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Deputy Clark nodded.

“Who is it?”

“Sheriff’s brother.”

“Mayor Bricks?” I asked, frowning.

“No, Jonah.”

“Jonah Bricks?”

I had to get into that party.

When we reached Hollowhaven, it was late in the evening, and the trees had already started spinning shadows into the golden rays of the setting sun. After thanking Camille, I took a walk around the hospital grounds. The place was eerily calm, save for the occasional hum of distant voices or the shuffle of footsteps.

My thoughts raced, tangled and overlapping, chasing around each other.

Could it be Jonah?

A light tap on my shoulder made me jump.

“Oh, it’s just you.”

“Just me? That offends me.” Asher looked at me with a smile. “I missed you.”

For a moment, I thought about what Layne told me.

Did I really want to hold on to him?

Would it be too reckless to do so, too covetous?

“I missed your face too.”

“Just my face? Ouch. You’re bad for my ego, darling,” he said with a chuckle and stopped. “Hey? What did Tabitha’s mother say? Was it…”

“Asher, he-he killed her.”

Asher’s eyes widened.

“Are you okay?” He cupped my face, pulling me closer, his hands running along my body as if he wanted to check for himself.

“I’m okay. He left her in the bathtub. It was a warning. It was also a desperate last-ditch effort. Now that we are too close, he feels cornered, and…”

Asher’s jaw tightened, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “He’s starting to make mistakes. That’s new for him.”

“If he’s devolving, there’s no telling what he might do next,” I said, leaning into his warmth. He put an arm around me, after making sure we were alone. “Jonah Bricks… Could he be the killer?”

“Did you find something?” Asher reluctantly pulled away.

I hesitated for a moment before taking a breath. “There’s something you need to know. It might sound crazy, but the spiders…”

Asher’s eyebrow shot up.

“Do you remember the four-eyed spiders from Riley’s letters?” He nodded. “Jonah has a fucking terrarium full of spiders. I don’t believe in coincidences. Not when it’s so fucking massive.”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“There’s a thread here, Asher, and it’s somehow tied to Jonah. What if he’s the end? He’s rich and he has the means.”