As I sat on one of the stone table outside of the cafeteria, I squinted as the bright morning sun glared down on us. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
Heidi was sitting on the bench next to my feet, her dark sunglasses shielding most of her face. “I heard the screams. I thought it was a joke at first . . . until I heard what she was screaming.”
I dipped my chin as I dragged my hand around my neck, scooping up my hair and bringing it to one side. As long as I lived, I would never forget the sound of that girl’s screams.
We’d all been evacuated the minute a teacher checked the bathroom. Some of us had been sent out to the back parking lot and the rest of us were here, milling around or in small clusters. The police showed up within minutes of us being sent outside, and I’d only seen a handful of teachers since then. Everyone was pretty quiet, speaking in hushed voices or comforting one another. Every so often someone’s phone would ring. The school district had sent out at an alert that there was an issue at the school. Knowing that Mom probably wouldn’t get the call or my text for a while, because she didn’t take her phone into the labs, I still let her know that I was okay.
Someone’s parent wouldn’t be getting that text today.
Heidi twisted as Zoe came around the corner. She dropped down beside Heidi. She’d left a few minutes ago to see if she could find out anything.
“I think they’re going to cancel school for the rest of the day.” Zoe placed her book bag on the table. “I peeked through the front entrance, and the entire hallway is blocked with police tape.”
“It’s basically a crime scene now.” I shivered despite the warmth of the sun. “They probably won’t be able to let us inside for a while.”
Heidi’s phone dinged and she pulled it out from her bag as she asked, “Did you hear who it could’ve been?”
Zoe shook her head as she swung a leg over the bench. “I’m never going to be able to use that bathroom again.”
“Ditto,” I murmured, opening my backpack. I pulled out my camera and popped off the lens. I was aware that Heidi and Zoe were watching me, but they didn’t say anything as I started snapping photos of everyone standing around, focusing on how their shadows looked on the cement. I liked the contrast.
It was probably weird that I was doing this, but Heidi and Zoe didn’t say a word. This wasn’t the first time they’d seen me whip out a camera at the most inappropriate time.
Taking pictures was about more than clearing my mind. Sometimes the camera was . . . It was kind of like a shield between me and what was happening. It helped distance myself, so I . . . I didn’t feel too much.
Maybe I should look into photojournalism when I graduated instead of nursing.
As I lowered the camera, I spotted James jogging around the corner, crossing the common area. He stopped by a group, clapping his hand on another guy’s back before he made his way over to us.
“Have you heard anything?” I asked, putting my camera away.
“Yeah.” James dropped his bag onto the cement ground. “It was Colleen.”
“What?” I gasped.
He climbed onto the table and sat next to me. “I was talking to a few guys. One of the teachers was standing nearby, talking to Jenny—the girl who’d found her in the bathroom. From what I could hear, it sounded like Colleen had been . . . you know, gone for a while. I don’t know how Jenny could tell that, but that’s what I heard.”
“Holy crap.” Heidi lowered her phone to her lap. “Oh my God, that—”
“Doesn’t make a lot sense?” Zoe finished for her, the corners of her lips turning down. “I thought the last time she was seen was at Foretoken on Friday night.”
“That’s right.” I glanced at Heidi. She was staring straight, her face pale. “Her purse and shoes were found in the alley. There’s no way she’d been in that bathroom since Friday.”
“I used that bathroom yesterday,” Zoe pointed out. “Someone would’ve noticed. At least, I hope so.”
“She was in the last stall and it was unlocked,” James explained, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Supposedly Jenny went in there and saw that the door was cracked open a little. She didn’t think anyone was in it, so she pushed it open, and there . . . was Colleen. Said she was slumped next to the toilet.”
“God.” Heidi shuddered. “That’s just horrible.”
My stomach twisted as I folded my arms. Part of me had been hoping that she’d run away to see her boyfriend, like Zoe had suggested. Deep down I think I knew that hadn’t been the case, not when her shoes and purse had been left behind in an alley, but I didn’t think this was what had happened.
Zoe slumped against the table. Tight curls fell forward as she bowed her head. “She’s in my communications class. She was just there, you know, on Friday.”
“And you guys saw the posts about Amanda, right?” Heidi folded an arm across her stomach. “I saw this morning that she still hadn’t returned home.”
Zoe nodded slowly. “I saw that.”
Silence fell between us, because seriously, what did any of us have to say? We’d all suffered some sort of loss, whether it was before the invasion or afterward. Both of Zoe’s parents were gone. Heidi’s uncle had been in the army and had died fighting. James had lost an aunt and a cousin. We all knew what grief felt like. Been there, done that, and we had the emotional baggage to prove it. And we all knew what the surprise of death felt like. It was that alarm-like jolt every time you realized someone was no longer there when they had just been there. And we all also knew what fear felt and tasted like. Still, with all our experience, none of us knew what to say.
“I heard something else,” James said quietly.
I was almost too afraid to ask. “What?”
“You heard Jenny screaming about her eyes, right?” He reached up, turning his baseball hat around to the front. “They were . . . I heard they were burned out completely.”
Zoe sat up straight. “Burned out?”
James nodded as he leaned around me. “Nothing but the sockets left.”
“Oh God,” Heidi moaned as my stomach churned more.
“That wasn’t all,” he added, looking around at all of us. “She had burn marks—like, the skin was charred. At least that was how Jenny described it. Like she’d been electrocuted.”
Zoe’s lips parted as icy fingers of dread trailed down my spine. Oh no. My gaze connected with hers, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. There were two ways a person could end up looking like they were electrocuted. One way was touching a live wire and not living to regret that really bad life choice. The second was far scarier than accidentally dropping a plugged-in hair dryer into a tub. There was something out there that could kill, and when it did, it often looked like electrocution . . . if there was anything of that person left behind.
A Luxen.
Buses pulled up out front, and school was officially canceled for the day. We walked to our cars, the usual excitement of an unexpected day off nowhere to be found.
“Are you guys going home?” Heidi asked, digging out her keys.
“I am.” Zoe stopped in front of the older truck she drove. “I think I’m just going to go back to sleep and pretend today hasn’t happened.”
Heidi smiled faintly. “I was telling Emery about what happened, and she wants to meet up and grab something to eat, you know, if you guys are interested.”
“I’m going to pass.” Zoe opened the driver’s door. “Maybe next time?”
Heidi nodded as she glanced over at me. “What about you?”
Truthfully, the last thing I wanted was to be alone. “Are you sure it’s okay?” I waved good-bye to Zoe as we skirted around her truck.
“Of course!” Heidi nudged me with her arm. “You’re the most amazing third wheel, remember?”
I laughed as I pulled my keys out. “So does that mean you and Emery are officially a thing?”
“I think so. We had a really great time last night.” As we stopped by my car, she hitched her bag up on her shoulder. “And we made plans for later in the week, too.”
“Awesome. You still need to fill me in on everything.”
“I will,” she promised, brushing her hair back. “We’re going to that restaurant near the park—”
“The one with the stacked waffles?” My stomach grumbled despite everything. “I’m totally in.”
We split up, and I ended up following her through downtown. At one of the stoplights, I checked my phone and there were still no messages from Mom. I tossed my phone back into my bag and thought about last night. The panic and fear of thinking someone had been in my house felt like nothing compared to what had happened to Colleen.
My empty stomach continued to twist anxiously. If what James had said was correct, then it was likely a Luxen had done that to her. But why? Why would a Luxen possibly grab Colleen from the alley, hurt her, and then leave her body in a bathroom at school?
Why would anyone do that?
An insidious thought crept in. Anyone, human or not, would only leave a body in such a public place if they wanted the body to be found in a very public way.
But why?
I didn’t have any answers.
Heidi was already out of her car and waiting when I pulled into the parking garage. I grabbed a spot where I could simply pull out when it was time to leave, because I sucked at backing up in crowded parking lots, then snatched up my purse off the backseat and shoved my phone into a little pocket in my bag.
I joined Heidi in the dimly section of the garage. “Make today feel normal and tell me about your date.”
“It was a lot of fun. After dinner, we did the most normal and corniest thing possible. We went to a movie.” Heidi paused as we reached the escalators to take us to the street. She always had to look down and wait several seconds before stepping onto an escalator. “I had an amazing time. I really like her.” Her cheeks turned pink in the sun. “I know I keep saying that. I probably sound like a dork.”
“You don’t. You sound adorable.”
She smiled, but it was brief. “I’m sorry. It feels so weird talking about the date after what happened.”
“I know.” I sighed as I touched the railing. “Going to breakfast feels weird too, but honestly, I’m glad we are. I really don’t want to be sitting at home, mentally playing police detective.”
Heidi snorted. “Ditto. Especially when my mind immediately goes to dark places. Like, I’m already convinced there’s a serial killer in our midst, picking out his next victim.” She stopped, looking at me. “Both Colleen and Amanda have blond hair.”
My eyes widened as I absently touched my blond hair. “Uh, thanks for making that connection.”
“Sorry.” She smiled weakly. “I’ve been watching way too much true crime TV.”
“You may not be far from the truth, though.” I shuddered. “I mean, both having blond hair probably doesn’t mean anything, but if Amanda really is missing—”
“It has to be tied to Colleen,” she finished the thought. “It’s way too much of a coincidence.”
I started to tell her about what had happened last night, but stopped myself. After this morning, voicing what I thought had happened to me just seemed so stupid compared to what did happen.
We reached street level and walked the half block to the restaurant. Opening the door, I looked back at Heidi. “Is Emery here or should we grab a table?”
“She’s meeting us, so we should grab a table.” She followed me in, pushing her sunglasses up onto her forehead.
Since it was Tuesday, we didn’t have to wait, and were immediately seated at one of the booths. I took the seat across from Heidi, sliding all the way to the window. I picked up a napkin, and started fiddling with it. “Did you know Colleen very well?”
Heidi had grown up in Columbia, unlike Zoe and me, who were transplants after the invasion. I was pretty sure Colleen was from this area too.
“When we were younger, like in elementary school, we used to play together during recess and sometimes afterward, but we kind of grew apart when we went to middle school. I don’t even remember why. It was something that just happened. Now . . .” She trailed off, resting her head against the booth. “I wish I knew why we stopped being friends.”
I folded the napkin. “We never really talked. Nothing more than the bare minimum, you know? I saw her Friday at the club. We talked for a couple of seconds, and then I think someone called her name and she went back on the dance floor.”
“I didn’t see her.” She leaned forward. “Do you . . . Do you think a Luxen really did that?”
“I don’t know.” Unease blossomed as I lowered my voice. “But why else would she look like she’d been electrocuted—in a school bathroom, almost four full days after she disappeared?”
Her shoulders tensed as she turned to the window. “Oh, here comes Emery.”
I turned to look, but she was already out of my line of sight. Nervousness grew as I waited for her join us. I wanted Emery to like me because Heidi liked her so much. Nothing sucked more than one of your best friends’ significant other not being able to stand you.
A wide smile broke out over Heidi’s face as she scooted all the way over to the window. “Hey.”
I looked up, plastering what I hoped was a normal, welcoming smile on my face as I waved my hand. “Hi.”
Emery grinned down at me as she murmured back the same greeting before sliding into the booth next to Heidi. Emery looked over at her, and there was a moment where neither quite knew how to acknowledge the other person. Should they kiss? Hug? Just smile? They were at that adorably awkward stage where every moment and every act counted, the stage I’d never . . . Wow, I’d never experienced that with Brandon.
Holy crap, how was I just now realizing that?
Whenever Brandon and I saw each other, even after the very first date, it was always a kiss and then he’d start talking about the football game he had coming up or I would ask about his classes.
None of those moments had counted, not for me and not for him.
They counted for Heidi and Emery, though.
They hugged, and when they pulled back, Heidi’s normally pale face was flushed and there was a pinker tint under Emery’s deeper-hued skin.
Ugh. They were so cute.
I wish I hadn’t left my camera in the car. Taking a picture of them together would’ve been perfect.
“I’m really sorry about what happened,” Emery said, tucking her dark hair behind her ear. Up close, her green eyes were the muted color of moss. “It’s unbelievable.”
“It really is,” Heidi agreed. “I was just telling Evie that I used to hang out with Colleen in grade school. We weren’t close over the last . . . well, in forever, but it’s still so sad.”
“Did you know her?” Emery asked me.
I shook my head. “We never really talked beyond the basics.”
Emery’s gaze flickered to the window and she drew in a shallow breath. “So, not to change the subject or anything.” She focused on me. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
My brows rose as I glanced at Heidi. “Why would I be mad?”
“I didn’t come alone,” she said, and muscles I didn’t even know I had clenched in my stomach. “Well, I tried to. It didn’t work out that well.”
“What do you . . . ?” Heidi’s eyes widened as her gaze focused on something or someone behind me. “Oh my word.”
I didn’t have to look behind me to know. On a cellular level, I just knew, and my heart started throwing itself around in my chest. My pulse picked up as a shadow fell over our table. I knew it wasn’t our waitress, and I had no idea how I felt.
But I did look.
Slowly, I lifted my head and looked to my right, and there stood Luc, his bronze hair a mess of waves and curls. He was wearing silver aviator sunglasses, the kind with lenses so reflective, I could see my own wide-eyed stare in them. My gaze was drawn to the clean, hard lines of his jaw and then lower, over the broad width of his shoulders, and then to his chest.
His shirt read MUGGLE IN THE STREETS, WIZARD IN THE SHEETS.
My mouth gaped open.
“Like my shirt?” he asked, dropping into the space beside me.
“It’s . . . nice.”
“I think so.” He threw his arm over the back of our booth. “Kent got it for me.” The ever-present half grin faded. “Sucks about what happened at your school, to that girl.”
“Yeah, it does.” I shot a look across the table, and saw that Heidi sort of resembled a fish out of water. “You know the girl who was at Foretoken when she disappeared?” I blurted out before I had a chance to stop myself. Luc and I had briefly talked about her when he found me near the lake. “I talked to her that night.”
One single brow rose above the sunglasses. “I didn’t know you talked to her.” He looked over at Emery, and for some reason, I got the distinct feeling that not a single part of that it had been news to him. “What has happened to her is unfortunate to hear.”
Way unfortunate.
His head cocked to the side as he leaned forward, extending his arm toward Heidi. The gesture caused his shoulder to press into mine, and I scooted toward the window, earning some space. His grin returned, tipping up on one side. “I don’t think we’ve actually met. I’m Luc.”
“I know.” She shook his hand. “I’m—”
“Heidi,” he answered for her. “It’s nice to meet you. Emery has nothing but wonderful things to say about you.”
Flushing once more, she glanced over at the other girl. “Is that so?”
“Just telling the truth,” Emery replied with a shrug. “Luc heard I was coming to meet you guys.”
“And I invited myself along.” He returned to his normal sprawl. “I had to do it.”
“Really?” Heidi replied.
Luc nodded as he finally pushed the sunglasses up. “I knew Evie would be disappointed if I didn’t show.”
A strangled-sounding laugh burst out of Heidi as my head whipped around toward Luc so fast, I thought I was going to give myself whiplash. “What?” I demanded. Luc looked at me, and whatever I was about to say died on the tip of my tongue. “Your eyes!” I gasped in a whisper.
He dipped his chin, and somehow the little distance that I’d gained was lost. “Contacts,” he whispered, winking. “Special ones. And yes, they really mess up the RAC drones.”
My mouth dropped open for a second time. “That’s a thing?”
“There are a lot of things that are a thing,” he replied, and I blinked hard. He looked away. “Well, hello there.”
For a moment I didn’t know who he was talking to, but then I saw the waitress.
“What can I get you all to drink?”
The girls got waters, and Luc ordered a Coke. I started to order one of the sweet teas, because I knew they made it the way I liked, with tons of sugar, but I ordered a Coke.
“A Coke?” Heidi asked, sounding as surprised as I felt. “Don’t you normally order Pepsi?”
I did, but I wanted . . . I wanted a Coke for some reason. Not exactly a big deal. I shrugged. “I guess I want a Coke.”
“The last time I accidentally brought you a Coke, you threatened to stop being my friend.”
I laughed. I had threatened that.
The waitress shuffled off, and I was back to staring at Heidi, desperately wondering how I had ended up eating breakfast with Luc.
It was weird.
It felt like eons ago that I’d seen him at the park, and I hadn’t even begun to process the bizarre conversation with him or what had happened over the weekend, and now he was sitting right here.
The drinks arrived quickly and we placed our orders. Of course, I ordered the tower of waffles and a side of extra-crispy bacon. I grabbed my Coke, gulping down the sugary goodness.
“Thirsty?” Luc eyed me closely.
Feeling my cheeks heat, I put my glass down and shot back, “You’re good at pointing out the obvious, aren’t you?”
Luc’s lips curved into a grin. “That’s my superpower.”
“Nice,” I replied dryly.
Heidi cleared her throat as her gaze flickered to Luc. “So, how did you and Emery meet? I never heard about that.”
“Well, that’s kind of a sad story.” Luc’s finger tapped along the back of the booth.
Emery toyed with the edge of her fork. “My family didn’t . . . survive the invasion.”
“Oh my God, I’m sorry to hear that.” I glanced over at Heidi, and that part didn’t seem like it was news to her.
“Thank you,” Emery murmured, and then lifted her gaze, looking at Luc. “Things were kind of a mess afterward. You know how everything was. I ended up on the streets and Luc took me in.”
Surprise flickered through me. “He took you in?”
Luc nodded, those fingers still tapping behind my shoulder. “I’m charitable like that.”
“He did the same for Kent,” Emery added, her fingers stilling over her fork. “He’d lost his family too and had no place to go until he found Luc.”
That piece of information was unexpected, because my impression of Luc was not charitable, but more important, Luc and Emery looked roughly the same age. How in the world would Luc be in the position to take anyone in when he was fifteen?
Unless he was lying about his age.
“Emery is my age,” Luc replied, and my entire body jolted. “And I was more than capable of helping her out.”
My eyes narrowed on his profile. Seriously. It was like he was inside my head, because I knew damn well I didn’t ask that question out loud. Wait. Could he be?
No. I’d never heard that any Luxen could do that.
A half smile appeared as his gaze slid to mine. Our stares connected, and the effect was instantaneous. Everything around us faded, and there was just us, and this . . . this sensation of falling. I couldn’t look away as this feeling surfaced, rushing to the top.
I’ve been here before.
My breath caught as a wave of tight shivers rippled over my skin. That thought didn’t make sense. I hadn’t been here with him before.
Luc inhaled sharply, and he moved without me noticing. He was closer. His warm breath danced across my cheeks and then my mouth. Air hitched in my lungs for a second time. Those well-formed lips of his parted, and now I really wished I had my camera. And I . . . I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what those lips felt like—tasted like—because that brief kiss-that-wasn’t-a-kiss hadn’t told me what I needed to know.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asked in a soft voice.
The hold that seemed to have forged itself out of the tense air around us was broken. I snapped out of it, jerking back and nearly smacking into the window. What was going on in my mind? Nothing but stupid—a whole lot of stupid.
My gaze swung across the table.
Heidi and Emery were staring at us like they were watching one of those really terrible but addictive reality shows.
Warmth exploded across my cheeks as I decided staring at the table was an awesome thing to do. My heart was pounding in a silly way. What in the world was I thinking? Luc was attractive. In all honesty, he was truly beautiful, and he apparently had a nice streak in him. Somehow he’d taken care of Emery and Kent when they needed help the most, and I’d seen him with Chas at the club, but I wasn’t even sure I liked Luc.
I wasn’t even sure he liked me.
Thankfully, the food showed up at that moment, and I focused on shoving as much waffle into my mouth as humanly possible while Heidi and Emery chatted. I stayed quiet, as did Luc, but every part of my being was painfully aware of his every movement. When he picked up his glass or cut into the omelet he ordered. He’d shift, and I’d catch that woodsy pine scent of his, and when he did speak, the deep timber of his voice echoed through my veins. By the time breakfast wrapped up, every muscle in my body was stiff and sore. I felt like I’d run a marathon as we filed out of the restaurant.
I lingered behind, giving Heidi and Emery some space as they walked ahead. Luc apparently was of the same mind, because he slowed his long-legged pace, walking beside me.
Walking beside Luc was . . . interesting.
People had one of two reactions when they neared Luc. They either gave him wide berth, nearly stepping into the street to avoid brushing up against him, or they did a double take, male and female. Their gazes would glance over him and then bounce back and they wouldn’t be able to look away. With his sunglasses on and contacts in, no one should be able to tell what he was by appearance, but it was the vibe he emitted, even with his lazy swagger.
We didn’t speak, not until we neared the entrance to the garage. Luc easily glided in front of me, stopping so we were standing next to the building, away from the foot traffic.
My heart was tripping all over itself as I lifted my chin. “Do you need something?”
“I need lots of things,” he replied, and warmth cascaded through me, because my mind belly-flopped right into the gutter. The grin that appeared made me wonder just how apparent my thoughts were. “They seem to really like each other.”
“Oh.” I glanced around him. Heidi and Emery had already entered the garage. “I think they do.”
“You know what that means?”
“They’ll start dating?”
Luc chuckled as he stepped in. “We’ll be seeing lots of each other.”
“I don’t know about that.” I folded my arms.
“I do.”
I tilted my head to the side and lifted a brow. “I think you’re wrong.”
“Hmm,” he murmured, looking out toward the street as a car zoomed by, blaring its horn. A moment passed and then his head turned back to me. Even with the sunglasses, I could feel the intensity of his gaze. “You don’t like me, do you, Evie?”
The bluntness of his question was jarring. “You weren’t exactly nice to me when we first met. Like, at all.”
“I wasn’t,” he agreed.
I waited to see if he would add on to that statement, and when he didn’t, I sighed with irritation. “Look, I could go into extensive detail about all the signals you’ve been throwing off, but I really don’t feel like putting that much effort into it. You don’t seem to like me either, Luc.”
“I like you, Evie.” His hand lifted with startling quickness and he picked up a piece of my hair. “Lots.”
I snatched my hair free. “You don’t know me well enough to like me, and if you do like me, you have a terrible way of showing it. Terrible.”
Somehow he got closer, and I didn’t even know how, but when he spoke, his voice sent a shiver curling down my spine in an oddly pleasant way. “You’d be awed and amazed by what I do know.”
I resisted the urge to retreat.
“And I already told you. I don’t people well.”
“Not peopling well is a crap excuse,” I retorted, and started to step around him, but a sudden thought occurred to me. I stopped, refocusing on him. “Were you in my house last night?”
That half grin kicked up a notch. “If I was in your house last night, you would’ve definitely known.”
My stomach dipped like I was standing too close to the edge of a steep cliff. “I don’t know what that means.”
Luc opened his mouth.
I lifted a hand. “I don’t want to know what that means.”
He dipped his chin. “I think you know exactly what it means.”
I thought I did, but that was beside the point.
“Why would you ask if I was in your house last night?” he asked.
When I started to tell him it didn’t matter, I stopped myself. I found that I wanted to tell him—tell someone, to see if they, too, thought it was my imagination, like Zoe had. “When I was home last night, I heard a crashing sound downstairs, and when I went down there to check—”
“You hear a random noise in your house, you go downstairs and check it out?”
“What was I supposed to do? Call the police and say, ‘Hello, officer, I heard a noise downstairs. Can you come check it out?’”
“Yes,” he said. “Unless you’re equipped with a shotgun, and you just might be because of Sylvia, you don’t go downstairs.”
I shook my head. “Whatever. I went downstairs, and the back door was open even though I know damn well I’d closed and locked that door. And while I was standing there, I felt someone standing behind me, but when I turned around, no one was there. Then the back door slammed shut.”
Everything about Luc changed in that instant. The teasing quality to his voice and the curve of his lips were gone. “What else happened?”
“My . . . mom’s office door was open and it’s always locked. Always.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other as the scent of exhaust fumes rose. “One of my friends, Zoe, actually came over, and I think she thinks I was overreacting, but I know what I saw. What I heard and . . .”
“And?” he asked quietly.
I leaned against the side of the building and looked away. “I felt . . . I swore I felt someone touch me.” I waited for him to say something obnoxious, but when he didn’t, I drew in a shallow breath. “Mom went into her office last night when she got home, like she always does, but she didn’t mention anything. If something was taken or messed up, I think she would’ve said something to me. Like, asked if I’d been in the office.”
Luc was staring at me.
“I know Zoe thinks I left the door open, but I know I didn’t. It had to be a Luxen. How else could someone move so fast without me ever seeing them? I know it sounds bizarre, but—”
“No.” Luc’s jaw was as hard as his tone. “If you think someone was in your house, Evie, then someone was in your house.”
My heart turned over heavily. It was equally nice and disturbing to have someone believe me.
“You didn’t see anyone, though?”
I shook my head. “Like I said, they were fast. But why would a Luxen come into my home and not take anything and just leave?”
Luc didn’t answer for a long moment. “Well, that is the question of the day, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“But you know what the more important question is?” he asked. “What if a Luxen was in you house and they did take something? You said Sylvia’s office door was open, but it’s normally locked.”
“It’s always locked.” My gaze flew to his. “Why wouldn’t she mention that then?”
Luc didn’t answer for a long moment, and when he spoke, he didn’t answer the question. He posed another one. “How well do you think you know Sylvia Dasher?”