She’d always wonder if she could’ve done more.
Before Cassie could muster up the courage to retrieve the box, Sebastian reached over and stuck his hand through the center of the box. As his hand disappeared inside, he closed his eyes in concentration.
The box teetered and fell off the edge of the desk. Within the same breath, he disappeared.
Laura was on her feet and across the room in a matter of seconds. “Holy shit.”
Cassie was caught between laughter and shock. “It’s okay. Don’t be scared.”
“What the hell was that?”
“It was Sebastian. He’s gone now.”
“He did that?”
Cassie nodded, but she had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling. She’d never seen Laura so afraid in her life. Then again, if an invisible hand knocked something off the table, Cassie would have the same reaction, abilities or no abilities.
“I didn’t know he could,” she admitted. “He usually just stands in a corner and stares. He’s only spoken to me once. This is new.”
“Is he getting stronger?”
“Maybe.” Cassie hated how she could never be sure of anything when it came to ghosts. “We have his name now. More of his story. That could be why.”
Laura looked a little calmer now. “Why’d he knock it over?”
“Not sure.”
When the box had fallen over, most of the pictures had dumped out into a pile. A photograph had slid across the floor and landed in front of Cassie. Was this what he’d been searching for?
She picked it up and turned it over. Laura leaned in close.
The photo was like any picture taken of a pair of kids when they were younger—half blurry and out of focus. The two girls had their arms thrown around each other’s shoulders, their heads tipped back in raucous laughter. They each wore baggy t-shirts and cut-off shorts. Their hair was short and messy and windblown.
“That’s her, isn’t it?” Laura asked.
Cassie vaguely remembered her mom taking the picture of them. It had only been a few days before she disappeared. They both looked so happy. There was no way either of them could’ve known what the universe had in store for them.
“Yeah.” Cassie swallowed back some bile. “One of the last pictures ever taken of Sarah Lennox.”
17
Morning came early for Cassie.
When her eyes fluttered open, she could tell by the darkness of the room that the sun had barely crested the horizon. The pounding in her head and the soreness of her back made it impossible to fall back asleep, so she sat up and continued what she’d been doing all day yesterday.
Thinking about Sebastian Thomas.
She hadn’t seen him since he’d knocked over the box containing photos of her and Sarah Lennox. It was clear Laura hadn’t wanted to sleep alone in her room, but Cassie had a feeling Sebastian wouldn’t return for a while. It had taken him such a long time to speak Sarah Lennox’s name, and so much effort to knock over the box, that he was probably hanging out in that space where ghosts went when they weren’t visible.
Cassie liked to imagine it as an airport where the ghosts milled about until they were ready to fly off to their next destination. This gate leads to the Great Beyond. This gate leads to your childhood home. This gate leads to the medium in Savannah who’ll put her life on the line to solve your case. Aren’t the views amazing?
The photograph he’d sent soaring across the room sat on the floor next to her blowup mattress. She brought it close to her face, even though she had the entire thing memorized. Sarah was wearing a baggy black shirt with a wolf on it. Cassie was wearing a white shirt with a blue flower in the center. They had their heads tilted back at identical angles. Both wore the silly pink friendship bracelets they had made for each other earlier that summer.
But she felt like she was still missing something. Was there a clue in their smiles? In the blurry trees that lined the background? Was Sebastian lurking just off camera? Was Sarah’s killer somewhere nearby? What was it about this photograph that made it so special?
Cassie had spent half the night going through the other photographs. There seemed to be a million of them, but none were any more or less interesting than this one. Most were of Cassie and Laura. A bunch also featured Sarah. Her mom or dad would show up here or there, along with other people Cassie had long forgotten.
But none of those images offered her any insight into what Sebastian wanted.
She’d called his name. Repeated the story of his disappearance out loud. Asked questions but got no responses in return. If he was there, he couldn’t or wouldn’t make contact. It was up to her to figure out the next piece of the puzzle.
When the sun had gotten bright enough to illuminate her room, there was a soft knock on her door. It was Laura. “Are you up?”
“Yeah.” She pulled her sister’s sweatshirt over her head. At this rate, she’d go home to Savannah in it. “Come in.”
Laura popped her head through the crack in the door. Her face was somber. “News just broke that Connor Grayson is dead. Mom is pretty upset.”
“Oh no.” Cassie got to her feet. Her stomach clenched at the news, although it wasn’t really news to her at all. “Are they saying anything else?”
“They caught the guy.”
“Already?” Then why did she have a vision? Wasn’t she supposed to help? “Did they say what happened?”
“They’re running the story nonstop. You should come down.”
Cassie slipped on a pair of socks and followed her sister down the stairs. Her father handed her a cup of coffee, and she let the scalding liquid wake her up before she joined her mom in the living room.
Judy raised her head when they entered. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks were
