Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
It suddenly hit me: the projector could go on the dressers, angled toward the ceiling. Maybe I’d grab some little wall decals next week—stars, animals, or something cozy once I’d gotten to know their likes and dislikes. And I still needed to pick up some storage bins for toys. If I had time, I’d run back out again tomorrow or this afternoon.
I was so focused on running through my to-do list that I didn’t even think to look at my car as I got into it. Thankfully, it had one of those systems that alerted you to an issue, which it did as soon as I turned the engine on, showing me there was an issue with the pressure in the rear right tire.
Cursing, I got out and checked on it, hoping the system was wrong. Sadly, it was as flat as my chest in eighth grade.
Pulling my phone out, I figured it was time to use the AAA membership I paid so much for. To be fair, the car hadn’t come kitted out with a spare. That’d been extra, which I wasn’t paying on top of AAA, which would come in more useful in the long run. It wasn’t just tires that went kaput in cars.
Twenty minutes later, with the AAA guy crouched beside my car, I heard a low whistle. “Well, this didn’t happen on its own,” he muttered.
I blinked. “What do you mean?”
He straightened up, wiping his hands on a rag, and gestured for me to come over. “There’s a knife in your back tire. Like… in it. Someone jammed it in clean.”
I stared at him, stunned. “You’re kidding.”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’ve seen a few like this, but never one just left sticking out. Like they wanted you to know.”
My pulse kicked up, but my phone started buzzing in my coat pocket before I could process that fully.
Roque.
I answered immediately. “Hey.”
“Where are you?” His voice was tight but not angry, just concerned. “I just stopped by the house on my lunch break, and you’re not there.”
“I went to the mall to get some stuff for the kids,” I explained, glancing at the AAA guy. Before he could admonish me for spending money, which he absolutely was going to do, I finished as quickly as I could, “And I was just about to leave when I found out one of my tires is flat. AAA’s here now, but apparently, there’s… a knife in the tire.”
Roque went quiet for a beat. “A what?”
“A knife. The guy just found it.”
“Don’t let him take it out,” Roque said sharply. “Tell him to leave it. Put it in the trunk, handle out if he has to touch it. I want to see it myself.”
I relayed the message to the tech, who gave a slow nod and said he could manage that.
But then Roque spoke again, his tone shifting. “Actually, don’t move it. I’m sending someone from work to come get it. We might be able to pull a print or something.”
“Do you think someone did this on purpose?” I asked, my voice quieter now, the question already hanging in my chest.
“That’s what I need to find out.” He paused. “Do you know anyone who’d do that to you?”
I frowned, heart pounding. “No… No one I can think of.”
Then I thought back to what had just happened.
“The only weird thing I can think of were the two guys who stood in my way not long ago,” I said slowly. “When I was leaving the store. They were dressed in black coats and skull caps, standing by the door. They didn’t say anything when I asked them to move, just stared. One of them stepped aside eventually, but it was weird.”
“Can you describe them?” he asked immediately, all business now.
I did, trying to recall every detail I could: their height, build, the color of their coats, and the way they carried themselves.
“I doubt they did anything, they were just acting weird.”
However, Roque was already moving. “I’m on it,” he said, then the line went dead.
The AAA guy worked quickly, replacing the tire with practiced ease while I stood off to the side, arms crossed against the cold and nerves twisting in my gut. He didn’t say much after the knife comment, just kept to his task, his movements efficient and careful.
A few minutes later, a plain black SUV pulled up, and a man in dark jeans and a Piersville P.D. windbreaker stepped out. He looked like the kind of guy who never said more than he had to. Quiet eyes, no-nonsense energy. I figured this was the tech Roque had mentioned.
He didn’t introduce himself, just gave me a small nod before walking straight to the tire with the knife still lodged in it.
Eyes moving to the AAA guy, he asked, “You wear gloves the whole time?’