Chapter 16 · No Body in the Morgue

The alarm didn't go off.

I woke up at 11:47 because my phone was vibrating under my pillow. Three missed calls. All from numbers I didn't recognize. My heart was already hammering before I was fully awake.

I sat up. The house was silent. No light under the door. Either Ethan had gone to bed or he'd left. I didn't know which one I was hoping for.

I pulled on my boots without turning on the light. Grabbed my jacket. My phone went into my pocket with the screen facing out so I could feel if another call came through. The stairs didn't creak. I'd learned which boards to avoid over the past two weeks. Funny how you pick up things like that when you're living with someone who might be the reason your best friend disappeared.

The front door lock was the loudest thing in the world. I froze with my hand on it, waiting for footsteps from upstairs. Nothing. I slipped outside and pulled the door shut behind me.

St. Jude's was a twenty-minute walk if I went through the park. Fifteen if I ran. I started running.

The streets were empty.