Let Me Know by Stina Lindenblatt Read Free Book Online Page A

them with the herbed bread crumbs.” In the background, Carly Perry sings kiss me babe, love me babe, but never leave me babe. “Then you sauté them in the fry pan.”
    I dunk a cold chicken breast into the bowl with the egg. The song ends and the radio jockeys start talking. I’m not paying much attention to their banter—not until one of them says mall shooting.
    My head snaps up. Emma’s frowning.
    “What did they say?” I ask, hoping I misheard him.
    “There’s been a mall shooting.”
    “Where?”
    She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I missed that part.”
    There must be a million malls in the US, but it doesn’t stop me from quickly washing my hands and turning the television on in the family room. Emma joins me. Neither of us can be bothered to sit. We stand here, stunned.
    Mom was watching the TV last. It’s on the twenty-four hour news station. A reporter is interviewing a mother bouncing a baby in her arms. Her voice is cracked and choked with tears.
    “We were in the luggage store and heard several gunshots from down the mall. Then there was screaming.” The mother starts sobbing and the baby grows restless and cries, too.
    “Then what happened?” the reporter presses, ignoring the woman’s obvious distress.
    “T-then the salesperson hustled everyone into the storage room and we stayed there till we knew it was safe to come out.”
    “How did you know when it was safe?”
    “Someone called the police on his cell phone and they told us to stay put until security came to get us.” The mother switches the baby into her other arm. Large snowflakes blow against them. Neither the little girl nor her mom look like they want to be there, but the woman is an insect caught in a spiderweb—unable to tell the reporter where to go, and walk off.
    I want to scream at him to leave her alone. She doesn’t need the added stress of him questioning her, not when she’s still in shock. But I can scream all I want. He can’t hear me, and it doesn’t look like he would care even if he could. He’s got a story to report, a paycheck to collect.
    “How long were you in hiding?” he asks.
    “An hour.”
    “That’s a long time. How did you feel knowing there was a shooter in the mall?”
    “Scared. I thought we were dead.”
    “Thank you.” The reporter turns to the camera. “I’m reporting from Haysboro Mall, Chicago, where a shooter went on a rampage three hours ago. So far, eight people are confirmed dead, including the shooter, who shot himself before police arrived. Several other people are listed in critical condition. Reports are still coming in as to how many are injured.”
    My entire body turns colder than if I had stood in the coming storm, the wind howling around me inside me and out. Storms.
Nothing good ever happens in a storm
. The words play in repeat mode in my head.
    “Marcus was going there.” My voice is a strained whisper. I want to phone him, to hear his voice, but my body refuses to move, barely able to even breathe.
    “Are you sure?” Emma asks.
    I nod. “He called this morning and said he had to go to the mall before heading out.”
    “But are you sure he went to that mall? He could have gone to a different one.”
    “That’s the mall he said he was going to.” My chest tightens as I say the words, as if by doing that it prevents them from being true.
    “Phone him, Amber. There’s no point freaking out till you know for sure.”
    With a shaky breath, I call him on my phone.
    “This is Marcus. You know the drill.” Voice mail.
    “I just heard about the mall shooting,” I say. “Give me a call when you get this. Okay?” I press End. “He’s not answering.” I call Chase. He doesn’t answer either.
    “Chase. It’s Amber. Have you heard from Marcus lately? He said he was going to Haysboro Mall before leaving for Crossfields and I just heard about the mall shooting and he’s not answering my calls and I don’t know what to do.” I take a deep breath and