Chapter 16
Penny Wilson is holding the coffee carafe when we enter Springside Police Department. Her mouth hangs open, and the handle slips through her fingers. The pot shatters on the floor, sending coffee and shards of glass everywhere.
Then she screams.
Chief bursts from his office, scowling and perturbed. “Penny, what the hell—”
At the sight of me, he freezes. He moves a hand to his chest and, on reflex, clutches the spot over his heart. I think he might be having an actual heart attack. I can’t make sense of it until I remember:
I’ve been gone for six weeks.
Then Chief does the one thing I didn’t expect. He steps forward and pulls me into a hug.
It’s awkward and weird, and I want to choke back the spate of tears that fill my eyes, but I can’t. I’m reminded of the man who found
