Vindicate (Recovered Innocence #1)(19)

I stand there, imagining all the things that were done to her, the hours it took to accomplish them. After all that, he took the matching pretty floral pillow and pressed it against her face. It took about three minutes for her to black out and another six to eight minutes for her to die. He threw the pillow onto the floor when he was done.

Putting both of his arms around me, Leo hugs me, drawing me in to his chest. “Ssh, stop,” he says, and I realize I’ve been talking this whole time, describing what I know from the reports. “No more.” His voice is raw, his arms strong and sure around me.

“I don’t understand why he used the pillow.”

“Cora.”

“All of that violence—the ripping and tearing, the blood—and he uses a pillow. Why didn’t he use his hands or the rope he brought? Why the pillow?”

He lays his cheek on my head, bringing me in tighter. “He’s a coward. Maybe he didn’t want to see her face. Maybe even he has a threshold that can’t be crossed.”

“Yes. That’s it. That’s it exactly. Thank you.”

“Are you two interested in the apartment?” a chirpy voice asks.

I face away and swipe at tears. Leo continues to hold me, looser now, but he’s not letting go.

“We’re not sure,” he answers.

“Is everything okay in here?” Her question is for me.

“Yes,” I lie, plastering on a fake smile.

“Are you sure?” She doesn’t look convinced, but she does look like my cousin Millie—big blond hair and matching boobs.

“Just something in my eye,” I say. “I’m fine, really.”

Beside me, Leo is a rock. I fist his shirt in the back where the lady can’t see. I don’t want him to let me go. I’ll float away without him anchoring me.

“What’s the rent?” Leo plays along.

“Fifteen hundred dollars per month. There’s a two-thousand-dollar deposit. Half is due on signing and the remaining when you get the keys.” She eyes us skeptically. “Are you two USD students?”

“He is,” I find myself saying. “I’m in cosmetology school.”

“This would be our first apartment together.” Leo smiles at her.

“How nice. You make a lovely couple. When would you be looking to move in? The apartment is ready anytime.”

“Oh,” I say, putting the proper disappointment in my voice. “We wouldn’t be ready to move in until next month.”

“I see. It wouldn’t hurt to fill out some paperwork—”

“I’m not sure it’s us. What do you think, Bluebird?”

His nickname startles me for the barest second. “No. I don’t think it’s us.”

“Well, if you change your mind, here’s my card.” She hands a card to Leo.

He glances at it. “Thanks, Lisa. We’ll let you know if we do.” Then, to me, “Did you want to look around a little more to be sure?”

“No. I think I got everything I came for.”

We head back out to the car and my head is light. My whole body is light. I hold on to my anchor as we make our way down the steps.

“Bluebird?” I ask.

He shrugs. He’s embarrassed. How odd. I never thought of him as someone who gets embarrassed. He always seems so sure of himself.

“I like it. My mom used to call me Cora Belle, but that was a long time ago.” I don’t tell him that he’s the only other person to give me a nickname or how much I really, really like it.

“I could use some coffee,” he says on a sigh. “Want some tea?”

“Yeah. I could really use a cup.”





Chapter 10


Leo


I kissed Cora, then Cora kissed me.

This should be the only thing I’m thinking about besides how and when I can take it further with her, but I’m not. I’m thinking about her hollow voice as she described the murder scene and how her tears absolutely gutted me. I find any reason to touch her, but I haven’t tried to kiss her again. I can’t.

I voluntarily took the seat next to her in the roller coaster of her life. I can take the twists and turns with her? holding her hand. I can repeat over and over for her that the ride will end soon even as it cranks up to the top of yet another hill. But she’s been on it long enough to see through the platitudes. She knows it won’t be over anytime soon and my presence beside her doesn’t make the ride any easier to take.

I don’t know where that leaves us other than to keep doing what we’re doing. Because short of finding the real killer, there is nothing I can do or say to take any of this away from Cora or make it better for her. So that’s what I’m going to try to do. I hope the letter I sent to Beau will make a difference. Cora wouldn’t like what I wrote. I basically called Beau out. He should know enough about his sister to know that she won’t give up until he’s freed. By putting her off he’s just prolonging her pain. What I didn’t say is that I will never have a chance with Cora as long as her brother sits in prison.

This is a truth that tears me up. It’s a near physical ache for something I don’t have a chance of ever having. If she didn’t like me—okay. I could live with that. Possibly. But she does like me. Maybe not as much as I like her. Aaargh. Definitely not as much as I like her. Freeing Beau is her life. There is no room for me or anyone else in that life. I thought there could be for the barest of seconds. I saw a flash of it in her smile in the car the other day when we kissed until she remembered she isn’t supposed to smile.