The Memory Keeper Read online

  Chapter 10

  Collapsing on the bed, Cody closed her eyes. The day had dragged so many emotions out of her that she was empty. She listened to cars passing outside, to a door shutting somewhere, to the voices of an adult and child arguing. She was grateful for the quiet inside the room, and more grateful for the solitude.

  The phone rang, jerking her up off the bed. She gasped, as if she’d just choked on her heart. May. No. It wouldn’t be her mother after the last call. That would mean giving in and May never gave in, never shifted, never lost. Cody wiped the palm of her hand down her thigh, and picked up the hand set.

  “Hello?”

  Silence.

  “Hello?” She repeated the word louder.

  “You’re a smart girl.” The voice was soft, barely there, lifeless.

  “What?” The fine hairs on Cody’s neck stood up.

  “You’re a smart girl. You’ll quit tattling. You’ll go home.”

  There was no anger in the voice, no emotion of any kind. The click of the phone disconnecting was louder than the whisper.