Chapter 57

The air was cold around me, but inside my body was boiling hot.

“Who do you think is behind it?” I asked, my voice small, almost breaking.

He didn’t answer right away. His jaw tightened, his eyes lowered for a second, and I could see he was calculating, weighing what to tell me and what to keep inside. Finally, in a low voice, he said, “I don’t think the person behind it is outside the state.”

The way he spoke made my stomach twist.

Benjamin’s gaze drifted toward Daisy, who sat at the table swinging her little legs, nibbling at her food while her eyes stayed glued to the cartoon playing on her iPad. She was giggling softly at something on the screen.

Then his eyes met mine again, sharp and steady. “I think the person is trying to mislead us, to make us believe he or she isn’t in this state.”

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “Do you think maybe… they asked someone who really isn’t in the state to send the message to the news?”

“Exactly.”