by WL Knightly
As she hurried in and kicked off her shoes, he lingered at the door. “Get your sister.”
“I’m right here,” said Sarah, coming down the stairs with a look of panic in her puffy red eyes. “What is going on?” She beelined to her sister and checked Alice over as if she were injured.
“I’m fine,” said Alice, pushing away from her.
“You’re not fine if you have to be carried home by the police.”
“I’m off duty,” he said as she looked up. “See, no uniform. But I’m sure she’d like to explain it to you.”
“He drove up at Cash’s where some of our friends were fighting.”
“We’re talking about a bare-knuckle brawl,” he clarified. “She was upset about it, and when I saw her in the crowd, I knew she needed to leave before the cops showed up or she got hurt.”
Sarah didn’t seem to know what to say. She closed her eyes and raked her hand through her hair. “Thanks,” she said, sniffling. She wiped her nose on a balled-up tissue in her hand. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
Thomas could tell she had been crying, but he didn’t know why.
Alice hugged Thomas. “I miss you,” she said before pulling away.
“Likewise, kiddo. Hold up.” He reached for his wallet. “There’s something I wanted to give you.” He took a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to her. “For your graduation and birthday. Spend it wherever the hell you want, just not on that boy.”
“Thanks!” She hugged his neck again. “I really have missed you.” She turned and gave Sarah a sly grin before bounding up the stairs past her.
Once she was gone, Sarah came down and walked him to the door. “Thanks again. I’ve wanted her to drop that loser, but she’s just stubborn about it.”
“Stop pushing her, and she’ll figure it out on her own.” He let go of a deep breath. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of her, but her boyfriend got a little mean with her. He pushed her by her neck. I don’t have to tell you how that can escalate.”
She had seen it with one of their friends and learned about it on the job. “Jesus. Now I hate that little bastard even more.”
“What’s going on with you?”
“Why?”
“Are you sick? Crying?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Thomas shortened the distance between them. “You never were a good liar, especially when it came to hiding your emotions.”
“You were a good enough liar for both of us.” She opened the door, letting him know the truce was almost over.
“Did you have a spat with Ethan Charles? Alice said you’d had him over.” He walked across the room to the photos she had on the mantel. All of the old frames that used to hold their photos had been replaced with new ones.
“To talk about the case, yeah.” She lifted her chin as if she didn’t owe him anything.
“Did you find any new leads?” Thomas asked as he plundered a bit more, mostly because he knew it made her uneasy and also because he had another bug he wanted to drop. Ever since he knew he was going to bring Alice home, he had considered it. And when she confirmed that Sarah had brought Ethan Charles there to work the case, it was a no-brainer.
She had never even noticed him taking it out of the console before she got out of the car.
“No, nothing new.” Sarah walked over, took the photo from him, and put it back on the mantel.
“Could I trouble you for a bottle of water? I was on my way home when I spotted Alice, and I don’t want to stop again.” She knew Sarah had always kept bottled water in the house, if nothing else.
“Sure. Call it payment for bringing her home in one piece.”
“I’d do that for free,” he said as she walked away.
He only had a short time to make his move, and by the time she came back into the room, he had the bug securely planted. He stepped away from the vase he’d chosen to tuck it in and thanked her for the drink.
“I guess I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Thanks again,” she said.
He lifted the water as if to say they were even and went back to his car.
As he drove away, he pushed out all of the old memories he’d allowed to creep in while he was there. If he wanted to find his sister, he had to give up everything, including his dream of getting Sarah back. What happened might have been a misunderstanding, but he would let her go on thinking she knew the truth if it meant keeping her away.
Chapter 23
Ethan
Ethan was parked just up the road from Sarah’s house. While he was eager to see her and apologize for what had happened, he didn’t think he was ready to explain what had come over him.
Seeing Thomas leave her house, he decided to follow him instead, and while it might not be the best move he’d ever made, he had to know what the man was up to.
After Sarah had spilled the beans about Kevin and Thomas being chummy, he wondered if there had been more going on with the request to have him look into the case from the start.
Now that he had the information from Cassie’s SD Card, he realized it was time to get to the bottom of what Thomas was really up to. And why he would want Ethan in town to look into it.
He followed him across town, not caring if he was noticed, and when Thomas pulled into the parking lot, he followed, pulling right up beside him.
Thomas got out and walked over to his car as he was getting out. “Agent Charles,” he said. “Did you pull me over to see why I was at Sarah’s? Don’t tell me you’re jealous. I can promise you, she’s the last woman on my radar.”
“Nah, it’s not about that at all. In fact, I’m sure if you think really hard, you’ll figure it out.” He met his eyes when he said the last words.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be a bit clearer.”
“You had our mutual friend, Kevin Delaney, ask me here, didn’t you? So I can’t help but think you had some special reason for it.”
“Did I?”
“Yeah, there’s no need to play coy, Asher. I know you’re not hanging around with Lana Foster because you want to settle down. So, my question is, what’s your game?”
“I don’t play. I’m going to find out where my sister is.”
“I heard you think she was sold into sex trafficking.”
His jaw tensed. “Something like that.”
“And you think you’re going to find out if you get close to Lana and the others?”
“It beats letting the case stay cold like Holloway did. But you know how that is, don’t you? Kevin told me about you. He said that you went through something once. That you were even a suspect at one time.”
“Yeah, it’s standard procedure. When a woman goes missing, they always look at the boyfriend or husband.”
“Right. That’s what they teach us, isn’t it?” He glanced up at the bar, which didn’t have many cars out front. “How about we go inside and talk about it over a drink?” Thomas turned and headed to the bar before looking back. “Are you coming?”
Ethan followed, wondering what the hell Sarah ever saw in the guy. He couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.
They found a table in the back where no one else was listening. And after they had ordered a couple of beers, Thomas leaned in toward the table. “If anyone knows how fucked up standard procedure is, it’s you and me.”
“That may be true, but it doesn’t make us alike.” And it didn’t mean he was going to get in on whatever scheme Thomas had going. He was starting to doubt his approaching him at all.
“Doesn’t it? We both are missing someone we love. That’s why you took the bait, isn’t it? You can empathize with me.”
“If you want to share information, fine. But I’m not doing anything stupid. I’ve finally decided to move on with my life.”
“Oh? Is that why Sarah was crying?”
His face grew warm. “What do you mean?”
“When I brought Alice home, she seemed pretty upset. The kind of upset she was
with me.”
“That’s not your business anymore.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right about that. I guess I didn’t expect you had given up on your fiancée. I guess it’s different when it’s blood. I could never turn my back on my sister’s case. But, hey. I get it. You want to move on and pretend she never existed. That way, you don’t have to hurt, right?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then tell me. Because I really thought you’d be the only person who gets it.”
“Again, I think you’re comparing us a little prematurely.” He didn’t even know him.
“We both have the same taste in women, apparently. Unless you want to deny there’s more going on with you and my ex?”
“There’s nothing to deny. She’s just a partner. She brought me a case, and I told her she could help with it.”
“Well, I’m more interested in the curiosity that brought you here. I’ll share my thoughts if you share yours. Surely you want to pick my brain.” Thomas seemed so sure of himself. Ethan wondered if he ever considered he just might knock him on his ass.
“So let’s hear it,” said Ethan, just to amuse himself as he turned up his beer.
“Okay. I think my sister did something she wasn’t supposed to and is being punished for it. I think they all know exactly where she is, but they have so many connections that they got away with it, or maybe they paid Holloway off.” He turned up his beer too and gave Ethan a challenging look.
He decided it was time to share what he had learned, and even though it was against his better judgment, he knew he really did need to pick the man’s brain. “I have something too,” he said.
“Yeah, is it about the lodge?” asked Thomas.
“How do you know about that?”
“I’ve heard Lana mention something, but I don’t know where it is. I thought maybe that girl who was murdered might have written something about it in her journal.”
Ethan shook his head. “No. There were pages missing. If she knew something, I’m sure it died with her.”
“No telling all of the secrets that girl knew. I bet the others know plenty too. At least, I hope. I know if you’re in there working on that girl’s murder, you’re bound to stumble onto something. I just want to know what’s going on, especially if you think it will help.”
“I found something today that I think might,” he admitted, even though the next sip of beer was going to go down bitter.
“Really?” asked Thomas. “Is it big?”
“It was to me.” He decided to keep things vague and tell him only what he needed to know. “I think it will be to you too.”
“So, let’s hear it.”
“It’s the reason I decided to come to talk to you. So, if I help you, you’re going to have to swear that this stays between us. I don’t even want Kevin to know we’ve spoken.”
“Fine with me. All that matters to me is finding my sister.”
“I found photo evidence that I think might be the lodge you mentioned.”
Thomas dropped his hand and rested the beer on the table. “No shit?”
“Yeah, and there’s something else I think I should tell you.”
“What?” Thomas leaned in closer and looked over his shoulder.
“I saw your sister there.”
“No shit?” Thomas looked like he had been hit with a sack of bricks.
“Yeah, your sister was there, and so was my fiancée.” Ethan realized at that moment that the two of them were more alike than he wanted to admit. And now that he had made the admission out loud, he let his anger and grief come rushing back in—all of the shame and embarrassment that came with being accused, and all of the days and nights sick with worry that he would never see her again.
He hadn’t given up on her, as hard as he had tried. He knew that his own eagerness to find Katherine had brought him there to finally figure out what happened to her.
“They were together?”
“I guess she saw something she wasn’t supposed to, or they just thought she’d fetch a good price.”
“I knew it! I knew when I heard your story there had to be a connection. We have to find them,” said Thomas. “I’m not going to quit now, so don’t even try and stop me!”
“Don’t worry,” said Ethan. “You’ve got a deal. From now on, we’re in this together.”
The End
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About the Author
WL Knightly is a thriller/murder mystery co-writing pen name for two USA Today Best Selling Authors. "W" when not writing can be found dealing in Antique Jewelry and hanging out with her awesome hubby and three kids. And "L" is a full-time writer that lives near Nashville, TN and spends her time cooking, hanging out with her hubs and 3 kiddos or wrangling new ideas as they float by!
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Their love of a good mystery novel caused them to combine forces and go after their dream of telling stories that sent a shiver down your spine. I'm thinking they figured it out!
These two friends met years ago when they both started writing and publishing in various young adult genres and needed a critique partner.
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Why Me…
The Last Words Series Book 1
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Copyright © 2021 by WL Knightly
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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
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Editor: Eric Martinez
Cover Art: Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design