But they completely dismissed it.
“I doubt that, hon,” the taller cop informed her, “since we have a suicide note.”
“A note?” Tenley exclaimed.
“It’s true,” the other one chimed in. His voice was gentler, and he patted Tenley on the shoulder, as if she were a little kid in need of comforting. “Her parents called it in just a few minutes before you did. They wanted to file a missing-child report because they’d found a suicide note in her bedroom. A pretty explicit one, from what they told us. Even said that this was how we’d find her.” The cop sighed, shaking his head. “It’s these overachiever suicides. Dotting all their i’s, even in death. We see it a lot more than we’d like.”
The cops ushered them away from the scene after that. But they made it only halfway to Tenley’s house when her phone let out a sharp beep. The screen glowed in the night as she clicked opened the text.
Tsk, tsk, Ten. Looks like I have another girl to silence. Delancey might have failed to end you, but I ALWAYS succeed.
Instantly, Tenley broke into a cold sweat. The darer had heard her tell the cops. Which could mean only one thing.
The darer had been there. The darer had been watching.
“Hey, Ten.” Emerson gave Tenley’s arm a soft shake, drawing her out of the memory. “It’s going to be okay. I promise. We’re going to make sure nothing happens to you.”
Sydney stabbed at her pancakes with her fork. “Emerson’s right. We’re smarter now. We know more. We’re going to find a way to stop this.”
“How?” Tenley dropped her head onto the table, banging her forehead against its smooth wood surface. “We’re no closer to figuring out who the darer is than we were a week ago. I’ve managed to escape death traps three times now! What if the fourth time’s the charm?”
The doorbell rang, making her jump. “Tenley, door for you!” Sahara called out. Tenley exchanged a nervous look with Sydney and Emerson. Tenley’s mom and Lanson were at the rehab center with Guinness and weren’t able to get back until later in the afternoon. “Are either of you expecting anyone?” she asked tensely. Sydney and Emerson shook their heads.
“Wonderful,” she grumbled. She rose unsteadily from the table. To her surprise, Sydney stood, too.
“We’re coming with you,” she said. She glanced at Emerson, who nodded and stood up.
“Thanks,” Tenley croaked, tears stinging at her eyes. Together they headed for the front door.
Waiting on the porch was a short, balding man Tenley didn’t recognize. Her first thought was: cop. But then she noticed the Echo Bay Hospital badge clipped to his white polo. He was holding a clipboard and a blue plastic pouch stamped with EBH on the front. He looked from one girl to the next. “Lanson Reed’s daughter?” he asked.
Tenley thought about correcting him—stepdaughter—but she didn’t have the energy. “That’s me.”
“Mr. Reed asked the hospital to drop off his son’s belongings.” The man held up the blue pouch. “It’s what was in his pockets when he was admitted. Can you sign for it?”
Tenley blew out a relieved sigh as she took the clipboard. This had nothing to do with the darer, nothing to do with her at all. “Thank you, Miss Reed,” the man chirped when she returned the clipboard to him. He handed her the pouch. “And please give your father the hospital’s best.”
Tenley rolled her eyes as she shut the door on the hospital brownnoser. She doubted just anyone got personal deliveries from hospital staff. But she’d learned that when you donated an entire wing to the hospital, they’d cook you dinner if you requested it.
“I hate being so paranoid,” Tenley complained as she stomped back into the dining room with Emerson and Sydney. “And all over some stupid crap Guinness had at the hospital.”
The comment just slipped out, and she glanced nervously at Sydney as she tossed the pouch onto the table. With all the darer craziness yesterday, they hadn’t had a chance to discuss Guinness and his hospitalization. She was worried Sydney might jump down her throat for calling his possessions crap, but Sydney looked too tired to react.
“Don’t let me stop you from opening it,” Sydney said, dropping back onto her chair with a yawn. She rested her chin on her hands, letting her eyes drift shut.
Tenley unzipped the pouch and dumped its contents onto the table. A packet of Listerine strips tumbled out, followed by a crumpled receipt, a thumb drive labeled PHOTOS, and a small blue box.
“What’s in the box?” Emerson asked curiously.
Tenley picked it up with a shrug. Inside on a bed of white silk was a sapphire ring. She rubbed her thumb against its faceted surface. It was gorgeous. And it looked familiar, too. Had she seen it in a store recently? She wondered if Guinness had bought it for Sydney. The thought left a sour taste in her mouth. “Have you seen this before, Syd?”
Sydney groggily opened her eyes. But when she saw the box, she bolted upright, looking wide-awake. “Was Guinness wearing his green jacket when you found him?” she asked.
Tenley nodded. “Why? Did he give this to you?”
“I thought he did.” Sydney twisted at the gold band on her pointer finger. “I found it in my mailbox late Monday night. I figured it was from Guinness, because he always called me Blue.…” Her voice broke and she paused to clear her throat. “So I stuck it in the pocket of his coat the last time I saw him. But then I got a note. The ring was from the darer. At the time I thought that could mean Guinness was the darer, but now… well, he’s obviously not.”
Tenley pulled the ring out of the box. It caught the light as she turned it left and right, making its facets glitter. It was simple, but elegant, too, and the stone was stunning. It was clearly a valuable piece of jewelry. As she slid it absently onto her finger, something shifted in her mind.
“Oh my god,” she whispered. She remembered exactly where she’d seen that ring before. It wasn’t in a store; it was in that online estate sale.
Tenley yanked the ring off. “I’ve seen this before,” she said breathlessly. “Remember that drawing of a train I saw in Cait’s dream journal, the one that belonged to her kidnapper? Well, it was number one eleven in this really limited train run, and I found that exact train in an estate sale online. There was a ring just like this, too, but then all the jewelry was taken down. Just in time for the darer to give the ring to Syd.”
“So you’re saying Caitlin’s kidnapper also owned this ring?” Emerson asked.
Tenley nodded. “I think so.”
Sydney bunched up her forehead. “But if that’s true, it would make the puppet master—”
“—connected to Caitlin’s kidnapper,” Tenley finished. “Exactly.” She squeezed the ring. The metal was cool against her skin. “I called the estate sale company, but I couldn’t get them to tell me anything about the seller. And then we found that photo of Tricia and Abby, and I thought it didn’t matter anymore. But now every suspect we ever had was wrong. Sean, Guinness, Abby…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “The kidnapper is the only clue we have left.”
“Well, not the only one,” Sydney said.
Tenley snapped her head up. “What does that mean?”
“It means I found out something about Kyla Kern.” Tenley’s pulse began to race as Sydney filled them in on her suspicion that Kyla’s death wasn’t accidental. “I think it’s possible Guinness knew something about it, and that’s why he was targeted,” Sydney finished. “I think the darer hoped he’d carry the secret—whatever it is—to his grave.” Sydney paused. “And I found something else, too.”
She passed her phone to Tenley. Emerson scooted in, peering over her shoulder. On the screen was a photograph of five lights, wavering over a coal-black ocean. “That looks like…” Emerson began.
“I know,” Sydney said. “If you look closely, there’s a shadow on the cliffs. It’s hard to see this small, but… it looks a lot like a human shadow. Right where the lights originate.”
“You think someone’s been creating the ghost lights?” Tenley burst out. She looked up to see Sydney nodding gravely.
“I think it’s possible. Calum claims there’s got to be a scientific explanation for the lights, but the more I look at that photo… I don’t know. They look a lot like real lights to me. And that shadow—it looks a lot like a real person.” Sydney tapped a finger against the table. “It makes me wonder: What if all this is connected somehow? What if the same person who’s been tormenting us is not only the person who kidnapped Caitlin, but also the person who killed Kyla? And all along, they’ve been manufacturing these lights to make everyone believe in the whole Lost Girls lore?”
“An entire myth to cover up murders,” Emerson said wonderingly. “If it weren’t so sick, it would be brilliant.”
Tenley massaged her temples. “If that were true… if this has all been one person… it would mean the puppet master isn’t just connected to Caitlin’s kidnapper. It would mean the puppet master is Caitlin’s kidnapper.” She looked from Sydney to Emerson as that realization sank in. It sent a chill straight to her bones. One person could have been haunting Echo Bay for all these years.