Anonymous(38)

“Sounds good, Mrs. Thatcher. I needed this news today.” The second I hang up with her, a knock sounds on the front door.

I open it, and Detective Bradshaw stands there, looking grim. He’s probably not happy I went to see Bryan, but I don’t give a shit. Stepping out of the way, I gesture for him to enter. “Come in.” He walks in and takes off his hat. “Did someone die?”

A heavy sigh escapes his lips. “Actually, someone did.” He holds out a picture of a woman in her thirties with bright blonde hair and a kind smile.

“Who is that?” I ask curiously. I’ve never seen her before.

“This,” Terry looks down at her picture, “is the woman Bryan was dating. Her name is Samantha Little. The blood in his truck matches hers.” He looks away and shakes his head. “Her body was found in a field not far from where his truck was abandoned.”

I run my hands through my hair. “Holy shit. This is insane. Have you questioned Bryan yet?”

He nods. “Just left the hospital. He really lost his shit when he found out.”

“Maybe he’s just a good actor,” I grumble.

Terry shakes his head. “I’ve been a cop for over twenty-six years. After a while, you get a feel for things. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I don’t think he killed her. According to the doctor, Bryan’s been drugged for days. He was found on the side of the road with days’ worth of piss and shit in his clothes, completely dehydrated and near death. Do you really think he’s going to walk around, covered in that mess while tormenting you and Ellie?”

“Not unless he’s just that insane,” I add.

Terry’s losing his patience and I can see that the case is getting to him. “Listen, he couldn’t have done it being as doped up as he was, much less drive and carry her body out into the field. It’s just not possible.”

“How do you know for sure?”

He snorts. “Do you want to be drugged with the same shit and see if you can function? I can guarantee you nobody else is going to volunteer.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, how was she murdered?”

He peers down at her picture again. “Two blunt traumas to the head. From the coroner’s report, she was killed hours before her body was dumped in that field.”

I walk past him into the living room, not knowing what to think. Could Bryan really be telling the truth? When it comes to things people are capable of, it doesn’t surprise me one bit if he did it all. “Did Bryan say anything about any visitors he had today?”

“No, why?”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I turn around to face him. “I found a way in to talk to him.”

“When?” Terry demands.

“Earlier this morning. I snuck in for a couple of minutes.”

“What did he say to you? I know he requested to speak to you, but I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

“I know,” I huff. “Next time, you need to let me make that decision for myself.” I walk over to the window and peer out at the woods. “He admitted to being at the Halloween party, and that he ran into Ellie there. However, he did deny sending any texts.” Then I remember about the screams. “Also . . . he mentioned something about a woman’s screams,” I say, turning back to him.

Terry’s eyes widen. “Screams? When? What did he say exactly?”

“He said that, while drugged, he could hear a woman’s screams, and that he wanted to help her, but couldn’t. What if he was talking about Samantha?”

Terry bolts toward the front door. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”





Eighteen





Ellie





New York is even colder than I imagined. The trees look like they have crystal branches, and there are people everywhere, enjoying this snowy day in Central Park. I walk close to Owen, absorbing his heat. “It’s so beautiful here. I know I’ve always wanted to visit New York, but I never thought it’d be this awesome.”

“I knew you’d like it,” he says, grinning wide. “That’s why I wanted to stop here before going to Canada.”

It’s surreal, seeing familiar places in the park, especially ones that I know were in movies. So many celebrities have walked exactly where we are. “Remember when you came over and watched Maid in Manhattan with me?” I ask him.

Groaning, Owen bumps me with his shoulder. “That’s because your boyfriend was a douche and wouldn’t watch it with you.”

I snicker, remembering back to that night. I’d only been dating Andrew for a couple of weeks, so it wasn’t anything serious. And when I told Owen that he’d blown me off, he offered to watch it with me. “You sure did make him jealous that night when he showed up.”

“Yeah, and he broke up with you because of it. He thought you were cheating on him.”

I wave him off. “A lot of my boyfriends have thought that. They never understood how I could have a male best friend, not until Jake. You two being friends was probably the best thing that could’ve happened. You were never friends with my boyfriends, in fact, you hated all of them.”

“And my girlfriends all hated you,” he adds, winking slyly. “I loved it. A jealous girlfriend will do anything to make you happy.”