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If Pete didn’t like this answer, he might just shut down.
Clary was sick of dealing with the mystery of Pete Laker. She didn’t care about the conspiracy theories he was sending her. She didn’t care about the doom and gloom he was spewing because she was dealing with the Andersons.
But she needed to end it to prove this had nothing to do with Mr. E. She needed to find out who hired the ex-detective.
She hesitated for a moment, then sent the text message. She bit down on her lips while she waited for the reply.
With her phone between her hands, Clary drummed her fingers on the sides. “Reply. Reply.” She paused and narrowed her eyes when she thought she heard someone calling her name.
Shaking it off, she sent Andrea a text. Any plans today? Or tomorrow? Want to accompany me to meet someone who may be stalking me?
Andrea’s reply came back almost immediately. Since when did you get a stalker? When and where? I’m almost done with my nails.
Clary grinned. “No definite time and place yet,” she said as she typed. If given the choice—and there was no way she was meeting Pete if she couldn’t control the location—where would she choose?
She licked her lips.
Again, she thought she heard someone calling her name, so she stopped the music.
“Clary?” There. It was obvious this time.
The word itself was merely a mumbled echo. It might not even be her name.
Then came the pounding on the door, and a louder shout this time.
With her phone in hand, she jogged back up the stairs.
“Clary!” The voice was becoming more panicked.
She unlocked the door and pulled it open, and Zane’s fist almost made contact with her head. But he’d paused, and she’d ducked.
“What’s going on?” Seth asked from behind Zane.
Clary straightened while Zane took a step back.
“She wasn’t out here, and I thought I heard noises from the cellar,” Zane said and stepped back again. “But when I tried the door, it was locked. I thought something was wrong.”
“I locked it,” Clary said and gave her phone a wave. “And I was playing music on my phone. It might’ve been a little loud.” Which was exactly what she wanted—for the music to drown out everything, including her thoughts.
Seth put his hand on her back. “You don’t even lock your bedroom door, even after I’ve reminded you several times.”
“I wanted to be alone.”
Seth dropped his hand and leaned away from her, so she stepped toward him to close the space between them.
She wasn’t upset with Seth, and it wasn’t fair for him to suffer the consequences. “Is something wrong?” she asked Zane.
“No.” Zane ran his hand through his hair. “I came out here to apologize.”
“No need.” She wasn’t interested in an apology. “I won’t call Mr. E to ask him about Pete. I know he has nothing to do with it.”
Zane opened his mouth, then shut it after glancing over at Seth.
“Okay,” Seth said.
Her lips curled, while Zane’s chest rose. But if he didn’t agree, he didn’t voice it.
“I want to show you something.” She took Seth’s hand and pulled him into the cellar, then closed the door behind them. She didn’t say another word until they stepped off the narrow stairs. “Honestly, do you think Mr. E’s the one who hired Pete? I won’t be upset. I just want to know what you think.”
