Page 57 of Our Darkest Summer

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kinsley

The air was boilingas the three of us—after Kevin headed back home to try and open the safe—made our way up the long stone steps of the library. High above the hardwood double door was a sign letting every lost soul know where they stood:Coldwater Public Library.

The door gave a creaky noise as we pushed it open, and again when it closed behind us. Aaliyah led us through a hallway with tall walls and then through another doorway, halting in front of the reference desk.

“Aaliyah,” a woman with short blonde hair greeted her.

“Susie,” she smiled back, resting her elbows on the desk, “is Cora around? She told me she was helping out.”

“She is. She’s getting books from the Children’s Area. She should be back in a few.” Susie’s familiar ocean blue eyes landed on us over Aaliyah’s shoulder; she must be Cora’s mom. “Until then, how can I help you?”

“Are we just going to ask her to hand us the security footage?” Connor whispered through his teeth, the exact moment his brother stepped to the desk.

“I’m Thomas Rhodes, and I’m in town on behalf of the Rhodes Ar?—”

“Thomas,” I hissed at the same time Connor sighed.

“So I guess that’s a yes,” he said.

I sent a smile to Cora’s mom and pulled Thomas away from the desk. “We should just wait for Cora.” I lowered my voice as Susie’s eyes followed us.

“Did you say Rhodes?” she asked, and Thomas arched a brow, sending me asee, I know what I’m doinglook, before turning back toward the woman.

“As I was saying,” he glared at me pointedly, and I rolled my eyes. “I’m here on behalf of the Rhodes Architecture and Design Firm.”

Connor ran his fingers over his blond curls, shaking his head.

“He’ll get us kicked out,” he whispered to me, and I nodded.

Most likely. But then again, Thomas usually knew what he was doing…

Susie didn’t react. It was like she was in some kind of trance as she watched Thomas. I needed a moment to read her face and realize she recognized him. Not because she knew him personally, but because she was familiar with Lizzie’s case. Or at least she didn’t react to him until he introduced himself.

“And how can I help you?” Susie repeated her question, her eyes never leaving Thomas. It was like she was scared of something. Like she didn’t dare to look away.

Aaliyah’s words replayed in my head—It’s more like an urban legend someone made up to scare people.

They couldn’t seriously be scared of the whole family, right?

“Mom? Where did you put the?—”

Whatever Cora wanted to ask, she swallowed it down when she noticed us at the entrance.

“Cor,” Aaliyah pushed herself away from the desk and jumped into her girlfriend’s arms. “I texted you like a hundred times.”

Cora’s eyes rounded. “You did?” She pulled out her phone and pouted. “I didn’t hear it.”

I was about to turn back to Susie and somehow distract her while Aaliyah asked Cora if she would help us, when something else caught my attention. Something about Cora’s expression as she looked at her screen before sliding her phone back into her pocket. Nervousness? Fear? I couldn’t tell, but it was there.

“I can’t,” Cora hissed to Aaliyah, drawing her mom’s attention toward the two of them.

“Could you show us the Nancy Drew collection?” I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind to distract her, and Susie’s blonde brows rose.

She watched me for a split second, then nodded. “Of course.”

We followed her through the shelves, to the very back of the library.