The Belial Stone (The Belial Series #1)(7)

“Give me a couple minutes. I’ll call you back.”

A couple of minutes turned out to be over an hour. She tried to grade some papers while she waited. But her mind kept wandering back to Drew. She gave up when she could no longer read the words through the tears.

She needed to do something with her hands, something that would distract her. She unloaded the dishwasher, folded laundry, filled the dishwasher, swept the kitchen floor.

The whole time, doubts flooded her mind. Had she missed something? Should she have called more? Should she have pushed him more when her uncle offered him the job?

With each new question, she cleaned harder. She was about to tackle the bathroom when her cell rang. She had it open before the second ring.

“Rocky?”

“Yeah, Laney. How you doing?”

The calm tone made Laney go cold. “What’d you find?”

“You might want to sit down.”

She pulled out a kitchen chair and sank into it. “Okay. Tell me.”

“I’m sorry, Laney. Drew hung himself.”

Her body jolted at the words. A vision of Drew, lifeless and hanging, flashed across her mind.

Rocky continued, oblivious to Laney’s response. “Apparently, a friend stopped by. They were supposed to go to lunch. When Drew didn’t answer, he used his spare key to open the door. He said Drew sometimes got caught up in work and didn’t hear the door.”

A memory from college ghosted across her mind. Eight friends had shown up at her and Drew’s place once for a night of drinking. Drew had been lost in his work, oblivious to the party that had broken out around him. An hour after everyone arrived, he’d looked up, shocked, when she’d handed him a beer.

Rocky’s voice was somber. “He found him hanging from the ceiling fan and called the police.”

Laney rocked in her chair, tears streaming down her face, a hitch in her voice. “There’s no mistake? They’re sure it was a suicide?”

“They’re pretty sure. I’m so sorry, honey.”

Standing, she paced the room. “No. You don’t understand. He wouldn’t do this.” Her voice broke. She paused, staring at the ceiling, and willed the tears back.

Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Was there anything off in the apartment? Anything missing?”

“No…nothing was missing, according to the friend.”

Laney pounced on the hesitation in Rocky’s voice. “But there was something, wasn't there?”

“Well, there was just this one thing. Everything was there, like I said. But his laptop was completely wiped.”

Laney thought of the file Drew had sent her. “Wiped?”

“Yeah. Apparently, there were no data files, no programs except the basics that came with the model. In fact, they said that if they didn’t know any better, they would have thought it was brand new. But the friend ID’d it. They figured Drew wiped it before… well, just before.”

Laney’s brain struggled to make sense of what Rocky was telling her. “How did they find that out? Why did they check the computer?”

“They were looking for a suicide note. Apparently he’d printed one, but they didn’t see it right away. It fell behind a dresser. So they checked the laptop for one, and realized it had been wiped. If they’d found that note, they probably wouldn’t have checked the laptop at all.”

“It wasn’t a suicide, Rocky. And Drew would never wipe out all his work. Somebody did this to him.”

“I know you’re upset, honey. But all the evidence points to a suicide. You need to accept that and let yourself grieve. Why don’t I come over? We can talk.”

“No,” Laney barked and then closed her eyes, softening her tone. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just a lot to take in. I think I just need to be alone right now.”

Rocky was silent for a moment. “Okay. But if you need anything, you call me, all right?”

“All right. And thanks, Rocky.”

She closed the phone and stared out the kitchen window. The backyard was bathed in shadows. She pulled the blinds shut, the sight making her feel more alone.

She ran her hands through her hair. This wasn’t right. Why would Drew wipe his hard drive? She shook her head. He wouldn’t. Drew was proud of his work. He would never just let it disappear.

Unless he was desperate, a small part of her brain whispered. But she shut the voice down. No. Until she knew otherwise, she was going to trust her feelings. She and Drew had been friends for almost ten years. She knew him. If he were ever despairing, he would reach out for help. He would ask her.

A chill went through her and her head jerked up. The file. He said he was sending her a file. What if he’d asked for help and she hadn't known?

She flew up the stairs and into her office, guilt and fear dogging her steps. She flipped open her laptop and hit the power button.

After an agonizing wait, she entered her password and made her way to her email program. Scrolling through the unsolicited ads and emails from students and colleagues, she found the email from Drew, entitled: For Your Eyes Only :). She smiled at the emoticon.

She moved the mouse over to it and, taking a deep breath, double-clicked. A dialogue box opened:



Hey, Laney. Thanks for letting me vent earlier. I think I just needed someone to listen. I’ve attached the file. Can you read it and get back to me with any comments? You are a lifesaver!