What Lies in the Darkness (Shadow Cove Book 1) Read online

  I sit up in the seat as he pulls out of the parking space and draw my seatbelt over my shoulder.

  “Don’t follow too closely,” Kennedy warns. “Or he might notice your car. And if he does, he’ll know it’s you.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I shoot her a confident smile. “Don’t worry; I’ve got this.”

  Liam drives onto the road, and I wait a couple of seconds before following. I maintain a good distance as he drives up the street, heading toward the main section of town where most of the high-end restaurants and stores are located. When he reaches the park, he makes a right-hand turn, veering toward where the fancy shops turn into dilapidated older stores.

  “That’s weird,” I mumble. “Why would Liam head toward the poor side of town?”

  “Hey, I come over here all the time,” Kennedy protests. “To visit you.”

  “Yeah, I know, but … Liam doesn’t have any friends who live around here.”

  “Unless maybe he has a secret girlfriend or something.”

  I throw her a questioning glance. “A secret girlfriend?”

  “Maybe he’s dating a lower-class girl, and he doesn’t want people to know about it, or his parents banned him from dating.” She slides on her oversized sunglasses. “It probably happens here more than you think.”

  “Actually, I think about that kind of stuff a lot.” I put on my own glasses as the sun shines directly at the front of the car. “I just didn’t think Liam would ever be one of those people. I’ve only ever seen him date cheerleaders and homecoming queens.”

  The brake lights illuminate on Liam’s car as he slows down to park in front of a small, white building on the corner of a back road. Above the entrance door of the building is a wooden, hand-painted sign that reads: Comics, Collectables, Knickknacks, and Everything Shop.

  “I wonder if they’re speaking literally when they decided to put the word everything into the title of their store.” I spin the wheel to park my car down near a large oak tree so we’re hidden. I push the shifter into park and eyeball the store dubiously. “I’ve never noticed this place before. Have you? It kind of sounds like a pawn shop.”

  Maybe that’s what Liam is doing here—pawning off the stuff he stole. But why? He can’t possibly need the money when he’s driving around a car that costs six figures.

  Kennedy draws her glasses down the brim of her nose and squints at the store. “I’m sure I’ve passed it before, but except for the sign, it just looks like an old house, so we probably never noticed it.”

  “Maybe,” I mutter, wariness weighing inside me and only growing as Liam gets out of his car and pops the trunk.

  He reaches inside and retrieves a medium-sized cardboard box with an unfamiliar logo on the side. Then, with a frantic glance around the neighborhood, he hauls butt across the yellowing grass and up the stairs of the store. Looking over his shoulder one last time, he raps his knuckles against the door.

  “He seems awfully nervous for someone going inside a store,” Kennedy notes, slanting forward in her seat.

  “Maybe because he’s carrying around stolen merchandise and is about to pawn it off.”

  “You think he’s got the computer in that box?”

  “There’s only one way to find out.” I reach for my door handle to get out.

  “Wait a second.” Her fingers wrap around my elbow. “What’re you going to do? Just walk up and accuse him?”

  “Yeah, pretty much,” I reply, wiggling my arm out of her hold. “But don’t worry.” I crack my knuckles and grin. “I can be charming when I need to.”

  “But what about this place?” She scrutinizes the building. “It looks super sketchy.”

  “I’m sure it’s just a store.” At least, I hope so. “You can stay in the car if you’re freaked out.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right. Like I’m gonna let you just wander into some creepy store all by yourself. Just what kind of friend do you think I am?”

  I smile. “The best of besties.”

  She grins, gripping the door handle. “Come on, bestie; let’s go get your thousand bucks.”

  Nodding, I hop out of the car and meet her around front. Then we hike up the sidewalk and cut across the grass to the store, stopping in front of the door.

  Kennedy hugs her arms around herself. “Should we knock or just walk in?”

  I peer up at the sign and then at the wooden door with no windows. “I don’t know … Maybe knock.” Sucking in a breath, I knock and wait.

  We hear a light bang, voices, the rustling of locks being unlatched. Then the door cracks open, and a beady, bloodshot eye peeks out at Kennedy and me.

  “Can I help you?” a guy asks, his raspy voice sending a chill down my spine.

  I’ve heard the voice before, but I can’t quite place from where.

  “Um, yeah, my friend and I would really like to check out your store.” I slant to the right, trying to get a better look at him. He inches to the side, shielding his face with the door. “We just weren’t sure if this was the entrance.”

  “Sorry. We’re closed,” he snaps, moving to shut the door.

  I flatten my palm against the door and hold it open. “Look, it’s really, really important. My friend’s birthday party is in, like, two hours, and we completely let it slip our minds until about an hour ago. We need a present ASAP, but she’s really hard to buy for. You know the type—super picky. She’s really into comics, and when we spotted your store, it was like a sign from the heavens. So, if you could just let us come in and buy something for her, you’d totally be saving our asses.” I give him my best sugary sweet smile, hoping that’ll win him over.

  He remains silent for a moment, and I start to believe he bought my bullshit. Then he says, “Nice try, Mak, but I know none of your friends are into comics.” With that, he slams the door in our faces.

  Kennedy gapes at me with bewilderment. “Who the heck was that? And how dare he slam the door in our faces?”

  I mentally rewind through what the guy said, trying to match up his voice with someone I know. “His voice was vaguely familiar, but I didn’t hear enough to place it to a face.”

  Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Kennedy faces me with her hands on her hips. “What do we do now?”

  I check the time on my watch then turn for the car. “We go back to the car and wait for Liam to come out.”

  Kennedy’s head bobbles back as she lets out a groan. “Another stakeout?”

  “Yep.” A tiny smile touches my lips. While Kennedy may hate stakeouts, and I’ve never been a huge fan of them, I feel strangely close to my dad at the moment. “And with the way this is going, I’m thinking you better get used to them.”

  LOCATION: MAK’S CAR

  TIME: 5:14 PM

  DATE: MONDAY, MARCH 22ND

  We sit in the car for so long that the sun begins to descend below the hills, and the sky shifts from a vibrant blue to an array of oranges and pale pinks. We ditch the sunglasses and raise the visors, which gives us a better view of the entrance door to the store in question. Nothing happens. At all.

  Kennedy yawns, stretching her arms above her head. “Oh, my God, what the hell is he doing in there? Throwing a secret rager or something?” She glances at the time on the clock. “It’s been over an hour.”

  “Thanks for the tenth time update,” I joke, scrolling through an article on my phone.

  She lowers her hands to her lap and slumps back in the seat. “Sorry. I know I’m being whiny, but I’m not used to sitting still for this long. I like to be in motion.” She circles her hands in front of her and sighs. “Maybe we could try knocking on the door again.”

  “Weren’t you trying to talk me out of it the first time I went up there, saying it was too sketchy?”

  “Yeah, but that was over an hour ago. A lot of time has passed since then. Enough time that I’m starting to rethink my initial hesitance.” She ravels a strand of hair around her finger, staring at the building. “You know, we could always j
ust have Embry come over and kick the door down.”

  I glance at her with my brows elevated. “You know that’d be breaking and entering, right?”

  “Yeah. Good point.” She unravels her hair and plasters on a bubbly smile. “So, what’ve you been doing on your phone for the last half-hour? Is it anything I can help with?”

  “I’m looking up stuff on this address.” I drag my thumb along the screen, skimming through the information I found. “It’s weird. There’s not a registered owner for this house.”

  She leans over the console to get a glimpse of my screen. “Maybe the county owns it.”

  “Nope. I already checked. It’s like the place doesn’t exist. It doesn’t even pull up on any maps.”

  “That’s odd. Could it be because it’s old?”

  “Maybe … But it’s not that old. Not any older than the other houses around here, anyway.” I thrum my fingers on top of my leg, thinking of what I could be missing.

  I wish my dad were here. If he was, he’d know what to do. Hell, he might even have some info on the house.

  I scroll through a few more sites, searching for something—anything—about the house. Nothing. That is, until I stumble across a few help wanted ads on the Shadow Cove Daily News site. The ghost house is listed on four of the ads with no phone number, just a please stop by for further inquiries.

  I think about the help wanted ads taped on the wall in the secret spot in dad’s office. Is the ghost house listed on those ads, as well? Is all of this connected somehow? Is that where my dad’s trail leads? To this house?

  One more thing draws my attention. It’s an ad some parent put in the paper about their missing daughter. They list the last place she was seen, which just happens to be on this street. I don’t know if it means anything, but it’s definitely caught my attention.

  “What’re you thinking, Mak?” Kennedy draws me out of daydream land. “Because you’ve got you’re thinking face on.”

  “I’m thinking …” I trail off as the door to the store swings open and a girl steps out.

  At least, it looks like a girl. The transparency of her skin makes me question if this girl is from the Land of Reality or Mak’s Crazyville. I blink and blink again, and suddenly, I’m no longer staring at a potential ghost, but at Liam. He no longer has a box in his hand, and anxiety is etched into his features as he hurries across the lawn.

  I summon a preparing breath before reaching for the door handle. “It’s time to figure out what the hell’s going on.” Then maybe I can hurry and solve this thing, de-stress, and return to Sane Town.

  Kennedy tracks my gaze as I shove open the door. Letting out a nervous squeal, she does the same, and we stride across the sidewalk to cut Liam off before he reaches his car.

  “Hey, Liam, how’s it going?” I say, jumping straight into his path.

  He grinds to a startled halt, nearly running me over. “Jesus, Mak. What the hell?” He shakes his head, struggling to catch his breath, and then moves to sidestep around me.

  I mimic his move, blocking his way. When he blasts me with a dirty look, I bat my eyelashes innocently. Kennedy inches closer, and together, we corner him against the trunk of his car.

  His mouth plummets into a confused frown. “Will you two please quit messing around and move? I need to get to my car.”

  My smile enlarges as his confusion doubles. “We didn’t just come here to mess around, Liam. We need to ask you a few questions.”

  His Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he gulps. “About what?”

  I debate the right way to approach this: be blunt or toy around with him until he’s so worried he cracks.

  What to do? What to do?

  I measure Liam up as he tries to charm me over with a half-grin, something I’ve seen him do to a ton of girls.

  Yeah, definitely toy with him.

  “Well, for starters, what is this place?” I point at the store.

  He quickly shrugs. “I have no idea.”

  I cluck my tongue. “Liam, Liam, Liam, how are we going to establish any trust if you lie to me on my very first question?”

  “Huh?” He scratches his head, blinking at me like a lost baby deer. “Look, I really don’t know what you want or why you think we need to establish trust, but I need to go. I’m already late for dinner.” He steps toward me, expecting me to move out of his way. When I don’t, we bump into each other and bang foreheads.

  Okay, that was not my smoothest moment, but whatever.

  Time to get to the point.

  “Fine, let’s do this the easy way, then.” I force a dramatic sigh while rubbing the tender spot on my head. “I know you know what’s in that store because you went in there about an hour ago with a box full of what I’m guessing is most of the stolen computers at our school.”

  His face drains of color as he steps away from me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what this place is. And I don’t know about any missing computers. Maybe you guys were seeing things or getting me confused with someone else.”

  “You know, for someone with a 4.0 GPA, you come up with some dumb lies.” Kennedy hops up onto the trunk of his car and crosses her legs. “Come on, Liam; you can do better than that. Tell us you wandered into the wrong place, that you were lost. Hell, tell us you’re a doppelganger. That will probably sound more believable at this point.”

  “What’s a doppelganger?” he asks, blinking. “Is that, like, a type of dog or something?”

  Kennedy exchanges an okaaaayy look with me. “Seriously? This is the guy in line to become valedictorian of our class?”

  I refrain from giggling and cross my arms, staring Liam down. “I know you took the computers. I saw video footage of you breaking into the lockers and jacking about five of them, all belonging to your friends, so stop trying to play dumb with me.” I smile as he glares at me. “Don’t worry; I’m not going to rat you out just yet. I need you to do a couple of things for me.”

  His gaze skitters from me to the building to his car, like he’s going to try to bolt. He probably could, considering Kennedy and I are no match for his height and weight. But then he would be risking the chance of me outing his dirty little sticky finger habit.

  “What do you want?” He reaches for the pocket of his slacks, his gaze gliding across my worn sneakers, faded jeans, and plaid shirt that’s missing a bottom button. “I’m guessing money.”

  “Of course you’d guess that, wouldn’t you?” I bite back my irritation. “Put your wallet away. You’re not getting off that easily.”

  He shoves his wallet back into his pocket, grinding his teeth, on the verge of throwing a tantrum. “Then what the hell do you want from me?”

  “Well, for starters, I want to know why you’ve been stealing your friends’ computers.” A cocky smirk rises on my lips as he blinks in shock. “Then, as an added bonus, you can give me Dixon’s computer. Then you can tell me what this place is and who owns it.”

  He studies me suspiciously. “What’s it matter to you?”

  “Nope.” I lift a finger to his lips, shushing him, and Kennedy chokes on a laugh. “I’m the one asking the questions. All you need to do is answer.”

  The muscle in his jaw ticks. “Fine. But will you please lower your hand? Your fingers smell like cheese.”

  I remove my hand from his lips and sniff my fingers. Yep. Very cheesy. “Oh, yeah. That’s probably from the Doritos I ate in the car while we were staking you out for the last two hours.” When he gulps, I dazzle him with a grin. “Yeah, you should be nervous. We’ve got a lot of dirt on Shadow Cove’s golden boy.”

  He audibly gulps again, wiping his palms along the sides of his legs. “Okay, I’ll answer your questions.” He throws a hasty glance over his shoulder, and panic floods his eyes as someone draws back the curtain and peers out the window. The lights aren’t on inside, so I can’t make out a face. However, the person appears tall and has narrow shoulders. “But not here,” Liam sputters. Then he leans in and
drops his voice to a hushed whisper. “If they know I’m telling you about them, they’ll ruin my life.”

  I want to drill him with questions right now, force him to tell me, but with how jittery he looks, I decide not to for his safety. And honestly, for Kennedy’s and mine. While I don’t completely understand what’s going on, I do know that whoever is in that house has athletic, rich, charming, and seemingly perfect Liam shaking like a cornered cat.

  “All right, meet us tonight at the park,” I say. “Around eight. And don’t be late.”

  He promptly shakes his head. “I can’t tonight. It’s family dinner night, and my dad’s been seriously monitoring my study hours. I have to put in at least six tonight before I go to bed. And he watches me like a hawk.”

  “Fine. Then how about tomorrow before school?” God, I’m turning into a softy. My dad would make him divulge the truth before he let him leave “Meet me at my car at exactly eight.” I back away from him, and Kennedy follows. “And don’t be late, or else the Rewards Board might declare some very dirty secrets of yours.”

  “Nice touch,” Kennedy whispers, gently bumping her shoulder into mine.

  “I thought so,” I whisper back, restraining a grin.

  I waggle my fingers at a trembling Liam before sauntering toward my car.

  The second we’re back on the road, driving in the direction of the school parking lot where Kennedy’s car is parked, I let out a deafening breath.

  “He’s scared of something,” I declare, turning on the headlights.

  “Yeah, of you.” Kennedy checks her messages on her phone. “I honestly didn’t think you had it in you, Mak. I mean, you’re not shy or anything, but you’re not the kind of girl to boss a guy around and shush him by putting your finger to his lips.”

  “I was just playing the part. If you want to get to the truth, you have to be pushy, bossy, and persistent.” I glance in my rearview mirror, making sure no one is following us. I might be overreacting, but the way someone kept glancing out the window and how Liam looked like he was about to piss his pants has me on edge. “But Liam wasn’t just afraid of me … He was afraid of whoever was in that house.”