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1
Shaw tried to make sense of the words.
There’s been an incident.
Ambyr Hobbs hanged herself.
North’s hand squeezed Shaw’s shoulder, and Shaw felt himself sink down into the moment. It was surreal, sitting in the Cock of the Walk, with country music playing in the background and the smell of fried chicken hanging in the air. John-Henry still stood with the phone pressed to his ear; Emery sat next to Evie, the frozen amber of his eyes catching the light in a way that made them glow. Auggie leaned into Theo, happiness crumbling to ash behind the bandage on his face. Theo wrapped an arm around him, expression grim.
“Jesus,” Jem said.
And then John-Henry spoke again. Even before the words came out, Shaw felt their force—destabilizing, undermining, like backwash dragging grains of sand out from under their feet.
“It gets worse. Someone killed Dalton Weber in his cell tonight. And they murdered Sheriff Engels in the process.”
Tean shook his head. “That’s not—” He stopped, but they all heard the word he hadn’t said:possible. Because, of course, it was possible. Shaw only had to look at John-Henry’s face to see the reality of it.
“I’ve got to go in,” John-Henry said to Emery.
“Go,” Emery said. “We’ll be fine.”
John-Henry ran for the door. In the background, the music changed to Dolly. “Wildflowers.”
“We should—” Emery stood, scanning their table and then looking around the restaurant. Night made mirrors out of the windows, and in the glass, Shaw saw a group of frightened men. “Are the children done?”
“Lana’s finished,” Auggie said in a numb voice.
Pain flashed in Theo’s face, but he nodded.
“Come on, baby,” Emery said, lifting Evie.
“Where’s Daddy?” she asked.
“He had to work,” Emery said, and he sent a meaningful look toward the other men. “And we need to go home now.”
“I’ll check the parking lot,” Jem said. Tean held on to his arm for a moment, but Jem slipped free and pushed off from the table, jogging not toward the exit, as Shaw had expected in that first moment, but toward the kitchen. The girl who had taken their order said something like she was trying to stop him, and Jem said something back. It must have worked, whatever it was, because the girl laughed and waved him on, and a moment later, Jem disappeared from view.
“Guess being slipperier than goose shit has its advantages,” North grumbled.
Tean’s face creased with displeasure, and Shaw elbowed North.
“Uh, that was quick thinking,” North muttered.
“Oh my God,” Shaw said under his breath.
A moment later, Tean’s phone buzzed, and he answered it on speaker.
“Clear,” Jem said.
“Are you sure—” Emery began.
“If Jem says it’s clear,” Tean said, “it’s clear.”
Shaw waited for the argument, but Emery only nodded. Carrying Evie, he headed toward the door. Auggie copied the move, picking up Lana even though she was definitely too big to be carried. It didn’t stop Auggie, though, and he followed Emery. Theo was a step behind, his hand on Auggie’s shoulder. North motioned for Shaw to go ahead with Tean, and he brought up the rear as they filtered out of the restaurant.
The summer evening was hot and waiting for them, like a wet cloth pressed against their faces. It was hard to believe that it was past eight, but the sun had almost set, and in spite of the peach-colored arc in the west, the parking lot had fallen into shadow. It was mostly empty.
“Our house,” Emery said. “Everyone.”
