The garden suddenly felt colder.
Ford was the first to reach us.
Hayes followed behind him.
Pierce came last.
None of them looked relaxed.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Nobody answered right away. That alone made my pulse spike.
Ford pulled out a chair.
Hayes remained standing.
Pierce grabbed the whiskey bottle from the table and poured himself a drink.
The silence stretched.
Then Hayes finally spoke.
“Richard filed a missing person’s report.”
Camille froze.
Completely froze.
I watched the color drain from her face.
“What?”
Her voice barely came out.
Hayes’ expression didn’t change.
“He filed it this afternoon.”
For a second nobody spoke.
Then Camille laughed, a small confused laugh.
“I thought he didn’t care.”
“He doesn’t,” Hayes’ voice was flat. “He knows exactly wha
