Lies Never Sleep Read online

  Atlas realized he was seeing what so many of the murdered had seen before their deaths. “Stop it. This isn’t going to make our video go viral.”

  “Are you kidding? This office is a goldmine. I knew it would be.”

  “I’m going to see what else there is in the other rooms.”

  “It won’t be anything like this. I guarantee it.”

  “We’ll see.” Atlas marched to the door, then turned around. “Make sure you don’t get possessed while wearing that thing.”

  “If I do, you better get a video. Don’t go far.”

  “I’ll stay on this level.”

  “Oh, a lab coat!” Emmett pulled a white coat from a hook in the wall.

  Atlas returned to the corridor and froze when he saw a portrait of a creepy old woman in an ancient nurse’s uniform. It felt like she was staring straight at him.

  Shaking off the sensation, he hurried for the nearest door across the hall. It was already open, and he shone his flashlight around to find a room refreshingly boring—just a plain desk with papers spread around it and some books on shelves. No crazy masks or killing instruments.

  Emmett screamed.

  Atlas froze, his pulse pounding. Then he chastised himself for being so stupid, because Emmett was just being dramatic. Drama club was his favorite part of school. He wanted to be a famous actor someday.

  He screamed again. This time, it was shrill and he sounded in pain.

  “Stop playing around!”

  The hollering continued, and something crashed across the hall. Something that sounded big. Person-sized.

  Atlas searched for something that could be used as a weapon. He was in the wrong room for that.

  Glass shattered. More screaming. Two voices.

  Atlas turned off his flashlight. That would have to work as a weapon. He shoved his phone into a pocket and crept into the hall.

  Everything was quiet.

  He tried swallowing, but his mouth was parched. The flashlight shook in his hand, so he held it with both. It didn’t help.

  The only sound was of his ragged breathing. His senses were on fire. His skin burned. The air felt thicker the closer he got to the doctor’s office.

  He wanted to call for Emmett but couldn’t find his voice.

  If this was all a joke, his friend would laugh at him and never let him live it down.

  But Atlas hadn’t imagined the altercation. The screaming. The other voice.

  He stepped into the doctor’s office.

  It was empty.

  “Emmett?” Atlas’s voice was barely audible. He whispered for his friend again.

  That was when he noticed the bird mask on the ground, blood spattered across the beak.

  Atlas nearly peed himself. He turned around and scrambled toward the stairs.

  Fingers wrapped around his arm and squeezed.

  He turned to see who it was, but something struck his face. He stumbled, his arms flailing out for the railing. The flashlight dropped from his grasp and bounced down the stairs.

  The person shoved him. Atlas fell down the stairs. Pain shot through his shoulder on impact. Then his head, his hip. Everything went by in a blur as he rolled and bounced down the stairs. He stopped hard at the bottom when his temple slammed into something.

  Everything went black.

  2

  Dr. Morgan James

  * * *

  Beep! Beep!

  Morgan James fumbled for his alarm on the nightstand until finding the snooze button. He moaned, pulled the pillow from underneath his head, and covered his face.

  It had been another late night at the office, and unfortunately he had a full schedule of clients early this morning. But Lila had been harping on him last night, again, and he hadn’t been in any mood to deal with it, so he’d gone back to the office. He probably should’ve just slept there on the couch in the nurse’s lounge. It wasn’t like anyone would’ve known.

  Lila shoved him. “Turn off your alarm.”

  He sat up and let it beep a few more times just to spite her, then he turned it off. She was the reason he was so tired. If she hadn’t been nagging him, he’d have stayed home and gotten to bed at a reasonable time.

  She muttered something, but he ignored her and got up. He grabbed a pale blue shirt, black tie, and slacks before heading into the bathroom.

  Twenty minutes later, Morgan marched down the hallway. The shower sounded from the kids’ bathroom—though none of them would be “kids” much longer. Atlas was already eighteen, a legal adult, and the twins had just turned sixteen and were both driving their new cars. Scarlet had picked a sensible sedan, and Violet had chosen a sporty little red car—though Morgan had made sure it was highly rated for safety.

  Both of the girls’ bedroom doors were open, but Atlas’s was closed. Sleeping in again, no doubt. How that kid would survive college was anyone’s guess. He got good grades, but mostly because of Morgan and Lila pushing him.

  Morgan opened the door. “You’re going to be late!”

  No movement on the lumpy bed.

  “I’m not going to drag you out of bed, Atlas. Get up!”

  Still nothing. Not even a protest for just a few more minutes of sleep.

  Anger twisted in Morgan’s gut. He marched over to the bed, stepping over a backpack and some dirty clothes, then flung the comforter from the bed. Instead of seeing his son’s too-long hair, all he saw were pillows and blankets bunched up to make it look like he was lying in bed.

  Morgan stared in disbelief for a moment before he realized they’d been played. The anger in his gut intensified. He didn’t have time to deal with this.

  Yet he had to. He whipped out his phone and called his son.

  Straight to voicemail.

  Atlas may have been eighteen, but he would find himself with the worst grounding of his life. How dare he sneak out like this!

  But why wouldn’t he return before it was time to get up? Atlas would know Morgan would be in here, forcing him out of bed. The kid was smart. Lazy, but smart. He could probably go further than anyone else in the family if he actually applied himself.

  Something had to be wrong.

  Morgan swore, then stormed back to his bedroom. “Where did Atlas go last night?”

  Lila sat up, her blonde hair sticking out in every direction, and glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Atlas. Where did he go?”

  “Nowhere. It’s a school night.”

  “His bed would say otherwise.”

  “What?” Lila scrambled out of bed and raced down the hall to Atlas’s room. “What’s this?”

  “He faked you out last night.”

  Her scowl faded. “Where is he now?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Where would he have gone?”

  “I don’t know. Have you tried calling him?”

  “Of course I did! Has he mentioned wanting to go to a party or concert that we said no to?”

  “Comic-Con would be more likely than either of those.” Her tone insinuated that he didn’t know their son at all. “And no, he hasn’t mentioned anything. Have you called Emmett?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll call him.” She disappeared into the hall.

  Morgan went through his son’s desk and dresser, trying to find any clue as to his whereabouts. There weren’t any.

  Lila reappeared, on the phone. She shook her head. “Just goes to voicemail.”

  “Same with Atlas’s phone.”

  The same worry showed in her eyes as Morgan felt. “Who else should we call?”

  “Maybe Brielle knows something. They’re practically the Three Musketeers.” Lila turned to her phone’s screen.

  “I’m going to call Zion and Rowena.” If they couldn’t reach Emmett, maybe his parents knew something.

  Lila spoke with Brielle and wandered into the hallway. Morgan paced and raked his fingers through his hair as the Powell’s home phone rang.

  “Hello?” Rowena
Powell sounded as tired as Lila had just minutes earlier.

  “Rowena, this is Morgan. Have you—?”

  “Morgan, what’s going on?”

  “Do you know where Atlas is?”

  “No. Isn’t Emmett with him?”

  “I have no idea. That’s the problem.” Morgan took a deep breath. “Where’s Emmett?”

  “You don’t know?” Rowena’s voice raised an octave. “He spent the night at your house!”

  “What? No, he didn’t. It’s a weekday.”

  Rowena muttered something. “So, neither of them is at your place?”

  Morgan glanced at the bed full of pillows and blankets. “No.”

  Lila burst into the room. “Brielle said Atlas and Emmett went to a haunted house!”

  “A haunted house?” Morgan exclaimed. “Halloween isn’t until next month. Is she still on the phone?”

  Lila shook her head no. “She’s trying to call the boys.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  “What’s going on?” Rowena asked.

  Morgan forgot he was on the phone. “Brielle said they went to a haunted house last night. Did Emmett mention anything about that?”

  “No. He just said he was spending the night at your house! Said they had a big test to study for.”

  “They wouldn’t have tried to pull this off if they didn’t think they could get back in time to cover their tracks. Something had to have gone wrong. I’m going next door and talking to Brielle.”

  “And I’m calling the police!”

  Morgan ended the call and marched into the hall.

  “Where are you going?” Lila chased after him.

  “Didn’t you hear me? I’m going to speak with Brielle. She’s the only one who has any idea what’s going on around here.”

  “Rowena and Zion don’t know anything?”

  Morgan shook his head. “They thought he was spending the night over here.”

  “On a school night?”

  Violet and Scarlet both looked up from their breakfasts at the kitchen table.

  Scarlet tugged on her ponytail. “What’s wrong?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Morgan snapped. “Just get to school.”

  Lila looked at him like he was crazy. “We can’t hide this from them.”

  “I’m not hiding anything. They need to focus on their grades.”

  “You’re insane.”

  He shot her a death glare. “Don’t start with me, Lila. Not now.” He turned to the twins. “We don’t know where Atlas is. Everything is probably fine, so just go to school and don’t worry about it.”

  The girls exchanged raised eyebrows.

  “Atlas is going to be in trouble.” Violet’s tone held a song.

  “It’s not like him,” Lila insisted.

  Scarlet twisted her ponytail and frowned. “That’s true.”

  “Maybe he’s rebelling.” Violet applied some lip gloss and picked up her plate. “It’s about time.”

  “Something has to be wrong.” Tears shone in Lila’s eyes.

  Scarlet’s face paled.

  Morgan bit his tongue. So much for the girls not worrying now. He needed to think of something to say to smooth everything over. Quick. Then he knew what to say. “He and Emmett are probably just getting into trouble. He’ll come home, then we’ll ground him. That’s all.”

  “Wait!” Violet spun around. “Emmett’s involved?”

  “Why do you care?” Scarlet asked.

  Violet scrunched her face. “I don’t.” But the way her mouth formed a straight line said otherwise.

  Not that Morgan had time to unravel that mystery with Atlas missing. “Time to go to school, girls.”

  “Are they going to be okay?” Violet stared at him.

  “Yes.” Morgan took a deep breath. “Because he’s too smart to get himself into a stupid situation. Emmett, I can’t say the same for, but Atlas wouldn’t do anything dumb.”

  “Mom?” Violet turned to Lila.

  Lila hurried over to the girls, then wrapped her arms around both of them. “They’re going to be fine and we’re going to do everything we can to find them. I promise.”

  Violet rested her head on Lila’s shoulder and Lila rubbed her back. Scarlet looked more confused than upset.

  His annoyance melted, and he went over and wrapped his arms around his wife and daughters. “I’m going to do everything in my power to find out what’s going on. We’ll bring them back home safely, just like your mother said. I won’t rest until we do.”

  “Neither of us will,” Lila said. “Are you two okay to go to school?”

  The twins both nodded yes.

  Morgan took a step back. “I have to speak to Brielle before she leaves for school. She’ll probably know more than anyone else. We’ll let you know as soon as we find them.”

  He hugged all three of them before heading outside.

  Brielle was next door, throwing her school bag into her car. Perfect timing.

  “Brielle!” Morgan waved for her to stop before she could drive away.

  She glanced his way. “Hi, Dr. James. I’ll let you know when I hear from Atlas.”

  He jogged over. “When did you see him last?”

  Two police cruisers came down the street without lights on and stopped in front of the Powell’s house.

  Brielle’s eyes widened. “Cops?”

  “Two kids are missing!”

  “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.”

  “That’s a myth. The sooner the police get involved, the better. And their job becomes much easier if they have all the information.” Morgan stared her down. “What do you know?”

  Brielle backed up. “Just what I told Mrs. James. They went to a haunted house or something. Some haunted building. They wanted me to come, but I said no. I don’t believe in all that stuff, and besides, I have a big test today. I was studying all night.”

  Morgan frowned and glanced over at the officers knocking on the Powell’s door. “You don’t know where they went?”

  She pulled some dark hair behind her shoulder and shook her head no. “Sorry. If I think of it, I’ll let you guys know. But I really have to get to school. I can’t be late for my test.”

  “Okay, thanks.” He wandered back to his yard and stared at the Powell’s house across the street. He wanted to race over there and tell them about Atlas, but surely they would come over next. Or would they?

  There wasn’t a moment to lose. It was already almost eight o’clock. Something could’ve happened to Atlas eight, nine, or even ten hours earlier. His stomach twisted into a tight knot.

  Morgan ran across the street and ran into the Powell’s house without knocking. He followed the voices into the kitchen, where Zion and Rowena sat with three police.

  “Who are you?” asked the woman officer.

  “Atlas’s father.”

  “The other missing boy?”

  “They were supposed to be at his house.” Rowena sniffled and glared at him.

  “Maybe you should’ve checked with us before believing Emmett.” Morgan pulled out a chair and sat. “Brielle says the boys went to a haunted house.”

  “Who’s Brielle?” A grumpy-looking officer stared at him.

  “Brielle Harrison, across the street and next door to us. She, Atlas, and Emmett have been good friends since they were little.”

  Zion leaned over the table, pressing his large dark hands on it. “What else did she say?”

  “Only that they wanted her to go with them, but she had no interest. And she had to study.”

  “Where’s the house?” Zion’s usually cheerful face was so intense, it sent a shiver through Morgan.

  “She doesn’t know anything. We’re going to have to ask their other friends. Someone has to know something.”

  The lady officer turned to him. “When did you notice your son missing?”

  Morgan glanced at the wall clock with carved African animals around it. “About twenty minutes ago. I thought
he was still sleeping, so I went in to wake him.”

  The police asked a dizzying amount of questions, repeating some of them, before asking to see Emmett’s room. Rowena went to show the way.

  The lady officer stayed back. She focused on Zion. “Your accent, is that Jamaican?”

  He nodded, then glanced the way the others had gone.

  “Did Emmett grow up there?”

  Zion studied her. “No. I did, though. What does this have to do with anything?”

  “Just curious if Emmett would have run away to go back.”

  “No. This is home. He likes Jamaica, but he doesn’t want to live there.”

  She made notes on a pad of paper. “Has he shown any other signs of wanting to run away?”

  Zion’s expression grew tighter. “He’s not a runaway! The kid has everything he wants here. Car, laptop, expensive clothes, more friends than he knows what to do with. He’s looking forward to college. Emmett’s the star of every school play and loves it. In fact, it got him a scholarship. He’s going places, and not to speak poorly of my home country, but he’s not going there.”

  She nodded. “Just trying to get the big picture. We’re going to need the names of all his friends. Anyone who would have any idea where they went.” She turned to Morgan. “And what about Atlas? Any reason to run away?”

  Morgan shook his head. “Pretty much the same as Emmett. Has everything he wants here. Excited about college.”

  “Into acting, too?”

  “No, he’s more into video games. Not just playing. He won a contest for creating one. That’s what he wants to do as a career.”

  The officer put her pen down. “You don’t seem too happy about that.”

  “I wouldn’t say I’m unhappy. I just expected more. Maybe becoming a doctor, like me. Or an attorney, like my brother.”

  “Hmm.” She scribbled on her pad.

  “What does that mean? What are you writing down?”

  “Just making notes. Anything can be a clue.”

  “I don’t have anything to do with the boys’ disappearance!”

  “Never said you did, sir.”

  Morgan took a deep breath. His temper would get the best of him if he wasn’t careful, and the last thing they needed was for the cops to start looking at him when they needed to figure out where the kids were. He took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm himself.