table in the corner, one that wasn’t easy to see through the big front windows. After all, she and Luke had cut last period. ‘Whipped cream!’ she called as Luke stepped up to the counter.
He gave her a tell-me-something-I-don’t-know eye roll. Eve smiled. Somehow, even with the badness that had clearly invaded Deepdene, being with Luke could still make her smile. Eve idly rubbed at the scorch mark on her hand. The burn wasn’t bad, but looking at it bothered her. It had taken way too long to shoot out the bolts of fire that torched her bed frame. In fact, she’d actually given up any hope of switching her power on. She wouldn’t have been aiming at the bed frame if she’d thought she’d been live . She’d flopped down on the bed, arms flung up over her head, then – zap . Not good.
She was getting better though. Before the bedframe incident she’d managed to light a few candles. No melting. No exploding.
‘Double whipped cream,’ Luke announced as he set the big cup in front of Eve and sat down across from her.
Eve swiped her finger across the whipped cream, then licked it off. She loved to have one taste of the whipped cream straight up, before she let it mix with the chocolate.
‘Can I have a taste?’ Luke opened his mouth, like he expected her to hold out a fingerful of whipped cream for him to lick.
Luke’s a flirt , Eve reminded herself. He flirts with everyone. He can’t help himself. Doesn’t mean a thing .
‘You want a bite, go ask for a spoon. Even better, ask for your own whipped cream,’ Eve told him. She shook her head. ‘I really hope that wasn’t your A game.’
‘Not even close. When you see it, you won’t have to ask,’ Luke joked. He took a notebook out of his backpack and flipped it open. ‘We need to come up with a way to get more details about Kyle and Ms Taylor’s deaths. We’ve got to find out what we’re dealing with.’
‘But we don’t even know for sure that she’s dead,’ Eve said. But her gut really, really knew. ‘We don’t know what happened. They didn’t say anything about an animal attack, or even that they found her body. Maybe she’s only missing.’
‘You don’t believe that, and neither do I,’ Luke said. ‘Ms Taylor’s body …’
Eve put a hand on his wrist, stopping him. She tilted her head to the right.
‘Trench. Perfect,’ he muttered, catching on.
The reporter stood across the street, talking on his cell. He didn’t look as if he had taken off his coat since they saw him at Kyle’s funeral almost a week before. It was even more rumpled and stained than it had been then. And it seemed like he hadn’t shaved since then either. The stubble on his face was thick and dark.
‘Do you think he knows?’ Eve asked softly. ‘About Ms Taylor?’
‘No,’ Luke decided. ‘If he knew, he’d already be at school, sniffing around, hoping he’d find someone to give him the gory details.’
‘The details we want,’ Eve reminded him, her eyes still on Trench.
‘We want them so we can help. Not to sell a story.’
‘He’s coming this way,’ Eve said. Trench had started across the street. ‘Let’s leave. I don’t want him asking us how everyone at school is dealing with Kyle’s death.’
Luke stood and grabbed his coffee. Eve picked up her hot chocolate. They hurried out of Java Nation.
‘I’d say we should just go hang at my house,’ Eve said. ‘Probably neither of my parents is home right now. But some of our neighbours are very chatty. I can just see one of them asking my mom why I was out of school early this afternoon.’
They turned the corner, leaving Main Street, and meandered down the sidewalk as they sipped their drinks. ‘Try being the minister’s kid. People love to tell my dad everything I do,’ Luke said. ‘Probably at church this Sunday someone will ask my dad if he approves of my drinking coffee at my age.’
‘It must be hard for him to have a son that’s so out of control,’ Eve
He gave her a tell-me-something-I-don’t-know eye roll. Eve smiled. Somehow, even with the badness that had clearly invaded Deepdene, being with Luke could still make her smile. Eve idly rubbed at the scorch mark on her hand. The burn wasn’t bad, but looking at it bothered her. It had taken way too long to shoot out the bolts of fire that torched her bed frame. In fact, she’d actually given up any hope of switching her power on. She wouldn’t have been aiming at the bed frame if she’d thought she’d been live . She’d flopped down on the bed, arms flung up over her head, then – zap . Not good.
She was getting better though. Before the bedframe incident she’d managed to light a few candles. No melting. No exploding.
‘Double whipped cream,’ Luke announced as he set the big cup in front of Eve and sat down across from her.
Eve swiped her finger across the whipped cream, then licked it off. She loved to have one taste of the whipped cream straight up, before she let it mix with the chocolate.
‘Can I have a taste?’ Luke opened his mouth, like he expected her to hold out a fingerful of whipped cream for him to lick.
Luke’s a flirt , Eve reminded herself. He flirts with everyone. He can’t help himself. Doesn’t mean a thing .
‘You want a bite, go ask for a spoon. Even better, ask for your own whipped cream,’ Eve told him. She shook her head. ‘I really hope that wasn’t your A game.’
‘Not even close. When you see it, you won’t have to ask,’ Luke joked. He took a notebook out of his backpack and flipped it open. ‘We need to come up with a way to get more details about Kyle and Ms Taylor’s deaths. We’ve got to find out what we’re dealing with.’
‘But we don’t even know for sure that she’s dead,’ Eve said. But her gut really, really knew. ‘We don’t know what happened. They didn’t say anything about an animal attack, or even that they found her body. Maybe she’s only missing.’
‘You don’t believe that, and neither do I,’ Luke said. ‘Ms Taylor’s body …’
Eve put a hand on his wrist, stopping him. She tilted her head to the right.
‘Trench. Perfect,’ he muttered, catching on.
The reporter stood across the street, talking on his cell. He didn’t look as if he had taken off his coat since they saw him at Kyle’s funeral almost a week before. It was even more rumpled and stained than it had been then. And it seemed like he hadn’t shaved since then either. The stubble on his face was thick and dark.
‘Do you think he knows?’ Eve asked softly. ‘About Ms Taylor?’
‘No,’ Luke decided. ‘If he knew, he’d already be at school, sniffing around, hoping he’d find someone to give him the gory details.’
‘The details we want,’ Eve reminded him, her eyes still on Trench.
‘We want them so we can help. Not to sell a story.’
‘He’s coming this way,’ Eve said. Trench had started across the street. ‘Let’s leave. I don’t want him asking us how everyone at school is dealing with Kyle’s death.’
Luke stood and grabbed his coffee. Eve picked up her hot chocolate. They hurried out of Java Nation.
‘I’d say we should just go hang at my house,’ Eve said. ‘Probably neither of my parents is home right now. But some of our neighbours are very chatty. I can just see one of them asking my mom why I was out of school early this afternoon.’
They turned the corner, leaving Main Street, and meandered down the sidewalk as they sipped their drinks. ‘Try being the minister’s kid. People love to tell my dad everything I do,’ Luke said. ‘Probably at church this Sunday someone will ask my dad if he approves of my drinking coffee at my age.’
‘It must be hard for him to have a son that’s so out of control,’ Eve
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