CHAPTER 1
SABLE
I wrapped my arms around myself and kept my head down against the cold of a New York City November. My hood obscured most of my face from the people I passed.
I stepped through the crowd outside a club and paused to listen to the sound ofPink Pony Clubblaring from the open door.
"Come on darling, I want to dance."
A man in straight leg jeans and a V-neck sweater stubbed out his blunt, grabbed his partner's hand and pulled him inside.
I watched for a moment before I hurried on.
I wanted to dance too, but I didn't want to risk the pitying looks. The whispers. The gossips. The people who asked questions I had no answers for.
My breath misting the air, I moved on until the music was nothing but a throb in the distance.
At a corner, I stopped to look up. The darkness where the sky should be was swallowed by the lights of the city. Millions of stars hidden by neon and fluorescence.
I jumped as my phone vibrated in my pocket. The generic ringtone sounded loud. Shrill. I should change it or turn it off.
I ignored it. The caller was probably another reporter with more questions.
I stepped across the road as it finally stopped ringing. A moment later, it started again.
I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Pressed on it to end the call before putting the phone on do not disturb. I was tempted to throw it in a trash can as I walked past, but I shoved it back in my pocket instead.
Once again it vibrated, this time with a text message. I didn't need to look to know what it said. Yet another request for an interview. How many had I turned down already? Ten? Twenty? I'd lost count.
What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about my husband’s murder’ did they not understand? It would be better if they didn't see the relief on my face when I talked about it.
The phone sounded again.
"For fuck's sake," I hissed under my breath. I reallywasgoing to throw the thing away. I yanked it out. It was a different number this time. That wasn't what caught my eye.
The text message was a single word.
Unknown caller
Bitch
Unknown sender. Probably a wrong number. I was about to delete it when another popped up:
Unknown caller
It's your fault
It wasn't the weather that sent a chill down my spine. I should have deleted both messages. Instead I sent one back.
Me
Who is this?
Of course they wouldn't reply. Who'd send messages like that from an unknown number, then explain themselves?
Just when I thought they weren't going to respond, another message popped up.
Unkown caller
