‘While he’s in here, we might as well find out if he knows who Mack was talking to, as well,’ Cord said to Alyssa’s retreating back. She waved her hand in the air to let him know she’d heard.

A minute later, she returned with Christopher in tow, glad to see Cord had already rewound the video. ‘Do you recognize any of these people?’

Christopher stepped closer and bent at the waist, studying the individuals frozen on the screen. ‘Well, that’s the restaurant’s owner.’ A manicured fingernail tapped the screen on the face of the man who had come out to speak to Mack. ‘But as for the other two, nope. Don’t recall ever having seen either one of them before, but that doesn’t mean they’ve never been here. They’re just not regulars. In fact, if I didn’t know Mr. Kensington and his wife were already seated at their favorite table, I might actually mistake this one for Gabriel.’

‘Dark hair like Gabriel’s’ and ‘I might actually mistake this one for Gabriel’ may not be the strongest connections Alyssa had ever had, but they were worth pursuing, if for no other reason than to cross Mack off her list of suspects. Besides, her gut wouldn’t let go of the idea that both Mack Kensington and Elizabeth Monroe knew far more than either of them was admitting. One way or another, she intended to find out what that was.

Because Addis and Emerson’s lives could hinge on unearthing the truth – and fast.

Chapter Eighteen

Saturday, October 5

At some point during the night, the girls drifted into another heavy sleep brought about by the effects of the drug still lingering in their systems. Addis didn’t even remember closing her eyes when she was suddenly startled to alertness by Emerson’s jerky thrashing and horrified cries as she tried to dislodge whatever scampered across her chest.

‘Oh God, Get it off me! Get it off me!’

In her effort to avoid whatever was attacking Em, Addis realized her best friend was hallucinating. ‘There’s nothing there. Nothing’s on you, Emerson.’ She pushed the assurance past a tongue swollen from horrid dry mouth and through the tightness in her throat.

Before Addis’s words could penetrate the panic, Em banged herself against the wall, shifting back and forth like she was trying to saw her body in half. At the same time, her legs seemed to come alive with a mind of their own as they began kicking and shaking.

Pain swelled in Addis’s chest as she watched, helpless. ‘Em, what is it? Oh my God, what’s wrong?’ If Emerson was even aware of her presence, it didn’t show as she continued thrashing around like the young girl in The Exorcist.

‘Ah, God, I itch everywhere.’ Em’s wails were amplified in the cramped space.