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Chapter Twenty-One

PRESENT DAY

SYDNEY

By the end of Bonnie’s funeral, Gretchen and I have used up all the tissues we brought. But on the plus side, I feel so emotionally drained that my panic attack has subsided.

People start filtering out of the church, and it’s only then that I remember spotting Real Kevin in the back. I got so emotional when that casket came out, I forgot all about it. I swivel my head, thinking I can get a better look now, but…

Wait, where is he?

He was sitting in the back row. I saw him there. Right at the end of the row. Except I don’t see him anymore. In the place where he was sitting there’s now an elderly man.

“What are you looking at?” Gretchen asks me.

“Um…” I don’t know quite how to explain this to her. “Do you remember that guy who I went on that horrible date with? The one who attacked me?”

“Yes…”

“Well, he was here. At the funeral.”

“Really?” Her eyes widen. “Where?”

“He was here,” I correct myself. “But…I don’t see him anymore. I guess he left…”

“What should we do?” She grabs my arm. “Should we call the police?”

Jake might still be here, but I feel stupid telling him about this. The more I think about it, the less certain I feel that it really was Kevin—I’m still so freaked out about our encounters that I may have let my imagination run wild. It’s not like I’m thinking straight right now.

Anyway, I’m not even sure I know Kevin’s real name. I have no extra useful information. No, I already told Jake about Kevin, and I’ll leave it to him to investigate.

“Never mind,” I mutter.

“Are you sure?”

I nod. “Yeah, I…I probably got it wrong.”

But even after I convince myself that it wasn’t Real Kevin at the funeral, I can’t shake my sense of uneasiness. But I can’t let this get to me. I need to take Jake’s advice. I will keep locking my dead bolt every night and stay off Cynch, and hopefully he’ll catch the monster who did this to Bonnie.

And then life will go on.