“We just shared with Ms. Reynolds that her sister died of an accidental overdose. We need her to come down to the medical examiner’s office to identify the body. And we would appreciate if you could join her. I’m sure she needs your support during this difficult time.”

Justin’s body tightened—or maybe that was hers. It wasn’t any easier digesting the news the second time around.

“Damn. Yes, of course. Let us get dressed and we’ll be right along.”

Both officers were visibly appreciative, and they stepped into the living room to wait. Part of Deven felt compelled to curse them again for bringing such bullshit to her doorstep on this otherwise gorgeous Sunday morning. The other part of her was too gripped by fear to address them. That could seem like an admission, and she wasn’t ready to admit she believed them. Not yet.

Justin propelled her back to the master bedroom and guided her to down to the disheveled bed; a bed where only moments before, Deven had been blissfully ignorant that she was in a world where her sister wasn’t. She shifted on the mattress, the springs more pronounced under her legs. Her robe had fallen open, and a slight chill wafted to sprinkle goosebumps on her skin. Everything just felt wrong and soiled.

“. . . just can’t believe it,” Justin was saying, his voice nearly inaudible from inside the closet.

Deven tried to tune him out, not interested in the idle conversation he intended to pepper with platitudes. Instead, she reached for her cell phone. Her fingers fumbled over the screen in a dazed stupor, and it took three tries to finally get the sequence of digits in the right order. She just needed to hear her voice, then maybe . . .

“You have reached—” Deven hung up on the robotic voice that signaled Kennedy’s voicemail box. Not even a ring. But the fact that her cell phone was off certainly didn’t mean she was dead, did it?

Justin reappeared in front of her, his shorts replaced with jeans and a black sweatshirt. He held a tiny pile in his arms which Deven recognized as her own clothes. When she didn’t move to take them, he sighed and sat down beside her. “Come on, babe, you got to get dressed so we can go.”