CHAPTER 66: WHAT DID YOU DO, ALDER?
MAXINE:
I wanted to get to the root of this matter as soon as possible. So as the sun began to rise the next morning, I headed to the edge of the forest, my boots sinking into the damp soil as I stared at the patch of earth Venus had pointed to.
The clearing looked ordinary—too ordinary for what I now knew was buried beneath it.
A monster had buried a little girl here. My niece. My sister’s only daughter.
I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, letting the morning air fill my lungs. I’d barely slept the night before, as I tossed around on my bed the entire night. Each time I closed my eyes, I would see Amira’s smiling face.
What kind of a monster would murder such a sweet little girl?
And her body had been hidden in plain sight for five long years
