The Last Echo

Violet had forced Sara to break that promise the moment she’d followed the girl’s echo without telling anyone else what she was doing.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated numbly.

Sara’s curt nod told Violet there wouldn’t be any more lecture. And then her face softened. “How are you feeling? Do you still have the CDs Doctor Lee gave you?”

Violet nodded. She knew she’d need to listen to them when she got home; already she could feel the girl’s death—her unsettledness—weighing on her. Pulling her down and making her head throb.

“I’m going to make an appointment for you to see him again, so you can talk about what happened tonight. Does tomorrow work for you?”

Again, Violet nodded. “Sure. I can make it tomorrow.” Not that she really had a choice. She’d broken the rules, after all. Besides, Dr. Lee could help. He’d been teaching her how to cope with finding the dead.

With some bodies, she was left with a persisting heaviness that clung to her until the body was buried or cremated . . . until that body was at peace. That feeling blanketed Violet, deadening her to everything else. Normal function could be difficult, even impossible.

But Dr. Lee offered Violet techniques to help her stay focused, to remain anchored in the real world. He taught her breathing exercises and had given her meditation CDs. He used hypnosis, telling Violet to “imagine” herself staying in control while the dead tried to keep her with them.

And it was working. Even now, after finding the girl, Violet felt more . . . secure than she would have before. Clearer.

Sara nodded, accepting Violet’s response, then turned to Rafe again. “Why don’t you walk Violet to her car?”

Violet started to protest, but then thought better of it. Wasn’t that what Sara had just talked about, about being a team player, about looking out for one another? This probably wasn’t a good time to complain.

She watched as Sara marched away, going to join the buzz of activity that surrounded the crime scene. “Sorry about that,” she muttered to Rafe.

“About what? About wandering away, or getting me in trouble?” The glint was back, mocking her from his deep blue gaze. His dark eyebrows were raised challengingly.

She thought about telling him “both,” but then changed her mind. She wasn’t sorry for following the echo, because it had led her to the girl. Who knew how much time she’d saved them from aimless searching? She shrugged as they reached her car. “For getting you in trouble.” Violet unlocked the door and got inside, but Rafe grabbed the top of the door before she could close it.

He looked at her, his eyes finding their way inside of her, his intense gaze making her feel exposed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’ll see you later,” he finally said right before he slammed her car door shut.

The house was dark by the time Violet got there. Peaceful. She was careful not to make any noise as she crept up the stairs to her bedroom. There was no point disturbing her parents . . . or letting them know just how late she’d been out. They were already giving her far more freedom than she probably deserved, allowing her to come and go, even keep unusual hours, as long as her grades didn’t suffer. And as long as she promised to be careful.

They knew she was working with Sara now, and even though they didn’t entirely understand what it was that she did, they knew enough to be concerned. But they’d also been reassured by Sara that Violet’s safety would always come first, that Sara’s priority was to keep her team out of harm’s way. And it was. Sara was nothing if not cautious, and she’d spent the past several weeks trying to instill in Violet the importance of following the rules.

But sometimes Violet found it difficult to ignore that undeniable drive to find the dead. Sometimes that need was stronger than her resolve.

Like today.

She undressed quickly, changing into a pair of sweats and a threadbare T-shirt before reaching for her iPod, where she’d uploaded the CDs Dr. Lee had given her.

It wasn’t until she was about to press Play, just as she was climbing under her covers, that she noticed it, the envelope tucked beneath the edge of her pillow. She frowned as she reached for it, her fingers lingering for only a moment before pulling it free. The plain white envelope was blank, but she suspected who it was from.

She tore the top apart and unfolded the paper inside, her heart fluttering when she recognized the handwriting.

I miss you like crazy.

Jay

Violet grinned. It was just a note—a single line, really—but even his notes made her pulse race. Ridiculous, she thought as she ran her fingertips over his words, committing them to memory.

Then she tucked the note back where she found it, beneath her pillow, and collapsed into her bed. Pressing Play on her iPod, she listened as the sounds of ocean waves drifted through the earbuds, accompanied by a man’s easy, melodic voice, reminding Violet to breathe deeply as he walked her through the stages of relaxation, instructing her to release the tension in her shoulders, her arms, her fingertips, and her toes.

But when she finally fell asleep, she wasn’t thinking about the voice whispering in her ears or the quiet solitude of an island beach. Or even the haunting echo of the dead girl she’d discovered in a warehouse.

Instead, she fell asleep dreaming of secret notes and soft kisses. She fell asleep dreaming of Jay.

Chapter 2

VIOLET FELT BETTER THE NEXT MORNING. NOT A hundred percent exactly, but if Dr. Lee had been there, Violet was pretty sure she’d have kissed him on the mouth for making this part of her ability somewhat bearable. Unlike in the past after she’d found a body, she was able to think clearly, without the mantle of disorientation hanging over her like a stifling shroud.