The enamored way he looks at her threatens to break me in two.
He’s in love with her. No doubt about it. Nobody looks at someone like that unless they’re obsessed.
Is he still in love with her?
My chest burns, and my jaw tightens. There was a time I would have given anything for Reed to look at me that way.
AnnndI think that’s enough pictures for me.
I blink away the tears before they come, then return the folder of photos to the desk drawer. I’m tempted to throw the rest of the folders in there too.
Yet something tells me to keep going. Boredom? Morbid curiosity? Or perhaps a need to inflict self-harm?
All of the above.
The second folder contains newspaper clippings, internet articles, and printouts of social media posts. Is this related to an investigation?
I spread the pages out on the desk, searching forsomethingdespite having no idea what it might be.
The headlines on the articles don’t make much sense to me. I skim the details, hoping to glean something to soothe the sting from that wedding photo. Distraction is my new best friend. An upgrade from Kenzie.
Hero firefighter out of ICU and on the road to recovery
The article talks about a Tennessee firefighter who saved a pregnant woman and her two children from a burning home in the nick of time. Unfortunately, the house collapsed on him when he went back in for the family’s puppy. Oddly enough, there’s a picture of the dog, alive and well, but not the firefighter.
None of the names stand out, so I move on.
I find more random articles about various events, most of them closer to home.
A thwarted kidnapping and shootout at the executive airport here in Tampa. No photos with that one, and I don’t recognize any of the names.
A huge drug and weapons bust at the port in Miami under a picture of a car filled with bags of dope.
Was Reed involved in these cases? And what is Redleg Security? That company’s name is all over the place on these.
Weird.
Moving on.
The next page appears to be from a military website.
75th Ranger Regiment Annual Medal Ceremony
Oh. There’s a photo of the honorees.
As I scan the faces of the men being given various medals for meritorious service, my heart jumps into my throat, and my eyes bulge.
It’s Reed. Standing at attention in the middle of a large group of soldiers, all of them decked out in full dress uniforms.Hubba, hubba.
Hold the phone. This doesn’t make sense.
Reed wasn’t in the Army. He went from high school to college to law enforcement. And doesn’t the military have a minimum four-year enlistment? While we’ve been estranged for the last few years, I've always had a vague idea of what's been happening in his life through Kenzie and her mother. There isn’t enough time in his past for military service.
So what in the world am I looking at here? Is this an AI-generated article and photo?
Wait.That’s dumb. Reed wouldn’t do that, and if he did, he wouldn’t keep proof of this type of tomfoolery.
My eyes follow the track of my fingertip as I skim through the article to find the names of the soldiers. Reed’s third from the left, so I check the caption.
