The Hunt (7 page)

‘What do you think has happened?’ Eve whispered.

Luke thought she knew. The same way he thought he knew. It was just that neither of them wanted to say it aloud. Luke forced the words out. ‘I think they’re talking about Ms Taylor. I think she’s dead.’

Eve pressed her back against the wall. She needed it to prop her up. Her legs felt boneless, completely unable to keep her upright. Ms Taylor was dead.
Dead
. Eve felt the blood draining from her face at the thought.

Her fingertips began to prickle and she felt static electricity whisper through her hair. Her body was preparing for battle, even though whatever had killed Ms Taylor wasn’t near enough to zap.

Luke wrapped an arm around her, and Eve turned and buried her face in his chest. His warm body supported her so, so much better than the cool hard wall. She put her arms around his back and held on tight. The comfort of being that close to him helped keep her powers from flying out of control. For a few moments they just stood and breathed together.

I’m standing here hugging Luke
. The thought startled her and she jumped away from him. ‘That
was …’ She wasn’t sure what word went there. Nice? Awkward? Comforting? Awkward? Hot? Awkward?

‘Yeah.’ Luke said the word to his shoes. Then he looked up at her and they both kind of laughed. ‘Yeah, that was …’ Eve waited to hear what word he’d use. ‘It was … that. Let’s get out of here.’

Eve nodded, and they walked over to one of the side entrances. They both acted like they had permission to leave as they stepped out into the crisp fall air and kept walking – not too fast – across the fallen leaves in the quad and down the street.

‘Ms Taylor …’ Eve began. ‘Whatever killed Kyle is still out there.’

‘I know.’

They continued in silence, making their way over to Main Street. ‘Hot chocolate?’ Luke suggested as they approached Java Nation.

‘Perfect,’ Eve answered. ‘Hot chocolate is my go-to beverage of comfort.’

Luke opened the door for her. ‘Which is why I asked,’ he said.

‘You knew that? Why do you know that?’ she asked.

‘I realize that we haven’t known each other very long, Evie, but we have been in a bunch of situations that required hot chocolate,’ Luke said.

‘And here we are again.’ Eve let out a sigh. ‘Hot chocolate central.’

‘I’ll get our drinks.’ Luke said.

Eve chose a table in the corner, one that wasn’t easy to see through the big front windows. After all, she and Luke had cut last period. ‘Whipped cream!’ she called as Luke stepped up to the counter.

He gave her a tell-me-something-I-don’t-know eye roll. Eve smiled. Somehow, even with the badness that had clearly invaded Deepdene, being with Luke could still make her smile. Eve idly rubbed at the scorch mark on her hand. The burn wasn’t bad, but looking at it bothered her. It had taken way too long to shoot out the bolts of fire that torched her bed frame. In fact, she’d actually given up any hope of switching her power on. She wouldn’t have been aiming at the bed frame if she’d thought she’d been
live
. She’d flopped down on the bed, arms flung up over her head, then –
zap
. Not good.

She was getting better though. Before the bedframe incident she’d managed to light a few candles. No melting. No exploding.

‘Double whipped cream,’ Luke announced as he set the big cup in front of Eve and sat down across from her.

Eve swiped her finger across the whipped cream, then licked it off. She loved to have one taste of the whipped cream straight up, before she let it mix with the chocolate.

‘Can I have a taste?’ Luke opened his mouth, like he expected her to hold out a fingerful of whipped cream for him to lick.

Luke’s a flirt
, Eve reminded herself.
He flirts with everyone. He can’t help himself. Doesn’t mean a thing
.

‘You want a bite, go ask for a spoon. Even better, ask for your own whipped cream,’ Eve told him. She shook her head. ‘I
really
hope that wasn’t your A game.’

‘Not even close. When you see it, you won’t have to ask,’ Luke joked. He took a notebook out of his backpack and flipped it open. ‘We need to come up with a way to get more details about Kyle and Ms Taylor’s deaths. We’ve got to find out what we’re dealing with.’

‘But we don’t even know for sure that she’s dead,’ Eve said. But her gut really, really knew. ‘We don’t know what happened. They didn’t say anything about an animal attack, or even that they found her body. Maybe she’s only missing.’

‘You don’t believe that, and neither do I,’ Luke said. ‘Ms Taylor’s body …’

Eve put a hand on his wrist, stopping him. She tilted her head to the right.

‘Trench. Perfect,’ he muttered, catching on.

The reporter stood across the street, talking on his cell. He didn’t look as if he had taken off his coat since they saw him at Kyle’s funeral almost a week before. It was even more rumpled and stained than it had been then. And it seemed like he hadn’t shaved since then either. The stubble on his face was thick and dark.

‘Do you think he knows?’ Eve asked softly. ‘About Ms Taylor?’

‘No,’ Luke decided. ‘If he knew, he’d already be at school, sniffing around, hoping he’d find someone to give him the gory details.’

‘The details we want,’ Eve reminded him, her eyes still on Trench.

‘We want them so we can help. Not to sell a story.’

‘He’s coming this way,’ Eve said. Trench had started across the street. ‘Let’s leave. I don’t want him asking us how everyone at school is dealing with Kyle’s death.’

Luke stood and grabbed his coffee. Eve picked up her hot chocolate. They hurried out of Java Nation.

‘I’d say we should just go hang at my house,’ Eve said. ‘Probably neither of my parents is home right now. But some of our neighbours are very chatty. I can just see one of them asking my mom why I was out of school early this afternoon.’

They turned the corner, leaving Main Street, and meandered down the sidewalk as they sipped their drinks. ‘Try being the minister’s kid. People love to tell my dad everything I do,’ Luke said. ‘Probably at church this Sunday someone will ask my dad if he approves of my drinking coffee at my age.’

‘It must be hard for him to have a son that’s so out of control,’ Eve kidded.

‘You said it.’

Eve’s iPhone buzzed. ‘Message from Jess,’ she told Luke. She held it up to him so he could read it:
WHERE R U? BAD NEWS
.

Eve shot out a reply:
MS T? I KNOW. WITH LUKE. MEET AT MINE IN
10?

Her friend sent back an ‘OK’ almost instantly. ‘Jess is going to meet me at my house,’ she told Luke. ‘Want to come?’

‘I should go home. The papers from the church might have some key information, and I want to keep translating,’ Luke said.

Eve felt a little pang of what felt like disappointment. She’d just assumed Luke would come with her. But his plan made sense. ‘Jess and I will hit the computer and see what we can find out.’
I’m not disappointed
, she decided.
I see Luke all the time. I guess I’m just a little worried about walking home by myself
.

Not that she had far to go alone. She and Luke went in the same direction most of the way. Eve only had to walk about a block by herself, and when she was halfway down that block she spotted Jess on the porch waiting for her. Eve picked up her pace, and Jess hurried down the porch steps and out Eve’s front gate. When they met on the sidewalk Eve gave her friend a tight hug.

‘Oh my God, Eve,’ Jess said as they headed into the house. ‘I just – oh my God.’

‘I know,’ Eve agreed. ‘What did they say about Ms Taylor at school? Did Principal Allison make an announcement? Luke and I overheard her and Mrs Ollestad talking. That’s how we found out something had happened to her. She’s dead, isn’t she?’

‘Yeah,’ Jess answered. ‘The principal went from class to class telling people Ms Taylor’s body had been found. She didn’t give any details, just tried to keep everyone from losing it.’

Eve and Jess went directly to the living room. Eve grabbed the remote and clicked on the TV. ‘We didn’t hear the specifics either.’ A couple more clicks and she saw the image of their school. Ms Taylor’s death had reached the news. People were milling about in front of the main steps as the reporter spoke to the camera. Eve sat down on the couch next to Jess.

‘… confirmed to be Ms jill Taylor,’ the TV reporter was saying. ‘Her body was discovered by Allen Hodges of Amagansett, who was walking his dog in the Deepdene woods, very near where the body of Deepdene High student Kyle Rakoff was found last week. The wounds on Taylor’s body are very similar to those suffered by Rakoff, according to early reports from the chief of police. Bites and claw marks were present, and her body had been completely drained of blood.’

Eve and Jess exchanged a look. ‘The same thing got Ms Taylor that got Kyle.’ Jess’s voice shook as she said the words. Eve nodded, then returned her attention to the TV.

‘The cause of Taylor’s and Rakoff ‘s wounds has yet to be determined. While they appear to have been the victims of some kind of animal attack, forensics specialists haven’t been able to match a specific
animal to the bite and claw marks. Additionally, search parties made up of the local police and concerned citizens have been attempting to find the animal – whatever it may be – without success.’

‘Cos they’re looking for an animal,’ Eve said. She was becoming more and more convinced that there was a supernatural being behind the murders. Maybe a demon, maybe something else, but nothing
normal
.

‘The police are investigating possible connections between Taylor and Rakoff. Rakoff was not one of Taylor’s students, but in a school the size of Deepdene High it is very likely they have had some contact.’

The front door flew open so fast that it hit the wall with a bang. Eve and Jess both jumped.

Eve’s father was out of breath, and he looked relieved to see them. ‘Eve, you’re here. And Jess too. Good. Neither of you should be alone. I left the office as soon as I heard.’ He closed the door more gently. ‘Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to scare you.’ He sat down on the couch next to Eve and glanced at the television. ‘Look at those vultures.’ More reporters had joined the scene. Eve spotted Trench among them. They were all trying to find students and teachers who would talk to them.

‘Doesn’t sound like there’s any new information,’ her dad said as the reporter began repeating the basic facts again. ‘Your parents know you’re here, don’t they?’ he asked Jess.

‘Yup,’ Jess said.

‘Good. Otherwise they’d be frantic.’ He looked at Eve. ‘Your mom’s on her way home too.’

‘Mom’s coming home early?’ Eve asked in surprise. Both her parents had high-powered jobs. She hardly ever had both of them home in time for dinner, although they tried hard to make sure one of them was.

‘She’s worried. Two deaths in two weeks in our little town. With no real idea what’s happened.’ He shook his head, then got up. ‘I’m making my famous mac and cheese. You staying, Jess? You’re very welcome.’

‘Thanks, Mr Evergold. That would be great,’ Jess called after him as he headed for the kitchen.

Eve clicked the TV off. ‘We can check in a little while to see if they’ve figured out anything new. We should hit the computer and keep looking for creatures that match the attacks, even though we don’t have super-detailed information.’

‘What key words should we try this time?’ Eve asked when they were up in her bedroom, settled at the
computer. At least her power surges were more under control. She’d stopped shorting out electronics, which she’d done almost non-stop for the first few weeks after her Deepdene Witch powers had manifested.

‘How about … “demon attack with bites”?’ Jess suggested.

Eve typed the words into Google and started skimming through the results. ‘A lot of these deal with the mysterious appearance of bite marks on a person. Claw marks too. But I’m not seeing anything where the attack was so bad that somebody died.’ She tapped her fingers lightly on the keyboard. ‘I’m going to try “supernatural deaths”.’

‘Sometimes I can’t believe we’re doing the things we do,’ Jess said. ‘Like this. Trying to identify what supernatural being is murdering people in our town.’

‘I know.’ Eve scanned the new results. ‘The whole first page is all about that show
Supernatural
. There was an episode called “Death Takes a Holiday”.’ She clicked to go to the next page. ‘More stuff about the show.’

Jess peered over Eve’s shoulder. ‘It’s telling us we could also try “
mysterious
supernatural deaths”,’ she pointed out.

‘Is there any other kind?’ Eve started the new
search. ‘Here’s one about a hospital where every patient who was in a certain bed on a Friday morning – every Friday morning – died.’

‘Creepy. Any bites or claw marks?’

‘No.’ Eve gave a snort of disgust. ‘It says when the hospital set up surveillance they saw a cleaning woman go into the room and unplug the life-support system so she could plug in the vacuum.’

‘That sounds like an urban legend. Not helpful,’ Jess said.

‘So not helpful, and so stupid,’ Eve agreed. She returned to the results. More stuff about
Supernatural
the show. Some entries about the movie
The Grudge
. Didn’t anyone care about real life?

‘Oooh. Here’s a blog about supernatural stuff.’ Jess tapped the screen, and Eve clicked on the link. Which, for some bizarre reason, took them to a site with a list of local dry-cleaners.

‘You don’t think
something
is trying to stop us from finding out what we need to know, do you?’ Jess asked.

‘I don’t think a demon has taken possession of my computer so it can keep us from searching the Net, if that’s what you’re asking.’

‘It was. And you never know,’ Jess said.

‘Eve, Jess, dinner!’ Eve’s mom called before Eve could reply.

‘It’s just the Internet as usual,’ Eve said. ‘You always get weird hits when you do a search. Nothing supernatural about that.’

‘Yeah. I guess it’s just when there’s some weird, horrible thing going on,
everything
starts to feel weird and horrible.’