Made for You
Page 77
“He kidnapped her,” I say aloud. “Then he took her somewhere. I’m not sure how he got her out of the house. Maybe because I trusted him, and so did she. If she’s not home and not answering, he has her.”
They all stare at me. Nate looks like he has questions, but he remains silent. I guess he figures that what I know is because of my death visions. It sort of is, but it’s also the most logical answer. “Grace wouldn’t ignore my texts. She was supposed to come see me today. Maybe Reid claimed he was sent to pick her up, like he drove her home yesterday. She doesn’t know it’s him, and she didn’t know about Madison and—”
“Eva,” my mother interrupts. “We aren’t giving up. We don’t know for certain that she’s with Reid.”
“Of course she is!” I look at them. “He’s targeting my friends, Mom. Grace is my best friend. The only other one who’s . . . Piper . . .”
It hits me. Piper was killed in her foyer, drugged, and then . . . she died. She was going to be the victim. Reid was going to kill her, and instead he killed Madison in her foyer. “He drugged her,” I whisper.
“What?” my father asks.
I scramble to explain without admitting that I saw Piper die in the way that I now think Madison died. “If she fought but he still took her, he drugged her. Madison—did he drug her?”
“There’s no way to know that,” my mother says gently. “Eva, don’t do this. Madison is with God now. What happened was awful, but she’s gone. What you need to concentrate on is keeping faith that everything will be over soon.”
My parents exchange a look, and then my father says, “We’re going to wait and pray. The police are following every lead, Eva. They have everyone working on this. The detective is talking to CeCe, and I suspect they’re going to talk to Robert, Jamie, and Grayson. They’ll talk to Reid’s grandmother, and they’ll probably talk to Piper and the girls too. Someone has to know where he would go.”
“But he’s already killed three people. What if—”
“Grace is a smart girl, and the police know who he is now,” my mother interjects. She straightens her shoulders. “I’m going to call the courthouse and see if there are any properties that any of the Bensons own, and your father and I are going to talk to Sheila Benson’s former coworkers. There are a lot of volunteers. We’ll search door to door if we have to.”
My father nods. “The police know what they’re doing. Your grandfather is gathering the volunteers from the church to help, and we’re asking the employees at the winery to help too. Everyone is working together to find her.”
“I want to help.”
“No,” they say in unison.
“You’re on crutches,” my father adds.
“And he’s already hurt you once,” my mother points out. “You are not going out searching for her.”
I open my mouth to argue, but my father repeats, “No.” He shakes his head at me. “I understand that you want to help, but the best thing you can do is stay here where it’s safe. The police have asked that all of Reid’s friends stay home. The last thing we need is to have to search for more than one missing girl.”
“Daniel!”
“Reid won’t come back to our house, and between the alarm and the police patrols, Eva is safe in the house.” My father holds my gaze as he speaks. “She can agree to stay put, here with Nate, or we can stay here instead of helping with the search.”
I sigh. “Fine. I won’t join the search, but—”
“No ‘buts,’ Eva.” My father sounds sterner than I’ve ever heard him sound. “You stay here with Nate, or we all stay.”
“Go help them find Grace,” I say. “Tell Grandfather Tilling thank you. Tell everyone thanks actually.”
Both of my parents kiss me on top of my head, and after a few more reminders, they leave. I listen to the beep of the house alarm being reset, and then I turn to Nate. “In the death vision, he kidnapped Grace. She was at the library, and he hit her and pushed her into the car trunk. Her car. Remember how I told you the details of my vision of your death changes, but the big thing stays the same?”
Nate nods.
“He has her, and I have an idea.”
“Eva . . .”
I hold up a hand and text a message to Grace’s phone: “Reid, I’ll never forgive you if you hurt Grace.”
Nate looks at what I’ve texted and starts, “Are you sure that’s—” His words stop as I tap send.
I wait. I stare at my phone, hoping that he’ll reply. There is only silence. “Damn it!” I toss the phone on the floor. “He took her. It’s all my fault. I sent her home with him yesterday, and now . . .” I start crying again. “I need to fix this. I need to.”
Nate wipes my tears and tells me the same thing my parents and Detective Grant have said. “It’s not your fault.”
“What good is having visions, if I can’t save her?” I let out a scream of frustration. I feel reckless in my desire to help Grace. I’d offer myself in her place if I could. I’d do anything Reid asked right now. I can’t let him kill Grace.
“You saved me,” Nate says. “You don’t know if she’s going to—”
“That’s it!” I grab Nate’s hand. “Reid is the killer, and you get attacked by him in every version of your death. I need my phone.”
They all stare at me. Nate looks like he has questions, but he remains silent. I guess he figures that what I know is because of my death visions. It sort of is, but it’s also the most logical answer. “Grace wouldn’t ignore my texts. She was supposed to come see me today. Maybe Reid claimed he was sent to pick her up, like he drove her home yesterday. She doesn’t know it’s him, and she didn’t know about Madison and—”
“Eva,” my mother interrupts. “We aren’t giving up. We don’t know for certain that she’s with Reid.”
“Of course she is!” I look at them. “He’s targeting my friends, Mom. Grace is my best friend. The only other one who’s . . . Piper . . .”
It hits me. Piper was killed in her foyer, drugged, and then . . . she died. She was going to be the victim. Reid was going to kill her, and instead he killed Madison in her foyer. “He drugged her,” I whisper.
“What?” my father asks.
I scramble to explain without admitting that I saw Piper die in the way that I now think Madison died. “If she fought but he still took her, he drugged her. Madison—did he drug her?”
“There’s no way to know that,” my mother says gently. “Eva, don’t do this. Madison is with God now. What happened was awful, but she’s gone. What you need to concentrate on is keeping faith that everything will be over soon.”
My parents exchange a look, and then my father says, “We’re going to wait and pray. The police are following every lead, Eva. They have everyone working on this. The detective is talking to CeCe, and I suspect they’re going to talk to Robert, Jamie, and Grayson. They’ll talk to Reid’s grandmother, and they’ll probably talk to Piper and the girls too. Someone has to know where he would go.”
“But he’s already killed three people. What if—”
“Grace is a smart girl, and the police know who he is now,” my mother interjects. She straightens her shoulders. “I’m going to call the courthouse and see if there are any properties that any of the Bensons own, and your father and I are going to talk to Sheila Benson’s former coworkers. There are a lot of volunteers. We’ll search door to door if we have to.”
My father nods. “The police know what they’re doing. Your grandfather is gathering the volunteers from the church to help, and we’re asking the employees at the winery to help too. Everyone is working together to find her.”
“I want to help.”
“No,” they say in unison.
“You’re on crutches,” my father adds.
“And he’s already hurt you once,” my mother points out. “You are not going out searching for her.”
I open my mouth to argue, but my father repeats, “No.” He shakes his head at me. “I understand that you want to help, but the best thing you can do is stay here where it’s safe. The police have asked that all of Reid’s friends stay home. The last thing we need is to have to search for more than one missing girl.”
“Daniel!”
“Reid won’t come back to our house, and between the alarm and the police patrols, Eva is safe in the house.” My father holds my gaze as he speaks. “She can agree to stay put, here with Nate, or we can stay here instead of helping with the search.”
I sigh. “Fine. I won’t join the search, but—”
“No ‘buts,’ Eva.” My father sounds sterner than I’ve ever heard him sound. “You stay here with Nate, or we all stay.”
“Go help them find Grace,” I say. “Tell Grandfather Tilling thank you. Tell everyone thanks actually.”
Both of my parents kiss me on top of my head, and after a few more reminders, they leave. I listen to the beep of the house alarm being reset, and then I turn to Nate. “In the death vision, he kidnapped Grace. She was at the library, and he hit her and pushed her into the car trunk. Her car. Remember how I told you the details of my vision of your death changes, but the big thing stays the same?”
Nate nods.
“He has her, and I have an idea.”
“Eva . . .”
I hold up a hand and text a message to Grace’s phone: “Reid, I’ll never forgive you if you hurt Grace.”
Nate looks at what I’ve texted and starts, “Are you sure that’s—” His words stop as I tap send.
I wait. I stare at my phone, hoping that he’ll reply. There is only silence. “Damn it!” I toss the phone on the floor. “He took her. It’s all my fault. I sent her home with him yesterday, and now . . .” I start crying again. “I need to fix this. I need to.”
Nate wipes my tears and tells me the same thing my parents and Detective Grant have said. “It’s not your fault.”
“What good is having visions, if I can’t save her?” I let out a scream of frustration. I feel reckless in my desire to help Grace. I’d offer myself in her place if I could. I’d do anything Reid asked right now. I can’t let him kill Grace.
“You saved me,” Nate says. “You don’t know if she’s going to—”
“That’s it!” I grab Nate’s hand. “Reid is the killer, and you get attacked by him in every version of your death. I need my phone.”
