Apparition

WINTER'S POV:

THE NEXT DAY(BRITNEY'S FUNERAL)

The sky was gloomy, and the cemetery was covered in fog. Everyone was dressed in black, which only added to the sombre atmosphere. I turned to Slade, who stood by the car with a look of hesitation and walked over to him.

"What's on your mind?" I asked, touching his shoulder briefly. "You look lost in thought."

"Am I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You are," I said, frowning. "Are you thinking about Alex's involvement? Do you think he killed Britney?"

Slade's eyes snapped to me, and I shrugged.

"If he did, where could the child be?" I asked.

"Maybe he's working for someone," Slade asserted and took a deep breath, clutching my hand in his.

"You'll get to question him later," I reminded him. "Right now, we need to get through the funeral."

"Sure," Slade puffed out another breath before pulling me towards the elder Lawrence, who often performed the funeral rites.

Britney's parents were a few meters from us, and I nodded to both of them before