I couldn't remember the last time John and I were this busy on Thanksgiving Day. Not even last year was this active. I guess I was partially to blame for that. We were so used to attending my parents' house for Thanksgiving. It was easier for our families to gather as one.

However, I may have agreed to a slight change in our schedule on a whim.

This year, Evelyn had taken the initiative to invite John and I to her grandparents' house. She claimed there'd be very few people there. From what I understood, just her grandparents, herself, and a few of her grandparent's friends. I said yes before I could stop myself.

"How's the cheesecake doing, babe!?" John yelled from the room.

"It's almost done!" I yelled back, tossing the mittens on the counter.

"And the mac n' cheese!?"

"Checking on it now!" I responded. My legs moved as fast as they could. We'd been running around all morning, to mid-afternoon, like chickens with their heads chopped off. It was already twelve noon and neither of us had the chance to shower. We were too distracted by the last few dishes that needed to be made.

"The mac n' cheese is finished!" I huffed and wiped my forehead with my hand. The heat was starting to block my pores. I felt like I was suffocating.

I couldn't believe November had gone by this fast. It felt like yesterday I'd just found Mary's bones. Within the last stretch of November, three more girls were found. Mary had done everything she could to point them out.

I hadn't known them well except for what Cory had jotted down in his notes. According to the latest news reports, eleven-year-old Priyanka Laghari, ten-year-old Winnie Davis, and twelve-year-old Francesca aka "Frankie" Hawkins, were all listed under the headlines.

It'd probably have helped if I knew exactly what the choice of weapon for each of them was. All that the news and media outlets revealed was that most of the girls had experienced some sort of blunt force trauma to the face or head.

When I marked the places the recent girls were found on Cory's map, I couldn't help but notice an odd pattern. They almost shaped a circle. I wasn't sure if that was a coincidence. The girl's disappearances were random, but this felt planned.

It was as if someone was keeping track. Every single location seemed to be thought out, taking into consideration where the girl before had been buried. Perhaps, burying them in their favorite's places or the first places they could think of.

There were only a few suspects I could think of who'd have been able to execute something as careful as that. Jeremiah Adams had experience in the architecture field. Then, there was also Harrold Williams, who worked closely in the architecture field.

Being a real estate agent had its benefits, especially when it'd allow someone to know their town's layout like the back of your hand. That was West Greenbush in this case. Almost every piece of property that had a price on it, must have been clear in his knowledge.

But that was only speculation. There could have been other explanations for this.

Then, there was Veronica—who, with a little bit more convincing—agreed to share what she remembered with the police. We had left the bathroom together. And as I sat back in John's office, she slowly approached an officer.

She was soon let go and they officially had another possible lead to work with. All that was left was to track down that license plate. I was able to get a personal copy of the picture from Toya's Facebook. I hadn't asked for it. Veronica sent it to me to show me before she showed the police. I had it saved to my phone.

"Babe, the cheesecake!" John rushed into the kitchen.

I tensed and turned quickly, reaching for the mittens. When I handed them to him, he threw the oven open and tugged out all three cheesecakes.

"Sorry." I smiled sheepishly.

He waved me off, pecking my lips. "It's okay. You can go get in the shower now if you want. I'll stay in here and keep an eye on things while the cheesecakes cool down."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go." He nodded.

* * *

"Angie, John, get your butts down here so we can say grace!"

"We're coming, ma!" John called back, addressing my mother. His palm massaged my lower back as he kissed the top of my head and whispered soothing words into my ear.

"Do you think you can move now?" he said softly.

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me a second, please." I breathed out a heavy breath.

"Okay. Come on, baby, I got you," he murmured, helping me to my feet.

I followed his steps until I was standing straight.

Only then did the sudden round of obnoxious cramps begin to subside. I barely had a chance to prepare myself for them before they hit. Right when I was walking down the hall. That's how I knew Rosemary's due date was rolling in fast. She was eager, and I was suffering. There was no way in hell John and I were doing this again. And I meant that.

"Let's get down there, before they come to us." I chuckled. He smiled and grasped my hand, leading me down the stairs.

"There they are!" my mother glared. The distress must've still been written across my face because her face softened seconds after. But she didn't get a chance to talk.

"Come, come." Bernice rushed over, splitting us apart. "The food will get cold if you two don't move it."

"Okay, okay, mom. Chill out." John grunted, earning himself a harsh pinch on the cheek.

"Who are you talking to, boy?" She pinched harder.

I muffled my laughter and bowed my head, threading my fingers through the nearest people on my opposite sides. When everyone was settled, my mother began the prayers. Then, all was ready to go.

Within the next few hours, dinner went by in a breeze. It wasn't until we were approaching Evelyn's grandparents' doorstep that I kept track of the time. The clock had just hit 5:00 PM, and my nerves were reaching my legs. I could feel them shaking under my pants.

"Angie!" The door flew open. We were met with Evelyn's arms, which were flung in the air. "You brought John too! Hey, John. I'm glad you two could make it."

"Hi, Evelyn," John greeted with a wave.

"Hey, Evelyn. I hope we're not too late." I stepped into her arms for a hug. "And you invited him along, remember? He even made an extra cheesecake and brought it with us."

"Oh," she laughed quietly, "duh. Silly me. And that's great, thank you! We were in desperate need of some desserts. We just finished eating. We were about to settle in with a game of Spades."

"Oh, really? Awesome!" I rolled my eyes as John cheered behind me.

He was a sucker for Spades. Ever since my mother introduced him to the game during his senior year of high school, he played the game with them at every party, BBQ, and game night we had.

I remembered it because she used to use the same line she used when she taught my father how to play spades back when they first started dating—you can't hang with black folk and not know how to get down with some spades!

Which was ironic considering I couldn't play spades for the life of me. The first time she had tried to teach us, Cory got the hang of it on a whim, and I was stuck confused. I hadn't given the game another try since all those failed attempts.

"You play spades, John? I think my grandmother always explains it to me, but I always forget." Evelyn smiled sheepishly. "So, you can take my place if you want." She reached for the cheesecake he handed over with ease.

"Hell yeah." He grinned. "I'll be back, babe. Call me if you need me."

I barely had a chance to respond when he kissed my lips and fled.

"Well, he's gone." Evelyn laughed.

"Yeah, I lose my husband easily sometimes." I shook my head with a sigh.

* * *

Evelyn's grandparent's hallway was filled with minor pictures of Evelyn. There were some from her childhood. There were some from her teen years. And there were some that looked fairly recent. But none of them involved her parents.

Had her relationship with her parents been that bad? I wasn't even sure if she saw her parents anymore. I didn't know much about Evelyn to know her past. But there must have been some reason for that, right?

I was probably overthinking as usual.

"Here we go!" Evelyn retreated from the small room, a peach-colored stuffed bunny in hand with a light brown hat on its head and a map in its hands. "This is for you—well, Rosemary. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but I kept forgetting. My grandmother reminded me about it."

"Awe, Evelyn, you didn't have to, seriously—" I didn't get a chance to finish.

"Just take it. I want you to have it. You've done a lot for me, and I'd appreciate it if you took Sherman as my thanks," she interrupted, smiling.

My heart clenched at her kind gesture. She was going to make me emotional.

"What about you? Don't you want to keep it for her?" I nodded towards her stomach.

Evelyn fanned away my concerns. "Don't worry about what I'll get Teagan. I've got enough baby items to last me a long time after she comes out."

"What is he supposed to be anyway?" I played with the edge of the bunny's hat, flicking it with my fingers.

"When my grandmother was younger, she went on a trip to VA. She had an interest in archaeology, so she visited one of the museums. That's where she bought the stuffed doll from. So, I guess he's supposed to be an archaeologist." She shrugged.

"I see you've gotten Angie acquainted with Sherman." Both our heads whirled around at the deep voice on the other end of the hall.

"Grandpa, what are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be downstairs playing spades?" Evelyn grinned.

"Well, this old man is getting his butt kicked. And not just by your grandmother this time either. Her husband nearly ran me out of pocket." Evelyn's grandfather laughed, taking a glimpse at me.

I was going to kill him if he was down there betting all his money. That was one of the cons of my mother showing John how to play spades. He loved to win. And he loved a challenge.

"Anyways, excuse me, I've got to use the bathroom. Don't forget to put everything back when you're done, Evelyn. Be careful up here by yourselves, both of you!" He stumbled past us, vanishing beyond the hall. Well, he was nice and witty, unlike her grandmother.

"I know, I know." She rolled her eyes, then glanced back at me. "Anyway, where were we?"

"Um, you were telling me—" I couldn't finish my sentence because I'd been distracted.

"Angie?" Evelyn called for me, but I didn't respond.

There was a small rectangular window in Evelyn's grandparent's hallway. The first thing I noticed was the butterfly. A thin piece of paper was pinned underneath its body. The upper half of the paper whipped back in the wind.

What I could see from the upper half was food. It seemed like a restaurant flier. I wasn't sure what that had to do with this, though. Damn, I hadn't gotten this stuck since the hint about the rivers.

This felt different compared to all the other hints Mary had given me over the past month and a half. This felt more like she was leading me to a living person than a dead girl.