November 13, Wednesday

THE SHARP rap on my door startled me from my book. I'd found a volume on witchcraft in Rose's bookshelf. I was reading about "charging" spell ingredients with energy before combining them. (Don't judge me, Friend.)

I opened the door to find Detective Jack Terry on my porch, his broad shoulders blocking out the morning light.

"Ms. Vanguard," he said, nodding. "May I come in?"

I stepped aside, suddenly conscious of my stained sweatshirt and messy ponytail. "Thank you for coming, Detective. Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thanks." He remained standing, hands in his pockets. "Just wanted to drop off the manuscript, like you asked." His mouth twitched downward. "And take some flowers to Serena's grave."

His ex-girlfriend Serena Benson, who'd been murdered years ago.

The man extended the boxed manuscript and I took it with both hands. "So you didn't find anything in the manuscript that was… incriminating?"

"I didn't have to read it. The Medical Examiner changed his mind about the cause of death after speaking to hospital staff. Wayne Blakemore died from an allergic reaction to a medication he took just hours before being discharged."

I heaved a sigh. "Such an unnecessary death."

He inclined his head. "Unfortunately, I see it every day."

"Have you made any progress with the vandalism case?"

"Maybe. Two students from Birmingham Southern were bragging at a party about desecrating a 'witch cemetery.' Campus police are questioning them now."

"And Rose's... situation?"

"No sign of the casket or body. If there ever was one."

"What do you mean?"

"The M.E. in Birmingham has no record of processing Rose Whisper's body. He can't say he did or didn't. The director of the local funeral home passed away and left incomplete records. It's like she just... disappeared."

Could Rose still be alive? Sawyer had "found" her body, but could he be in on some kind of ruse to fake her death?

"Detective," I said slowly, "there's something you should know."

His eyebrows rose expectantly.

"Sawyer King... he's related to the Whispers. He's Rose's cousin, actually. Through her uncle."

Jack's expression sharpened. "The stonemason? Why hasn't he ever mentioned this?"

"It's complicated. He was conceived during an affair, so hardly anyone knows." I took a deep breath. "And there's more. I found Rose's diary when I first moved in, but now it's missing."

"Missing how?"

"Just... gone. Someone must have taken it while I was out."

Jack pulled out his notebook. "Did Sawyer King have access to the house?"

I swallowed hard. "Yes."

"The valentine you found in Rose's room—could he have written it?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I showed it to him before I gave it to you, but I couldn't tell if he'd seen it before."

Jack scribbled something in his notebook. "Ms. Vanguard, I need to ask—are you and Sawyer King... involved?"

My cheeks warmed. "Is that relevant?"

"Everything's relevant in an investigation." His voice softened. "I'm just trying to understand what happened to Rose. And maybe prevent history from repeating itself."

The weight of his words settled over me like a heavy blanket. "You think Sawyer had something to do with Rose's death?"

"I think there are a lot of secrets in this town." He tucked away his notebook. "And I think you might be getting tangled up in them. Take care."

I watched him drive away, his words echoing in my head. Had I just made a terrible mistake telling him about Sawyer?

Or had I finally done the right thing?

Either way, I had a feeling the real consequences were yet to come.