Page 108 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)

ONE HUNDRED SEVEN

Panic overcame Ida as the detective and fed left.

This couldn’t be happening. Her own daughter had been in the woods and had drawn a map for the police.

In spite of everything she and Hetty had done to protect the past, it was totally unraveling.

“I’m sorry, Mama,” Kat whispered.

Ida wanted to shake her daughter for sneaking out. For disobeying. For telling the police where to look. Once they found the body, they might put all the pieces together.

“Mama?”

“Go to bed, Kat. I don’t want to talk to you now.” You’ve ruined everything.

Kat gave her a small hug, but Ida couldn’t bring herself to return it. Teary-eyed, Kat hurried back to her bedroom and shut the door.

Ida’s legs buckled as she stood, and she had to hold onto the wall to make it to her bedroom and her phone. Chest aching with fear, she pressed Hetty’s number. The phone rang three times before she answered.

“Ida?”

A sob caught in her throat. “It’s happening,” she cried.

“What do you mean?”

“Kat and some of her friends were in the woods tonight and found a body. And Daddy’s hat was there.”

Hetty screamed into the phone and Ida pressed her fist to her mouth to keep from joining her.