“If we get all the pieces together, you can package it for Delaney and the police,” he said, walking to his room.
“Smart thinking.”
“Okay, let’s go,” he said, returning from his room. “He’s close by.”
The air in the room sizzled with energy. We were finally getting close to solving this thing. I wanted everything to go perfectly. And I wanted to beat the police to the punch. I’d always been a little competitive.
“Wait,” I said, holding my hand out. “You go. I want to stay here and type up what we have already for Delaney. Then it will be easier to add what you and Torin find when he gets here. It will save a ton of time once we have this figured out and gather all the evidence.”
His forehead furrowed. “What about staying by my side at all times?”
Hm, I agreed to that. Didn’t I?
“I’ll lock all the doors and not leave this couch.” We could even pull all the curtains so no one could see in or out. It would be evening soon and even harder to see.
Reed took a moment to weigh the options before he gave me another chin jerk. “Okay. I’ll be quick. An hour tops.”
We paused by one another, each of us unsure what to do. Then with one sweeping motion, Reed wrapped his arm around my middle and pulled me close to him. I glanced up to meet his gaze and his lips came down on mine, strong and branding. This wasn’t just a kiss. This was a mark of ownership. The feminist in me wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but everything else from my toes up was quite okay with it.
He pulled away first. Stars circled my vision around his head, and it took me three deep breaths to regain my breathing. I held the door for his good-bye and waited as he started down the sidewalk away from Bay Street on foot. Torin must have been super close. I closed the door, found my laptop, and took a spot on the couch to work on my report for Delaney.
Ten minutes later, she called as if my hurried typing brought her into existence. It was probably our bff connection.
“I’ve got bad news,” she said as I answered.
My stomach dropped. “What happened? Is your dad okay?”
“Oh yeah, they’re sending him home tomorrow morning.” She sucked in a breath, and I found the little piece of thread remnant I’d left when I broke off the longer piece. “The bad news is for you.”
“Just tell me.”
“Stupid Dennis turned in first notes on his assigned story today. It’s great, Elenore. Hits all the main points and works in ghosts. The boss loves it. He wants you and Reed to come home. We’re going to run Dennis’s story on Halloween.”
“But what about Lisa? I can find ghosts.” It wouldn’t even be hard. We can definitely work on a ghost story from what I had already.
“We’re running Lisa’s story in November as a regular spot. Hopefully, the police will have more on Casey’s death by then and we can feature it as an unsolved.”
“But, Delaney, we’re so close. We’ve got tacks now. Reed and I can solve this if you just give us a little more time.”
“Sorry, babe. You’re out of time, and it’s not your job to catch the killer, just profile the facts. I’ll send over new flight details. Reed is headed to Maine, and I’ll pick you up at the Detroit airport so you don’t have to ask your mom for a ride.”
My mother hated driving in Detroit.
An ache in my heart grew as I thought of Reed returning to Maine. He promised we were a thing now. At least that’s how I’d taken it. We had to figure out our shit. How did he feel about long-distance relationships? Something told me he probably wasn’t in favor.
“It can’t finish like this,” I said, the grief at losing giving me a spike of anxiety.
Delaney promised me it could and was ending this way. We hung up with an agreement she’d have both of us on flights out of town tomorrow.
“No,” I said to the empty room and laid my fist on my knee in defiance. It wasn’t going to end this way.
But how? Short of committing a serious felony to shut down the airports, I couldn’t think of a way to get Delaney to give us a few more days.
A scratching sound out the window brought me from my thoughts. The sound of wheels rolling on an uneven surface brought up memories of my childhood. I stood up and glanced out the front window to find the source.
Selene had two big black suitcases—they were almost as tall as her—behind her as she struggled to roll them over the worn sidewalk. She left one behind and pushed the taller of the two to the curb before going back for the second.
She was on the run!
