Page 42 of Claymore
Claymore nodded, turning his attention to me, his eyes scanning my face.
“We gotta go, darlin’.”
“I don’t like leaving Louise. I want to stay close.”
“No. Absolutely not. There are people obviously out for blood, Ella. They’re targeting you. I can’t guarantee you’ll be safe out here,” he said.
We stood there arguing, keeping our voices low even though Louise’s ears perked up like she was trying to listen in anyway. I was about to fight Claymore on this when Louise’s phone rang with that bubbly ringtone of hers. I jumped when I heard it, wondering who could be calling her this late at night.
“Ali? Everything okay? Ah, they’re done. They want us to clean it up? Aren’t they supposed to call in cleaners or something? Goddamnit. Okay, I’ll be down in the morning.”
Louise hung up the phone, glancing up at us.
“What is it?”
“Cops are done. Not sure what they found yet, but they need us down there to clean up tomorrow.”
“I can stay and help.”
“No, Ella,” Claymore and Louise both said.
“You need to stay safe. I’m not letting anything happen to you.”
“He’s right, Ella. Sedona can’t be home anymore, at least not for now. I’ll call you when I get to Derek’s tomorrow. I promise,” she said.
I rushed over to her, wrapping my arms around her, squeezing tightly. She hugged me back hard and when I finally peeled away, my heart physically hurt. I thought about Gina in that moment, worried that the people I love would end up like her. The thought filled me with a sense of rage I hadn’t felt yet, one that lit a fire inside me that couldn’t be put out anytime soon.You touch any of them, Ray, you’re dead. I don’t care where and I don’t care how. This has to end.
“Come on, Ella,” said Claymore, ushering me out Louise’s front door.
We made it out in the cool evening air. I looked over at the park, noticing how empty and eerie it was. The streetlights were the only thing illuminating the space for miles and when I turned my back, it was like I was enveloped in darkness. Claymore inched closer to me, tucking one of my strawberry blonde curls behind my ear.
“Ella, I know you don’t want to leave her, but I’m not gonna leave you to hang out in a Lion hot spot right now. Besides, we’ve got work to do.”
“Work?”
“You heard, Louise. Cops are gone. Until tomorrow morningCrystal’sis completely empty. We need to get in, look around, and get out. At least you’ll be a call away from Louise in case she needs you. You up for it?” he asked and I nodded.
“You know I am.”
***
It was strange seeingCrystal’s Dinerso empty. There wasn’t a single car in the parking lot. The streetlights near the hedges were blown out, the paper bags and old plastic cups were smashed near the dumpsters. It looked like a ghost town out here. I felt a chill roll down the back of my spine when we entered, peeling back some of the caution tape that was left over from the investigation.
I knew they wouldn’t find anything. I felt it in my gut that this would be brushed under the rug, another hit by a few wild bikers the cops would pay no real attention to finding. It would stir up trouble around town, cause for some real gossip, but sooner or later life would just return to normal. Everyone’s lives except mine.
I could still smell the scent of grease in the air, the souring of the milkshakes left out on the booth tables by one of the customers. It made my stomach turn to see the blood smudged across the floor like someone had been dragged around, beaten bloody. A lump rose in my throat and I swallowed, feeling the pain in my heart surface again, the realization that this really was just the beginning.
“I still don’t understand why this is happening. Every time I try to think of a motive, I come up with nothing. Why Crystal’s? Why now? What is Ray planning?”
“You want my guess?”
“I do.”
“I think he wants to destroy every single thing that has gotten in his way. That may have never included you when you used to give him what he wanted, but now—”
“Now I’m just a target like everyone else.”
“Hey, hey.”
