Page 41 of Deadline for Love

When we were done, Nathan stood up and said he needed a moment. We didn’t stop him, but I let him go alone with a bitter taste in my mouth. I would have liked to stay with him, but Nia and I continued our work.

After a while, we turned to my letters, and she said out loud, “I think he idolizes you. For Rita, he had a crush.”

“What makes you think that?”

Nia held my phone in her hand and then pointed at the lines I had photographed. She scooted closer to me and tapped my knee. “Look how he’s trying to get your attention—using his art to get your approval. He wants to be praised and loved by you.”

I was disgusted by this statement and had to twitch my body.

“Come on, that’s really disgusting.” Goosebumps developed all over my skin, and I shuddered.

“Yes, it is. But as I said, I think he really wants you to report on him. That’s why I think mocking him is a good idea. But we need more.”

I gave her a questioning look, as I didn’t know what she was getting at. And it seemed that she was still pondering because she didn’t answer me directly.

“More?” Nathan’s voice sounded behind us.

His face was still pale, and his eyes were beet red. His gaze was fixed on Nia as he waited for an answer.

“So, he wasn’t just mad about the article, but in that rhyme, he said, ‘I can’t stand to see you with another, it’s true,’ which means he saw you with someone and got pissed off.’’

“Could be true,” I mumbled, but I still didn’t know what she was getting at.

“I suggest you find a partner quickly, maybe even a husband”

“What!” I almost shouted. How could she shoot something like that?

“In this day and age, it’s not enough just to be dating. Everyone knows you’re taken if you walk around with a wedding ring. It'll absolutely draw him out.”

“I—” I interrupted myself because I had no idea how to respond. I felt cold and awkward at the same time.

Nathan stepped in front of us and then caught me off guard, saying, “For the record, I'm against this whole thing, but if you insist on going through with this—I'll do it. We can get marriedand you can stay here so I can keep you safe until this guy is caught.”

Nia nodded in satisfaction. “I thought you’d do that.”

“Hey, wait a minute! We can’t just fake a marriage. How am I supposed to suddenly be married out of nowhere?”

“It’s easy—Vegas, you can get married quickly and easily in a secret chapel…”

“Nia! Then it’s not a fake marriage!”

She fell silent after my strong reaction, but Nathan spoke up again after a brief moment.

“Well, we don’t have to make it complicated. I can forge the papers and get you the wedding ring. We can pretend we’ve flown to Las Vegas, but we’ll just stay somewhere nobody can see us.” Nathan’s idea shocked me, but Nia applauded.

“That sounds perfect.”

“But—” I said, stunned.

A fake marriage had just never crossed my mind. It felt so weird to even talk about it! But for Nia, this seemed to be the best solution as she even explained everything to me. “At least you’re safe here. You’ve realized nobody can turn up at night and knock on the door.”

I raised my hand to object, but Nia was quicker again.

“Don’t you want us to finally have some closure in Steel Valley? If we can catch the culprit, we’ll have killed two birds with one stone. The culprit himself and, secondly, the biggest headline of our lives!”

My heart was beating far too fast, I wasn’t feeling well at all, but then Nathan said something in a croaky voice, causing my eyes to widen.

“The victims will find peace, and their families will be relieved when the murderer is caught.”

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