The silence was longer this time.

“I’ll only take a moment, I promise,” Jen reassured her.

The swoosh of fabric told Kerri someone had moved.

“This way,” Cortez offered.

Kerri surveyed the block in both directions. Just a few minutes longer. If her heart beat any faster, it was going to jump out of her chest.

Footsteps echoed in Kerri’s ear. The squeak of hinges warned when a door opened.

“Alice loves crosses, too, doesn’t she?” Jen said, sounding bright and maybe a little too cheery.

“Yes, very much.”

“What are the masks?”

Ice formed in Kerri’s gut.

“Just . . . you know . . . decoration. She loves playing dress-up.”

“Are these Alice’s drawings?”

“She has big imagination also.”

“She does,” Jen agreed. “Well, I’ll just take a couple of photos with my cell phone, and I’ll be on my way.”

“Sure . . . sure.”

Kerri didn’t breathe again until Jen was at the door, thanking the lady for her cooperation. She had started toward her car when an approaching vehicle snagged Kerri’s attention.

Instinctively Kerri eased down in the passenger seat.

When the vehicle stopped on the Cortez side of the street, Kerri’s heart surged into her throat.

Sykes and Peterson.

Assholes. Her lips flattened into a thin line as she watched, scarcely able to see over the upholstered part of the door where it met the glass of the window. Maybe she had gone too far in coming here like this, but by God they had pushed her to this point.

Jen flashed the two men one of her trademark sexy grins as their paths crossed on the sidewalk of the Cortez home. Peterson, of course, looked back at her ass as they walked on. Perv.

The detectives stopped at the Cortez front door and rang the bell. Kerri eased lower in the seat as Jen climbed behind the wheel.

“Friends of yours?” Jen asked without looking down as she fastened her seat belt.

“Get us out of here,” Kerri urged.

Jen started the engine, checked both ways, and then eased away from the curb. When she’d reached the intersection at the other end of the block, Kerri sat up.

“Those were the detectives assigned to the investigation.”

“In that case,” Jen suggested as she handed Kerri her cell, “we were cutting it close.”

“Too damned close for comfort.” She took the phone and opened the photo app.

“There’s some weird shit in that house, Kerri. I’m here to tell you. There are crosses everywhere; nothing against crosses or religion, but this is way over the top. I’m surprised your detective friends haven’t mentioned it.”

“The masks,” Kerri muttered. This was what Tori had been talking about.

“You talk about creepy.” Jen snorted. “If that little girl isn’t a future serial killer, then I’m Mother Teresa. And we both know that ain’t so.”

Kerri had a very bad feeling Jen was right about the girl.

31

1:00 p.m.

Swanner Residence

Twenty-Third Avenue South

Birmingham

The phone rang, and Tori wondered if it was her mom checking up on her again.

Her aunt Diana answered the extension in the kitchen. Judging by the way she laughed, it was probably Aunt Jen. Jen had a way about her that could make even the saddest person laugh.

Except her. Tori doubted anything would ever make her laugh again.

She pushed up from the sofa, left her lunch on the coffee table. She couldn’t eat. Had zero interest in watching any more television. She’d spent the morning helping Aunt Diana at the dance studio. The class had been the three- and four-year-olds. The thought almost made her smile. The little kids were so sweet. She hoped they didn’t grow up to be mean teenagers like so many other kids.

Like Alice. And poor Brendal.

Tori wished Alice had never come to Brighton. She’d ruined all their lives. Brendal was dead. Even though she wasn’t very nice, she didn’t deserve to die.

Trudging up the stairs, Tori decided she might as well play a game in the boys’ room. Anything to get her mind off life.

Before reaching the boys’ room, she paused at the door to Amelia’s room. She swallowed the emotion that instantly swelled into her throat. She missed Amelia so much. Her fingers lit on the doorknob before her mind made the decision. She opened the door and walked inside. Diana came in here every morning. She’d told Tori how she would sit down on Amelia’s bed and talk to her. It made her feel closer to her daughter.

Tears burned Tori’s eyes as she stepped into the room. It was exactly the way it had been when Amelia died. All the dance posters and fun throw pillows. Her cousin had a flair about her. Her closet was full of trendy clothes. Amelia had been the kind of person who could take thrift store finds and turn them into the hottest fashion.

Tori dropped onto her bed and stared at the framed photo of Amelia and her brothers on the bedside table. “I miss you.”

If Amelia were here, she would tell Tori to suck it up and stop feeling sorry for herself. Amelia had been strong and brave. Far stronger and braver than Tori.

Dragging her cell from her hip pocket, she held her breath and took the plunge. She was not going to be afraid to look at her own social media pages. Whatever ugly things people were saying, it was all lies.

First in her news feed was a post by Alice.

The truth is out. Sarah did it. She killed poor Brendal. But it was Tori who told her to do it. #Brighton #deadgirl #meangirls #murder #killerteens #wtf

The bottom fell from Tori’s stomach as if she’d just gone around the Ferris wheel after having way too much cotton candy.

Why would Alice say something like that?

Post after post from classmates echoed the same news. The killer teens hashtag was trending.

Tori clapped a hand over her mouth. How was this possible? None of it was true. Tori had never told Sarah to hurt Brendal. Sarah would never have pushed anyone, not even someone as mean as Brendal.

Sick, Tori tossed her phone on the bed. What about Alice? She was the one who had told Tori that Sarah thought she’d pushed Brendal. The day before that, Alice had been huddled and whispering with Sarah. Tori had known Sarah forever. She wouldn’t come up with such a deceitful plan.

It had to be Alice. All that religious or voodoo crap she did was just further proof that she was evil.