Page 8 of Say Now
Alison thought of herself as neat.It was the sort of neatness that started on the outside and helped to shape the mind.If Alison could keep her physical world in order, she could keep her mind in order, too.
She gave Dale more space as he slowly made his way into the home.She could feel the emptiness in the way he slowly looked around.He would have been in the house many times, but this was the first after she was killed.It was a part of the grieving process.She stood back on the periphery, getting to know the victim through her brother.
He wandered off from Alison, not asking her to follow, so she didn’t.Instead, she went right into the living room.The only thing she could garner from the room was what she already knew from her initial impression of the house.Rachel Kent was neat and well-organized.
I’m not going to find out much about Rachel here outside of the threats.
She took a breath.She had walked into the living room, but with Dale so on edge, she didn’t want to explore any more of the house until Dale had the chance to do so first.This was his first time back, but it wouldn't be his last.He would need to come back to clear the place out.
"I think this is what she was talking about," Dale said when he returned."It was on the desk of her home office."He handed the letter to Alison.
It was typed up.
Dr.Kent,
Thank you again for your consideration in deciding the trajectory of my life.You have ensured that I remain where I belong, and another year will give me a lot of time to think.I hope that it will give you a lot of time to think, too.Do you think about your choices after you have made them?
Do you like walking in the cold and dark?Do you like to walk alone, Dr.Kent?I love how quiet it gets in the winter.It gets very quiet, doesn’t it?Although there are times when I’m sure I can hear someone behind me.Do you ever have that?Do you ever feel like you are being followed?
I’m a patient man, Dr.Kent.Very patient.I’ll make sure to thank you in person for all you have done for me.
Best wishes.
Alison looked up at Dale."Do you know when it was sent?Did she say anything specific about it?"
"I don't even know if that’s the threat she was talking about.She only told me that she had received another one, but she didn't seem all that bothered about it.That’s really all she said.That one was on her desk, so I assume it’s the most recent.There was no envelope with it."
"She didn't mention anyone recently?"Alison asked.
"Not anything out of the ordinary," Dale replied."I saw her almost every week, and she would always talk about work, and she mentioned lots of different inmates.She did the same this past week, but it wasn’t any different than what she’d said a dozen times before."
"We’re not at the FBI offices anymore," Alison said."What’s your gut feeling on this, Mr.Kent.You know that town, the people, your sister.You were a detective, not a captain.What do you think happened to your sister?"
"It’s revenge," he said."Pure and simple.They made her look like that Torres crime scene, and they obviously wanted to make her pay for that.We both know she's not responsible for that, but there are some twisted people in this world.If I had to guess, it would be someone connected to the guard who was killed.I don't know much about the two inmates who were killed, but I just don't see them going after my sister for that.The guard, though?That’s where my mind goes."
"And where will you go?"Alison asked.
"I’ll go wherever I have to get justice," he replied.
His words were ice cold, and a shiver ran down Alison’s spine on hearing them.He looked her in the eye when he said it, not flinching from the implication of his words.With the death only hours old, his feelings were raw.The more time that passed, the more the anger would disperse.Until then, he was dangerous, an unwanted variable in the case, but a problem they couldn’t avoid for now.He was a captain, known in the town, influential.
"Anything else you can tell me about your sister?"Alison asked."I know you don't want to talk about this right now, but anything you can tell me about her will really help.Anything that might provide any insight, even if it’s an ex-boyfriend with a grudge, someone she owed money to, or anything else."
"I wish I had something for you," he said."I wish I had something I could use."
Alison hoped he was telling the truth.If he knew something but was hiding it, then it would only end with a bigger mess.She held his gaze.He was a stoic man, and it was nearly impossible to tell if he knew anything else.She had a hunch there was something, though.She would keep an eye on him and hope that she did enough with what she had to prove she was someone he could share with.
Dale wanted to take care of business himself.Alison wanted to put the killer behind bars.Only one of them would win out.
"All right," she said."That’s all I need for now.I'm going to go and get some sleep.I’ll keep you in the loop with anything we find, and I really hope you do the same."
Dale nodded.A noncommittal nod that could mean anything.
***
Alison woke with a gasp.She looked up at the cracked ceiling, a pale glow on it.She had saliva at the corner of her mouth, and her face felt creased from being pressed against her pillow.
Where am I?
