Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 60676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Stretching my fingers out, I push my arm under it as far as I can and grasp the photo, pulling it out.
Using my phone, I flip the picture over and stare at it. It’s ripped, and the heads of the two people have been torn off, but it is a photo of a couple. I can’t tell who they are, but it’s without a doubt been torn in a fit of rage. I know, I’ve done it. Turning to Halo, I usher her over, and she takes the photo from me, studying it.
“That’s Alyssa, for sure. And it’s recent because she only just got that purse.”
She points to a pretty black purse Alyssa has clutched under her arm. The man with her has a hand dangling over her shoulder. He seems to be built fairly well, nicely toned and muscled, and he’s wearing a black tee and a pair of faded jeans. His brown suede shoes and her pretty red dress tell me that they were maybe going somewhere nice.
Squinting, I try to take note of what’s in the background.
“I know where this is,” Halo whispers, pointing to a set of tables and chairs in the background, unique by the pretty garden set behind them. “It’s a couple of towns over, my parents took me there once and I remember because the garden was so nice.”
“Do you know who he is?” I question.
She shakes her head. “No, he doesn’t seem familiar, but it doesn’t help that I can’t see his face. He has a tattoo, look ...”
She points to a tattoo peeking out of the top of his shirt. It’s hard to see because we can’t zoom in on this damn photo, curse old fashioned things. Still, it looks like it might be some kind of Celtic symbol. The only reason it’s visible is because the shirt he is wearing has a V neck and dips low enough to show it.
Still, it’s something.
“Well, I guess we’re going on a road trip to see if the people at the restaurant remember them being there.” Paulie grins. “The cops have nothing on us.”
Halo stares at the picture for a long time before exhaling. “I wish she had told me who he was. She kept it from me, and I knew there was a reason. Do you think he was married?”
“That’s what I’m guessing.” I nod, warmly. “Only because she wasn’t telling anyone, not even her best friend, and if they were meeting at restaurants two towns over then it’s because they had something to hide.”
Halo exhales. “I just wish I could talk to her one more time. I have her last voicemail, and I listen to it over and over again to hear her voice. So many people didn’t like her. On the outside she could be a right cow, but when it came to me she was a good friend.”
My heart hurts for her. I couldn’t imagine losing my best friend.
“Do you mind if we hear the voicemail?” I ask. “It might bring something up.”
Halo nods, pulling out her phone.
She plays the voicemail, which is just Alyssa telling her that she’ll be there soon and to get ready because they were having a night out. I’m distracted, though, because that voice is so familiar. I’ve heard it before. Shaking my head, I frown as I try to remember where I have heard that before.
Then it comes to me.
The showers. That night I heard a couple fighting.
“Oh my gosh,” I gasp. “I was in the shower one night and she was in there with a guy, and they were fighting.”
“What?” Halo whispers. “What did they say?”
“I couldn’t hear his voice well, just whispers, but she was really upset and saying that she didn’t want him to leave, and he knows what she would do if he did ...”
Paulie’s eyes widen. “Do you think he killed her because she was going to tell everyone about them?”
It’s starting to look like that.
Who was this man, and what was he trying to protect so much that he was willing to kill someone to keep it hidden?
“She was really down a few days before she passed, but she wouldn’t tell me why. I wonder if he ended things with her. I should have known ...”
“Hey,” I say, shaking my head and reaching for her. “You couldn’t have known that this person was going to do this to her. It’s not up to you to know that. Don’t blame yourself for this. We are going to find who did it, and we’re going to make sure he pays, I promise.”
She nods. “We should leave before we’re caught.”
Tucking the photo into my pocket, I agree.
I’m going to solve this.
For Alyssa, but mostly, for Halo.
13 – Spike
Driving the pool cue into the gut of a man who just made me fucking wild at the bar, I watch him stumble backward, landing on the ground with a thump before his friend jumps onto my back. Growling, I spin angrily as his arm tightens around my throat. Roaring with frustration, I back into a wall so hard the wind is knocked out of him.