Ashes to Ashes Read Free Page B

you dumb-ass.”
    â€œKat!” Lillia throws me a warning look before turning back to Eddie. “There’s no answer, Officer. Her school locker was emptied out, and—”
    â€œShe probably moved.”
    Finally Lillia returns my look—that Eddie is a freaking moron. “Then tell me why her house is in complete shambles and there’s a ton of broken glass in the driveway!”
    Lillia takes him by the hand and leads him over to the pile. He clicks his flashlight onto the shards even though it’s bright and sunny and we can see just fine. He crunches a few shards under his boot. “You can’t tell when this glass was broken. It could have been months ago. Years ago, even.”
    â€œYears ago?” I scoff. “Come on, Eddie. You sound like a damned idiot!”
    He narrows his eyes and puts a hand on his radio. “All it takes is one call, and you girls will both spend a night in jail for calling in a false report and insulting an officer of the law.”
    Lillia’s eyes widen. She’s totally falling for his fake-ass, weak-ass threat. “We’re not trying to be disrespectful—”
    â€œI am!” I shout.
    â€œPlease just check out the house, okay? Because if our friend is up there being tortured by her psycho aunt, and you didn’t properly investigate, you’ll be the one in jail!” And with that, Lillia folds her arms and purses her lips.
    Eddie stares right back, and then slides his nightstick out from his belt. “Fine. I’ll do a quick perimeter check. You two stay here.”
    But of course we don’t. We follow Eddie as he walks around to the back of Mary’s house. We both call out, “Mary? Are you there?”
    Eddie walks up the back stairs and knocks hard on thekitchen door with the butt of his nightstick. And, wouldn’t you know, the thing pops wide open.
    Lillia and I share a look before we push past Eddie and enter the house.
    â€œYou girls get back here!” Eddie shouts from the doorway. “I’m serious, Kat! Come on!”
    â€œMary?” Lillia calls out. “Are you in here?” Her breath makes tiny clouds. The heat is off. It’s even colder in here than it is outside.
    It’s dead quiet.
    And shit really is everywhere.
    I walk around the kitchen table. “This is so weird.” It looks like Mary and her aunt literally up and disappeared without any notice. Why else would there be dirty dishes left in the sink? There are empty plates on the table. I lean in close and see some mouse droppings.
    â€œKat, come on. Let’s check upstairs,” Lillia says.
    Eddie groans and takes one step inside. “This is unlawful trespassing!” he whispers.
    â€œYou coming with us or not, Eddie?”
    I pull my jacket up around my neck, and the three of us go deeper inside, through the hallway, through the living room. The place is still full of Mary’s family’s things. There are lighthouse and seascape paintings hanging on almost every wall and abunch of family pictures on the fireplace mantel. I walk up to one. It’s of Mary as a girl, posed with two people who I guess must be her mom and dad. She’s barely recognizable. I remember her telling us that she used to be overweight, and I couldn’t imagine it. But she was chubby. Big red cheeks, a double chin, round potbelly.
    I can totally see Reeve picking on her, that bastard.
    Lillia looks at the picture too. “Maybe this means she’ll come back here eventually. Her family will want to get their things, right?”
    â€œMaybe,” I say. But I don’t believe it. Looking around the rest of the room, I can see that most of it’s trashed.
    Lil and I make our way upstairs. Eddie’s already there, pointing his flashlight up another set of stairs, probably leading to the attic.
    We come to a bedroom and linger in the doorway. Unmade bed, closet doors wide open, clothes tossed