Page 25 of The Hanging Dolls
Keith didn’t want to talk to her. She knew he was lying about knowing Rachel but she had no idea why. Could he have had something to do with her death? The thought made her freeze. She ran through his reaction when she told him Rachel was dead—the palpable shock and resigned grief. His reaction seemed authentic. But there was that pesky doubt knocking on her brain. She was good at noticing things that slipped through the cracks. But this time it was abouther.It was hard to study people like specimen without that distance.
But why would he lie about their relationship?
She opened her wallet and looked at the old, faded picture. Rachel and Keith in Santa Barbara. They were leaning into each other, his arm around her shoulders. There was an ease between them, an intimacy that came with time and not with lust.
A two-week fling, my ass, she thought. It was not a coincidence that she had been sent to Harborwood where Keith happened to be; it was a sign. Her eyes zeroed in on something in the picture. The sleeve of Keith’s shirt had risen up, revealing the lower half of a tattoo. It looked like the letterR.
Zoe landed a final, hard punch, sending the bag swinging wildly. She stepped back, breathing hard, her gaze shifting to the bright morning sky through the window.
She was making her way across the street back to the motel’s parking lot when her phone rang.
It was the number on her phone saved as “Unknown”.
“Tell me you have something for me,” she said.
The throaty voice damaged by years of smoking chuckled on the other side, sounding like an engine that wouldn’t start. “Straight to the point. I like that.”
It was one of the few people who didn’t see the chirpy, wonky Zoe who apologized to the objects she bumped into. He probably wouldn’t recognize her in the real world. He knew theotherside—the one hidden under layers of sugar, spice, and everything nice.
“Well?” she pushed.
“I got an opening. It’s with Bruiser. It’s a tough one, Z. You sure?”
She had heard about Bruiser. Had seen him in action too. But this was exactly what she needed.
“I’m in.”
“Great. I’ll send the details,” the voice said, before hanging up.
The coroner had sent over some reports that they needed to go over. The cool morning air hit her skin, refreshing after her intense workout. As she turned to walk down the motel’s narrow outdoor corridor, she noticed a man and a young woman emerging from a room a few doors down.
The man was in his mid-thirties, dressed in a rumpled business suit that looked like it had been slept in. He ran a hand through his thinning hair, straightening his tie as he glanced nervously around the empty parking lot. The woman beside him was barely out of her teens, dressed in a tight, short skirt and a low-cut top that screamed last night’s work not this morning’s casual wear. Her makeup was smudged, and she looked both tired and satisfied, a sly smile playing on her lips.
Zoe slowed her pace, keeping her eyes forward but her ears tuned to their conversation as they fumbled with the door.
Right at that moment, she bumped into a wall of muscle. “Ouch.”
“Did you really not see me?” Aiden cocked a thick eyebrow.
“I have bad peripheral vision.” She rubbed her forehead, still focused on the couple.
“You might have a tumor in that case.” His tone was flat and dry.
“Can’t believe I’m doing this before work,” the man muttered, half to himself as he glanced at his watch.
The young woman laughed, a light, teasing sound. “Relax, handsome. No one’s gonna know. Your wife’s not gonna show up here, is she?”
Zoe grabbed Aiden’s elbow and nudged him forward, while maintaining a distance from the couple.
“What are you—?” He was horrified at the touch.
“Shush!” She pinched him.
The man chuckled, though it sounded more nervous than amused. “God, no. She’s gotten fat and boring since having the baby. She doesn’t have a clue.”
The woman smirked, adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder. “Well, that’s why I’m here. To keep things interesting for you.”
“That’s right, babe,” he said, dropping his voice. “I’ll be back tonight. Same room, same time.”
