girl,” Mary laughs. “Let’s go back downstairs and enjoy the eye candy.”
For the first time all day, a real smile flirts with my face. Mary still thinks of me as family. Maybe things won’t turn so badly after all.
Chapter Seven
An hour later, I hand my sketchbook to Dan. My fingers are cramped and tired. It’s been ages since I’ve drawn anything, but it’s a welcome feeling. I’ve missed it so much. My art is what defines me. If I can’t do that, then I feel useless.
“Wow, Mattie, these are…” Caleb’s voice trails off as he looks at the portraits of the dead girls over Dan’s shoulder.
“Gruesome?” Eli asks mildly, just as fascinated.
“Beautiful,” Dan says. “Dark, moody — and gruesome, but beautiful.”
I beam at Dan. He always thinks my stuff is brilliant. It’s one of the reasons I keep him around. The images are pretty good replicas of the girls I’d seen. I can only draw them as I saw them: broken, bloody, and bruised. The images on the paper, even in black and white , are vibrant, shouting at anyone who looks at them. You can see the pain and anguish in their faces. It reminds me a little of Silas’s portraits. I frown. So not good. I don’t want my work to look like his .
“Do you think you can get a hit with the facial recognition software?” I ask Dan, to distract myself from the similarities between mine and the demon’s work.
“Ooh, do we have a case?” Mary asks, coming in with a tray laden with ham and cheese sub sandwiches. Caleb moves to help, but she waves him off and sets the plate on the coffee table.
“No, we don’t have a case,” Dan tells her. “ I have a case.”
“Actually, I believe Mattie has the case,” Eli smirks. “You got jack without her.”
“Will both of you stop it?” I ask before an argument can erupt. “If Mary wants to help, then she can. You have enough to worry about right now anyway, Officer Dan. How do you expect to have the time to trudge around looking for clues? Your dad and Cam need you more than I do right now.”
“Because you have Eli?” he snarls.
That does it! “Outside, right now,” I say softly and march out the front door. Dan follows me and closes it behind him.
“You need to stop,” I begin. “You have no right to be jealous! You’re going out with Meg or did you forget about your girlfriend? The same girlfriend you threw me to the ground for?”
He winces and has the good grace to look ashamed. “I swear to you, Mattie, I didn’t realize I’d done that. I wouldn’t have done it on purpose. You have to believe that.”
“Dan, I do believe you, really, I do, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.” I sigh.
“I’m sorry,” he says miserably.
“Apology accepted. Now, back to this attitude and your brother. Stop acting like a bear with a burr in its paw when you’re around him.”
Dan paces on the porch. “All I care about is keeping you safe, Mattie. I don’t trust him.”
“He’s your brother…”
“So what?” he burst out. “He’s the brother who called the cops on my mom before I got a chance to even process what happened. How am I supposed to trust him after that?”
“You would have turned her in yourself, Officer Dan , and you know it. It’s who you are.”
“That’s not the point, Mattie. It’s the way he did it. Really not kosher.”
“I know. It wasn’t cool. It stunk. It hurt. Get over it. He’s your brother. You have to get past this, Dan.”
“I’m trying!” He glares at me and sit down on the porch. “You like him, don’t you?”
“Why does that matter?” I ask. “You’re with Meg . And if I do like him, then you’re going to have to deal with it.”
“Like you’re dealing with me and Meg?” he counters.
Well, fudgepops. He has me there. Anytime I think about Meg, I see red. “It’s different,” I say stubbornly. “Eli is your brother and Meg was my best friend. Blood trumps
For the first time all day, a real smile flirts with my face. Mary still thinks of me as family. Maybe things won’t turn so badly after all.
Chapter Seven
An hour later, I hand my sketchbook to Dan. My fingers are cramped and tired. It’s been ages since I’ve drawn anything, but it’s a welcome feeling. I’ve missed it so much. My art is what defines me. If I can’t do that, then I feel useless.
“Wow, Mattie, these are…” Caleb’s voice trails off as he looks at the portraits of the dead girls over Dan’s shoulder.
“Gruesome?” Eli asks mildly, just as fascinated.
“Beautiful,” Dan says. “Dark, moody — and gruesome, but beautiful.”
I beam at Dan. He always thinks my stuff is brilliant. It’s one of the reasons I keep him around. The images are pretty good replicas of the girls I’d seen. I can only draw them as I saw them: broken, bloody, and bruised. The images on the paper, even in black and white , are vibrant, shouting at anyone who looks at them. You can see the pain and anguish in their faces. It reminds me a little of Silas’s portraits. I frown. So not good. I don’t want my work to look like his .
“Do you think you can get a hit with the facial recognition software?” I ask Dan, to distract myself from the similarities between mine and the demon’s work.
“Ooh, do we have a case?” Mary asks, coming in with a tray laden with ham and cheese sub sandwiches. Caleb moves to help, but she waves him off and sets the plate on the coffee table.
“No, we don’t have a case,” Dan tells her. “ I have a case.”
“Actually, I believe Mattie has the case,” Eli smirks. “You got jack without her.”
“Will both of you stop it?” I ask before an argument can erupt. “If Mary wants to help, then she can. You have enough to worry about right now anyway, Officer Dan. How do you expect to have the time to trudge around looking for clues? Your dad and Cam need you more than I do right now.”
“Because you have Eli?” he snarls.
That does it! “Outside, right now,” I say softly and march out the front door. Dan follows me and closes it behind him.
“You need to stop,” I begin. “You have no right to be jealous! You’re going out with Meg or did you forget about your girlfriend? The same girlfriend you threw me to the ground for?”
He winces and has the good grace to look ashamed. “I swear to you, Mattie, I didn’t realize I’d done that. I wouldn’t have done it on purpose. You have to believe that.”
“Dan, I do believe you, really, I do, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.” I sigh.
“I’m sorry,” he says miserably.
“Apology accepted. Now, back to this attitude and your brother. Stop acting like a bear with a burr in its paw when you’re around him.”
Dan paces on the porch. “All I care about is keeping you safe, Mattie. I don’t trust him.”
“He’s your brother…”
“So what?” he burst out. “He’s the brother who called the cops on my mom before I got a chance to even process what happened. How am I supposed to trust him after that?”
“You would have turned her in yourself, Officer Dan , and you know it. It’s who you are.”
“That’s not the point, Mattie. It’s the way he did it. Really not kosher.”
“I know. It wasn’t cool. It stunk. It hurt. Get over it. He’s your brother. You have to get past this, Dan.”
“I’m trying!” He glares at me and sit down on the porch. “You like him, don’t you?”
“Why does that matter?” I ask. “You’re with Meg . And if I do like him, then you’re going to have to deal with it.”
“Like you’re dealing with me and Meg?” he counters.
Well, fudgepops. He has me there. Anytime I think about Meg, I see red. “It’s different,” I say stubbornly. “Eli is your brother and Meg was my best friend. Blood trumps
Similar Books
It's Always Darkest Before the Fridge Door Opens: Enjoying the Fruits of Middle Age
Phil Callaway, Martha O. Bolton
