He walked to my window, standing before it with his arms folded across his chest. “When did she start administering medication to you?”
“I-I don’t know. I don’t remember. Luke?”
He turned back to me and sighed. “We’ll deal with that later. There is no way she isn’t a staff member here, so we’ll find her. I’m guessing she works in another ward. I need you to tell me more about this Gregory Evans so I can try and get information to Meredith. It may help in the search.”
“No, I have to help. I am the only one who can.” I pushed myself back against the pillows, and the sobs felt like they’d drown me.
“Tell me about him, Alyssa. I promise to get that information to Meredith.”
I racked my brain, trying to find a way out of this mess. Luke believed he could help me, but he didn’t know Gregory like I did. I had to get out of here.
Luke was a tall man, about six feet like Malcolm. He was slim but not bulky, so it was unlikely he would be a gym guy. But I couldn’t risk trying to overpower him and failing. Then there were the guards and security in this place.
No, I would have to convince Luke to get me out of here, and I had no idea how I would do that..
ChapterSeventeen
Alyssa
Six Months Before the Murder
“What are these?” I shouted at him, holding up the bunch of silken red ribbons in front of me. The worst part about it was they looked familiar, like I’d seen them more than once, but that was impossible. They weren’t mine and definitely did not belong to our daughter.
“They’re nothing, just stuff from the club.”
“I saw these. I can’t remember where, but I have seen them. Why do you have them in our home?”
“I don’t know, Alyssa. They’re not even mine. Gregory probably slipped them into my bag by mistake. He’s always doing stuff like that.” He preoccupied himself with his laces.
Mal was leaving for a weekend. He had club business to take care of again. There was always something. Last week he didn’t come home at all. This was not what we signed up for. When they started this thing, he promised me a weekend every other month, but that changed pretty quickly, so much so we were discussing the possibility of relocating. I dreaded the thought, dreaded what that meant.
I looked at the stupid ribbons in my hand and sighed. I knew I was overreacting, but I had no idea why I was behaving so erratically.
I sat on the bed beside him, defeated. I was losing my mind.
“Maybe you should see someone, maybe talking to an outsider will help you get your stress levels under control, get things into perspective.” He wrapped an arm around me and gently squeezed. I leaned on my knees with my elbows and put my hands over my face. He was right. This couldn’t go on. I was moody and irritable, and I didn’t know why.
It all started the night I decided to snort some coke with Marley. That was a bad idea. I’d lost hours of my life. One minute, I was at the bar with her, and the next, I was in my hotel room mid-afternoon the next day.
“You’re probably right, we’re going through a lot of changes, and it’s probably necessary.”
“You okay, Mom?” Gracie asked me over dinner that night.
“I am, honey. I just don’t feel well, that’s all.” I put on my bravest face for my daughter.
“How are things with you? I feel like we’ve been traveling too much, and I haven’t even spoken to you in a really long time.”
“The same as always,” she said, like a typical fifteen-year-old. “We’re preparing for the summer dance, so that’s kind of fun. A group of us are just going as friends this year.”
“Oh, so no Prince Charming then?”
“Mom, Justin Bieber isn’t exactly available, so no.”
I laughed. “Is that so?”
My daughter was a spirited and focused young woman, so different from me at her age. She was all about grades and making the most of her teenage years.
At her age, I was smitten by her father and had her on the way. Sure, there were things I’d missed out on, but she made up for all of that tenfold. My daughter was everything good and right in the world.
