Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Bonnie grins. “Well, you’ve got my attention. Let’s do it. Are you free tomorrow?”
I nod. “I’m in.”
Uncovering this mystery might very well bring up things that people have fought to keep hidden, but one thing is for sure ... Chloe isn’t here to tell her story, and that means I’m going to have to do it for her.
But first ... the truth ...
INHALING THE JOINT, I sit by the fire and stare over the crackling flames. We’re long into the night now, and the fire has set in, ready to burn all night. I have high hopes it might just keep the critters away, because I’m not certain I can handle the lack of sleep anymore. I’m tired, and I can feel that tired right down to my bones. I need a few days to lay down and rest, but that’ll never happen while I’m taking care of this place.
A few drinks tonight helped me unwind, and this joint is hopefully the icing on the cake. I know I shouldn’t rely on it, but it’s this or lying awake all night waiting for a rat to climb on top of me. I put my feet up on an old log just in front of the fire, warming my toes. It is nice out here; I can see why Chloe wanted me to fix it up. It’s like a little place away from the rest of the world where you feel secluded and safe. The fresh woodsy scent mixed with the fire is good for my soul.
Rustling in the trees to my left has me glancing over in that direction. I don’t see anything, so I look back to the fire. More rustling has me whipping my head back in that direction. A shadow moves in the darkness, and my breath hitches in my throat as I stare, trying to see who or what it is. “Hello?” I call out, but, once again, the night falls still. Swallowing the uneasiness, I face the fire again only to hear yet another sound.
Is it an animal?
Another shadow passes through the trees, and it looks a whole lot like a person.
“Who is there?” I yell, loudly, pushing to my feet.
Flicking the flashlight on my phone, I aim it toward the trees. It does little. More rustling, and I’m certain I see a brief flash of light. “Who the fuck is there?” I call, my entire body trembling with a mix of fear and anger. “Come out and face me.”
Shuffling and then the sound of crunching leaves getting farther and farther away. Whoever it was, is taking off.
“Do not let me see you here again,” I bellow into the trees. “Next time I won’t be so nice.”
“Who the fuck are you shoutin’ at?”
Screaming and spinning around, I see Colt standing in the dark with a flashlight in his hand. Was that the light I saw? Pressing a hand to my chest, it takes me a moment to catch my breath. My heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty. My body is on high alert, and Colt just about gave me a damned heart attack.
“What the fuck are you doing sneaking up on me?” I yell, but my voice comes out high pitched and a little scared.
“You were screamin’ so loudly we could hear you next door,” he tells me, his eyes moving past me to scan the trees. “Was someone here?”
“Someone was here, alright. Someone is messing with me, and I don’t know why. There is only one person who might have an answer to that, and that person is you.”
I close my eyes for a moment, fighting for calm.
“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. No one has been here for fuckin’ years.”
“I’m not in the mood for you tonight,” I say, spinning on my heel and walking back to the fire, sitting down.
I dropped my joint, and I can’t see it in the dark. Angrily, I pull some contents out of my pocket and roll another one. Then, I light it and focus on the fire in front of me, trying to calm my trembling insides. Colt’s boots crunch in the leaves as he walks closer to me before sitting down on the log beside me. He extends his hand out, wanting the joint, and I give it to him.
I’m not in the mood to argue.
“I’ll figure out who is botherin’ you,” he tells me, his voice low.
“I don’t know anyone,” I say. “I don’t understand why anyone would be watching me.”
“Chloe had a lot of things goin’ on before she left town, and now you’re here and people are talkin’. Someone might have beef with her and are hopin’ to take it out on you.”
“What could she have possibly done that would make someone so angry?”
He hands me the joint back. “If I knew ...” he trails off.