting on another note card. “I have to pack up his things.”
“What?” Dusty looked up, something heavy rolling over in her stomach.
“Do you want to help me go through Nick's things?”
“What are you going to do with them?”
“I'm not sure yet.” Julia licked another envelope, sealed it and set it on top of the growing stack. “Some of it—his clothes—will have to go to the Salvation Army, I suppose. Whatever you want, you can have, of course.”
The thought of Nick’s room being ransacked made her dizzy and nauseous.
“Do you remember what Suzanne brought?” Julia frowned at the notepad. “I don't have anything listed here.”
“I don't remember.” Dusty was thinking of Nick's baseball mitt, his one surviving dragon stuffed animal, his Louisville hockey stick propped in a corner.
“Do you want to help or not?”
They were all still there, memories of their childhood—his models of sports cars, the poster of The Avengers taped to the wall, his football, his Doors CDs…
“Maybe later.” Dusty stood, feeling so dizzy she had to close her eyes for a moment. “Maybe later, okay?”
“Well, I suppose it can wait.” Julia had begun to peel off stamps to put them on envelopes. “I would like to get it done as soon as possible though.”
“Why? Do you want him erased from our lives as fast as possible?”
Her stepmother’s sharp intake of breath made Dusty wince. She hadn’t meant to say it—it had just slipped out. Julia's cheeks flushed and she stared at Dusty, hand fluttering at her throat. Dusty opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she couldn’t.
“I just don't want to think about it,” Julia whispered finally. “If I don't have things around to remind me, I won't think about it.”
“I guess I want him to live a little longer.” Dusty raised her hands to her cheeks, cooling them.
Julia met her eyes and Dusty saw, for the first time, how she might really feel about Nick’s death. It was a brief thing, just a flash. Her stepmother had dropped her guard but she knew the tears trembling in Julia's eyes wouldn't fall. The only time she’d cried had been where it was proper to cry—the funeral.
“He's dead, honey.” Julia’s voice was soft and her voice shook a little. “There's nothing you can do to bring him back.”
“I know.” Dusty picked her jacket up off the back of the chair. “I just don't feel the need to bury him so soon.”
The tires of Nick's red Jeep kicked up a cloud of dust. Dusty glimpsed it in the rearview mirror. Jarvis, the street they’d lived on as long as she could remember, wasn’t paved. None of the roads she navigated up to Franklin Street were. The only paved roads in existence in the town of Larkspur were Rogers, Essex, Franklin and
Peter Friedman, county coroner, said, “I've never seen anything like this, except for the time I was working in Australia and I was handling a lot of shark attack victims. It's definitely an animal. I'd say it's a pretty large bobcat. We get those every so often up here. It has tremendously powerful jaws.”
There have been no reports of missing animals from any of the neighboring towns or zoos, leading officials to believe the animal must be wild. According to the Larkspur police department, extra men have been called in from Millsberg to patrol the streets after sundown.
Sheriff Thompson said, “I'd advise everyone to be wary, at least until we catch this thing. Stay away from the cemetery at night. There's no need to panic. Just take a few extra precautions and we'll be able to keep Larkspur safe.”
Dusty set the paper face down on the table.
Safe from what? You’re not even sure what it is!
“Dusty, I'm going to go through Nick's room later.” Julia crossed something off her list, starting on another note card. “I have to pack up his things.”
“What?” Dusty looked up, something heavy rolling over in her stomach.
“Do you want to help me go through Nick's things?”
“What are you going to do with them?”
“I'm not sure yet.” Julia licked another envelope, sealed it and set it on top of the growing stack. “Some of it—his clothes—will have to go to the Salvation Army, I suppose. Whatever you want, you can have, of course.”
The thought of Nick’s room being ransacked made her dizzy and nauseous.
“Do you remember what Suzanne brought?” Julia frowned at the notepad. “I don't have anything listed here.”
“I don't remember.” Dusty was thinking of Nick's baseball mitt, his one surviving dragon stuffed animal, his Louisville hockey stick propped in a corner.
“Do you want to help or not?”
They were all still there, memories of their childhood—his models of sports cars, the poster of The Avengers taped to the wall, his football, his Doors CDs…
“Maybe later.” Dusty stood, feeling so dizzy she had to close her eyes for a moment. “Maybe later, okay?”
“Well, I suppose it can wait.” Julia had begun to peel off stamps to put them on envelopes. “I would like to get it done as soon as possible though.”
“Why? Do you want him erased from our lives as fast as possible?”
Her stepmother’s sharp intake of breath made Dusty wince. She hadn’t meant to say it—it had just slipped out. Julia's cheeks flushed and she stared at Dusty, hand fluttering at her throat. Dusty opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she couldn’t.
“I just don't want to think about it,” Julia whispered finally. “If I don't have things around to remind me, I won't think about it.”
“I guess I want him to live a little longer.” Dusty raised her hands to her cheeks, cooling them.
Julia met her eyes and Dusty saw, for the first time, how she might really feel about Nick’s death. It was a brief thing, just a flash. Her stepmother had dropped her guard but she knew the tears trembling in Julia's eyes wouldn't fall. The only time she’d cried had been where it was proper to cry—the funeral.
“He's dead, honey.” Julia’s voice was soft and her voice shook a little. “There's nothing you can do to bring him back.”
“I know.” Dusty picked her jacket up off the back of the chair. “I just don't feel the need to bury him so soon.”
The tires of Nick's red Jeep kicked up a cloud of dust. Dusty glimpsed it in the rearview mirror. Jarvis, the street they’d lived on as long as she could remember, wasn’t paved. None of the roads she navigated up to Franklin Street were. The only paved roads in existence in the town of Larkspur were Rogers, Essex, Franklin and
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