“Blairville Daily with Breaking News!”
I looked back at the giant TV, and suddenly, the lively news presenter with a fake face – Oliver’s father – was on screen.
“We apologize for the brief interruption in the weather forecast, however, a tragic accident occurred – according to experts – last night, on the borders of Fogs Forest. Two hours ago, a pair of walkers found a body. The victim is a young woman, but her identity is unrecognizable as her face is torn open.”
Shock spread through my body, making me lower my laptop. In the corner of my eye, I saw Emely step closer.
“Harriet on the scene, with the details.”
The man disappeared and a woman with a perm emerged, behind her a dense forest of fog, police officers and more reporters frantically rushing through the camera footage.
“The whole police department is here, and it’s hard to get to the scene, but Detective Bardot is willing to give an interview.”
A stressed-looking man in a police uniform with a gray hairline appeared on the screen. Written in the corner of the screen was Head Detective Graham Bardot.
Wait a minute. Wasn’t this Julian also called Bardot?
“Detective,” the woman began, holding the microphone in front of him. “Are there any bite marks? Is it possibly an animal attack?”
The policeman’s jaw began to work. “No, not an animal attack.”
“Is it a murder?”
The policeman hesitated. “Probably. However, we’re waiting for the lab results from DLSC.”
“Graham, we need you for a second...” another cop called out, and immediately they switched back to the studio.
“This is frightening news for residents of this city, but we ask that you remain calm,” the newsreader said with a dismayed expression.
“The question of whether the young woman is one of the many people missing is still unclear. However, we are now officially warning people not to enter the woods.”
“Kieran...” Emely whispered barely audibly into her phone next to me. The look on her face was the epitome of shock. “I have to go.”
And with those words, Emely stormed out of the house.
I was still sitting on the couch, paralyzed, even when the newsreader continued and switched back to the scene where the body was found.
Her face was torn open.
Nasty goose bumps crawled down the back of my neck.
Who would do something so disgusting?
My thoughts slid back to my time in Sacramento, to all the things I’d witnessed there.
How could I have thought I had escaped this destructive side of humanity?
I opened the news page of the Blairville Daily, where old missing person cases were already listed, but this was the first murder.
I discovered an article about Fogs Forest and the...DeLoughreys.
My chest began to throb violently, and the goosebumps intensified.
Mayor’s Office
“The woman’s neck is torn open,” the police chief sighed with a regretful expression. “Her body is drained of blood.” He took a deep breath before stepping closer to the mayor’s desk and lowering his voice. “And the location on the border of the Copelands forests is no coincidence either.” His jaw worked, making it look painful. “I think someone’s trying to send a message.”
The mayor sat tensely in her chair, staring at the man in front of her with a blank stare.
She had made her way to the town hall two hours ago, confused by the failed rite of passage when she had heard the news.
She hadn’t dared to go to the law office because she didn’t want to know the truth, but now she had learned it from the police chief.
Her gaze focused, and she looked up at the policeman.
“I’m begging you, Graham,” she began in a shaky voice. “Keep those details to yourself. The last thing this town needs is a war.”
She would keep her own mouth shut. Because if Nickolas or Gloria found out what had really happened, it would only be a matter of time before they rolled out their secret war plans on the tables and resorted to more radical means.
“As long as possible,” the policeman replied, nervously glanced outside, over to the law office, before looking back at her and stepping closer to the table. “Please, Amara...” His voice was insistent. At least give us a search warrant for the DeLoughreys.”
Something tightened inside her.
“You know that won’t work,” she said quickly. “They want us to become their enemy, too. But as long as we’re neutral territory, Nickolas’ pack is protected.”
She didn’t want to admit it just yet. And she didn’t want to keep getting caught between the fronts when she actually belonged to one of them.
Every day was a balancing act.
