Page 47 of The Graveyard Girls (Detective Ellie Reeves #11)
FORTY-SIX
Brambletown
After leaving the graveyard, Tilly stopped at Daisy’s Diner and kept her head down as the hostess led her to a booth in the corner. The little café was filled with the lunch crowd and just as she ordered sweet iced tea and a chicken salad sandwich, Ida and Hetty Bramble rushed in from the cold.
She’d recognize them anywhere, although neither woman had aged well.
Wrinkles around Ida’s eyes made her look tired and her brown hair looked dry and brittle and needed a trim.
She’d gained about thirty pounds and her sweatpants and sweatshirt were faded.
Her limp seemed even more pronounced, her posture slumped as if she lacked the energy to hold herself up.
Hetty wore old coveralls, her short black hair so choppy it looked as if she’d cut it herself just as she had in high school. Her skin looked ghostly and sallow, odd since she worked outside at her gardening center. A colorful tattoo of fireflies dotted her wrist.
The temptation to flee the diner struck Tilly. But she wanted answers, dammit, and running hadn’t gotten her those before.
“Look, there’s another news report about that girl they found near the graveyard,” the woman seated in the booth behind her said. A hushed silence fell across the room as Daisy clicked the remote to increase the volume.
“This is Angelica Gomez coming to you from Crooked Creek where Detective Ellie Reeves, who is working in conjunction with the task force which includes Special Agent Derrick Fox and Ranger Cord McClain, has an update on the investigation into fifteen-year-old Bonnie Sylvester’s death.
” She tilted the microphone toward Detective Reeves. “Detective.”
“As we revealed before, Ms. Sylvester’s body was found in Brambletown.
We now have information that suggests her murder is connected to several other girls who have disappeared across North Georgia over the past few years.
” The detective shifted. “One of those is the disappearance of Ruth Higgins who went missing from Brambletown fifteen years ago. Ms. Higgins was never found but her case is being reopened. I promise the citizens of this state we’ll do everything in our power to find out what happened to her, Ms. Sylvester and the other girls who may have also been victimized by the same perpetrator. ”
A photo of Ruth in her cheerleading outfit appeared, a giant red bow attached to her blond ponytail. In comparison, that morning Tilly had woken up with a pimple on her nose and hadn’t wanted to go to school. Ruth had laughed at her.
Although she did have some good memories of her sister when she was little.
Tilly was scared of storms and when she was small used to hide under the covers.
But Ruth let her crawl in bed with her for the night.
They’d cuddled together and Ruth told her stories to distract her. She missed that sister.
The detective continued by detailing and showing pictures of four other girls whose bodies had been discovered in a similar manner to Bonnie’s.
Tilly glanced at Ida and Hetty who both looked pale-faced and shocked. Tension radiated in the air, and she suddenly felt pulled toward them. They must have felt it too or sensed she was in the room because Ida’s gaze met hers and she clutched Hetty’s arm as she realized Tilly was back.
And the case was being opened.
Which meant police would question everyone involved, including them, and Tilly’s own family. The nightmare of the past would start all over. Wounds would be reopened, gossip would run amok and their lives would come under scrutiny.
Just the thought of it transported her back in time to the night Ruth disappeared. She stared into her coffee, but in her mind she saw her childhood bedroom.
Tilly woke to the sound of footsteps across the hall then the screech of the window being opened.
The bitter winter wind blasted her as she tiptoed into the hall and peeked into Ruth’s room.
Rubbing her hands over her flannel PJs, she shoved her tangled hair from her face and saw Ruth dressed in a skirt and red sweater. “What are you doing?” Tilly whispered.
Ruth jerked around and shushed her. Her blond hair was swept into a high ponytail and sparkly red earrings hung from her earlobes. “Going out,” she mouthed with a smile.
A sliver of moonlight shimmied through the open window. “But it’s the middle of the night.”
Ruth stormed across the room to her, fists on her slender hips. Even angry, her sister still looked pretty. “I know what time it is, but I’m meeting somebody.”
“Who?” Tilly asked. More than one boy at school had a crush on Ruth. The sheriff’s son for one. Although they’d just broken up. “Clint Wallace?”
“No. It’s a secret.” Ruth squeezed Tilly’s arm. “And you’d better not tattletale. If you do, I’ll tell Mom and Dad you have no friends at school.”
Her sharp words cut through Tilly and tears stung her eyes.
“But going out at night could be dangerous, Ruth. Mom and Dad will ? —”
“What they don’t know won’t hurt them,” Ruth said with a giggle. “Besides, I’ll be back before they wake up and they’ll never know.”
Ruth surprised Tilly by giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Don’t be such a worry wart and go back to sleep, sis. Tomorrow we’ll watch a movie together. Your choice.”
Tilly nodded. That would be fun, like old times.
With a little wave, Ruth pranced across the room and climbed through the window. Tilly noticed her sister was wearing her red knee-high boots, the ones that made her look an inch taller. The ones Tilly wanted to borrow but Ruth refused to share.
Shivering as another gust of wind whipped through, Tilly tiptoed to the window, closed it then hurried back to her room and crawled in bed.
Then she closed her eyes, shutting out the worry gnawing at her. Ruth would be fine. She always came out on top. She’d sneak back in the morning gloating at the fact that she got away with her secret midnight rendezvous.
And then she’d make popcorn and they’d huddle on the couch and watch a movie together just like they used to do when they were little.