Arthur looked at me, a mixture of fear and defeat in his eyes.

“He is at the Cumberland Avenue estate,” Arthur said.

“And he is not alone.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket again, the vibration sharp against my thigh.

I pulled it out, my wet fingers slipping on the glass screen.

It was a text message from an unknown number.

I swiped it open.

The message contained a single photograph of the front gate at Cumberland Avenue.

The heavy iron gates were chained shut, and a black security van was parked across the driveway.

Below the photo, a short line of text appeared on the screen.

*They are already inside.*

I stared at the glowing screen, the cold rain dripping from my eyelashes.

Arthur grabbed my wrist, his hand cold and shaking.

“We have to go to the estate right now, Emily,” he said, his voice cracking.

“Let her go, Arthur,” Evelyn said.

Her voice was quiet, but it cut through the sound of the wind and the crashing waves.

Helen wiped the rain from her eyes, glaring at her mother.