Page 95 of Symphony for Lies

Instead, his grip tightened.

“Zane?”

I felt him inhale deeply, and finally, he dropped his arms.

He stared at me for a long, heavy moment before clenching his jaw and turning away.

Something was wrong. Something was burning inside him. But I knew he wouldn’t tell me. Not yet.

And that scared me more than anything else.

Chapter 21

Sunday morning was quiet. The weekend was almost over, yet my mind felt like it hadn’t had a moment to decompress. Too many thoughts swirled around in my head. My friends and grandmother helped me silence them for a few hours, but something heavy settled over me after Zane’s unexpected visit.

I didn’t want to dwell on it. I wanted to trust him, but his words still echoed in my head. It felt like a warning, but why? What was I supposed to hear? Why was he speaking in riddles instead of telling me what was going on?

It could have something to do with Tristan, maybe his family, maybe… he told them about us. No way. His mother wouldn’t be happy about it.

With a heavy breath, I sat up, my gaze landing on Bella Carter’s contact information.

I wasn’t sure what I was hoping for. Maybe confirmation, a new perspective, a clue that made more sense than all the scattered pieces I had.

I picked up the phone and dialed the number.

It rang. Once, twice, three times. Nothing.

I tried again with the same result.

My grandmother had friends over, and I had left them to their own devices because they only talked about the suspect, Tristan. It was gossip after the breaking news, and I couldn’t listen to that talk.

I waited a moment and tried to call Bella Carter again.

A bright, clear voice answered after two rings.“Hello?”

Caught off guard, I didn’t say anything immediately. I hadn’t expected her to actually pick up.“Hi, am I speaking to Bella Carter?”

“Yes, who’s this?”At least she sounded curious.

I inhaled deeply. “Sorry to bother you, my name is Amelia Walker. I read about the murder spree from four years ago, the one with mysterious rhymes. I was wondering if I could speak with you.”

Silence.

A long, uncomfortable silence.

“I know this is out of the blue,” I added quickly. “And I understand if you don’t want to discuss it, but I need help. I think we have a copycat in our town. And I was hoping you could give me more details to aid the police.”

More silence.

There was the sound of shuffling on the other end of the line, and a deep male voice suddenly replaced hers.“Who are you, and what do you want with my wife?”

My throat went dry, but I forced myself to stay calm, quickly explaining the situation.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” I finished. “But if you ever feel ready to talk, please call me back.”

And then I hung up.

Had I just ruined her day?