Page 14 of Trick or Treat
"Couldn't he just be with some chick?" Trying to sound hopeful, I offer a suggestion, but he's quick to shoot it down.
"No, he hasn't been going out like that since... yeah... He was only going to grab pizza from down the block, and that was 24 hours ago."
"What's this about his phone saying he's in the cemetery?" Hearing myself say it, a bitter taste consumes my mouth, souring my taste buds and making nausea start to creep up my throat.
"I checked his location, and it says he's at the cemetery we were at the other night. Why would he be there?"
"Maybe to visit...her?"Guilt gnaws at me at the fact that I can't even say her name.
"You wanna take a ride over there with me to see if he's there?"
"Not really, but I guess so."
"Get ready, cusI'm coming now," he insists, making me roll my eyes as my head sinks further into the pillow.
Despite feeling like I’m about to have a nervous breakdown as a result of Carli's murder and the recent turmoil it’s caused, I hang up without objecting because I want to be there for my boyfriend and my friend.
I was under the impression that the police would be all over us and would have made a big deal out of her disappearance, so I’m surprised that they haven’t done anything to look for her. They explained it away by saying that since she was an adult who had just finished college, she probably wanted to go have some fun. I worry about it every day, but they never come banging on my door. However, there are times when I wish they would. That would imply that they’re actively pursuing her case as opposed to doing absolutely nothing.
When I’m dressed and presentable, so that I don’t appear depressed and strung out, I emerge from my room expecting to see Melanie, but our apartment is empty and strangely quiet.She's usually home.
Cold chills run through my body with each step I take toward the door. The wind is swirling the colorful leaves outside and slamming twigs and branches against the glass panes as I approach, with howls drifting in through the cracked, open windows. When I open it, wanting to be out of this creepy apartment, I run smack into River’s strong chest, my nose watering from the hard impact.
“Whoa, are you okay?" He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head, reaching behind me to close my front door.
"Yeah, I just got spooked. Hey, you know where Mel is?"
"She's working; she said she didn't want to wake you," he informs me, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank God. She made me worry, too."
The worry in his eyes is evident as he smiles, but it doesn't quite reach them.
We keep our conversation to a minimum on the drive to the cemetery because neither of us knows what to say. Since the accident, things havebeen extremely tense, which currently casts doubt on the status of our relationship.
We stroll around the cemetery, knowing the paths so well that we can navigate them without looking. Nothing stands out to us, and we don’t see anything from Shawn. When River looks up Shawn's location on his phone, it takes us to a Mausoleum at the back of the cemetery. Shawn's smashed phone is to the right, on the side, still turned on, but there’s no other sign of him.
"What the fuck is going on? This is so weird," River asks, running his hand through his hair.
"I don't know, Riv. But I think we should go and maybe file a missing person report on him."
"Yeah, I think you're right. Let's get out of here, babe."
Even after filing the missing person report for Shawn, hours later, when River and I leave the Salem Police Department, he has yet to make any contact with us. River is a mess, but I don’t blame him in the slightest given that his best friend is missing.
It’s a solemn drive back to my apartment. He won’t even reach over to hold my hand like he usually does, and knowing the gravity of the situation, I don’t bother trying to push it. When we return to my apartment, I’m a little surprised to see him get out of the car with me and hold my hand as he leads me to the door, after I had assumed he would just drop me off. I look up and notice the light in my living room is on, even though I know it wasn’t when I left.
Melanie must finally be home.I buzz us inside after entering the maindoor's four-digit pass code, expecting River to simply kiss me goodbye before leaving. However, that doesn’t happen.
"Do you mind if I hang out here for a while tonight?" he asks as we walk toward the elevator, his voice low and sad.
"Of course, Riv, you know I always want you to come up."
He smiles and squeezes my hand, bringing it to his mouth and quickly running his lips over my knuckles.
When we get to my door, I try the knob, but it's locked. I furrow my brows and take out my key, unlocking the main lock and the deadbolt, which is weird and unusual for Melanie to do when she's home, even since Carli's murder. What's even weirder is that when we walk inside, the apartment is pitch black, when I could've sworn I noticed the light on from outside when we walked up.
I squeeze River's hand harder, flipping the light switch on for the living room, and notice that Melanie isn't home after all. I look around cautiously, making sure that nothing is out of place, which so far it isn't, and keeping my worries to myself so I don't freak River out for nothing.I probably mixed up apartments and saw the light on next door.