To Tell An Altswood Lie (The Altswood Saga #3)

Chapter 17 - Apprehend

Chapter 17 - Apprehend

Gabriel and I trudged through the front door of his house, stepping into a hollow quiet that was only further heightened by the confusion we were mentally stirring in. We were both lost in a storm of thoughts, and had been silent during our entire walk from Delilah's house. When I closed the door on the night outside, its click echoed again and again through the roaring space of his empty house.

"It's got to be a trick," I finally said, hitting the nearby light switch to bring us out of the pitch darkness. "The killer thinks they're being real funny: it's some hah-hah gotcha knowing that we would try trace their IP."

Gabriel made an ambiguous noise, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with me as he disarmed his security system. "We need to make some calls."

We started to climb up his stairs, but then Gabriel stopped suddenly in the middle. I was so deep in thought that I nearly collided with him.

"What? What is it?" I hissed. I tried to peer past him, thinking he saw something.

"Oh, no, there's nothing there," he assured. "I was just wondering if you're hungry."

I shook my head. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, but I had no appetite.

"Okay, come on," Gabriel said, resuming his climb. "I have biscuits in my room anyway."

He flicked the light switch in his room on, and I beelined for his bed, collapsing face-first. While I grabbed all the blankets that my hands could manage and wound them around my head, Gabriel sat down on his desk chair, looking something up on his laptop.

I stared at the ceiling, breathing easy for the first time today. What was it about a blanket that made it so calming?

"What are you doing?" I asked Gabriel, rolling over.

"Looking up the phone number for the prison that Rebekah Gray is locked up in," he muttered. "Found it."

Gabriel dialled the number without any hesitation, and started speaking to the receptionist who had picked up. He asked after Rebekah Gray's status, then nodded, hanging up, immediately turning back to the laptop screen.

"Rebekah Gray is indeed still behind bars and serving out her sentence," he said. We had expected it anyway—it wasn't exactly easy to escape from a maximum security prison when you were a teenaged serial killer otherwise clean from criminal connections.

Gabriel dialled another number. This time, he asked after Joshua Koi's status, and hung up within the same minute. It was the same. Joshua was locked up, serving out his sentence.

"The IP address is a trick," I insisted. "It wouldn't be hard to manipulate, not by someone who's managed to come this far already."

"I know you're right," Gabriel said. "But let me check one last paranoid thought."

"Who else is there left?" I asked.

Gabriel looked at me levelly. "If this isn't faked, then Rebekah Gray is not the only person who has access to something in her name."

He brought his phone to his ear again, and waited for the number to dial. I watched his posture change when the other side connected.

"Hello," he said. His voice had dropped far lower than it usually was. "This is Mayor Kingston. Could I possibly ask you to look into your records for the name of the doctor who signed Beatrice Willis' death certificate in 2010?"

My jaw dropped slack, not believing that Gabriel was doing this. His impression of his father was scarily good.

"Oh, yes, yes, I understand," Gabriel continued, frowning. "This is an emergency, you understand. I'm sure the citizens of Bottle Island would appreciate your help." His face cleared into a smile. "Excellent. Could you put her on the line?"