Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 68006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Damn, Kelly. Look the woman in the eye.
She still looks at the table, though.
Kelly doesn’t know about body language, but I do. We were well-trained in it in the Navy. How to read someone. And when you don’t look an interrogator in the eye? They think you’re lying.
Kelly’s not lying, but her body language says that she is.
“And how did you find out that you were mistaken?”
“Brindley denied it, although I didn’t believe her at first. But I finally believed her.”
“What made you believe her?”
“The last text I got. It came while I was in her presence, and it contained some of the same language in the letter that Leif said he gave you. I believe the texts are coming from a man from the island.”
“I see. Which man?”
“I don’t know his name.” Kelly lets out a scoff.
Easy, Kelly.
“What did he call himself?”
“Mr. Smith.”
Castella rolls her eyes.
“I’m not lying to you. He called himself Mr. Smith.”
Oh God…
“I didn’t accuse you of lying, Ms. Taylor.”
“You rolled your eyes.”
“Yes. I rolled my eyes because Mr. Smith as an alias is a little on the nose, don’t you think?”
Kelly opens her mouth but no words come out.
“Let’s continue,” Lacey says. “Ms. Taylor had a rough night last night and we should get this over with as soon as possible.”
Lacey’s voice is calm and direct. I get the feeling she’s trying to send Kelly a subliminal message as well.
Whether she picks up on any of it… I inhale.
“Yes, of course.” Detective Castella taps on her computer. “The preliminary report from forensics shows only one set of fingerprints on the letter in question.”
“I’m afraid those will be mine,” Kelly says. “I opened the letter and touched it.”
“And a spot of blood,” Castella says.
Kelly holds out her left hand, showing the paper cut on her thumb. “I cut myself on the flap of the envelope as I was opening it.”
“So what you’re saying is that those fingerprints are yours, and if we analyze the blood, it will show that it is yours as well.”
“Yes. I am the one who opened the letter. And I did bleed on it.”
I grow tense.
I don’t like this line of questioning from Detective Castella. Surely she can’t think…
“Mrs. Wolfe,” she says to Lacey, “it’s my understanding that your husband and your brother-in-law have traced all of the text messages that have come to Ms. Taylor, correct?”
“That’s correct,” Lacey affirms.
“And they were all untraceable?”
“Also correct.”
“Ms. Taylor, have you ever purchased a burner phone?”
Kelly’s eyes go wide.
“You don’t have to answer that, Kelly,” Lacey says. “Detective Castella, that question is irrelevant.”
“I find it very relevant.”
“The answer won’t lead to anything productive. At best it would be circumstantial. People buy burner phones all the time for hundreds of reasons.”
“I would like for Ms. Taylor to answer the question.”
“Kelly—”
“No,” Kelly interrupts Lacey. “I’ve never purchased a burner phone. I don’t even know where I would find a burner phone.”
Tension threads through the room, so thick that I can feel it.
Lacey is now as tense as I am.
We both know exactly why Detective Castella asked the question, and we’re not happy about it.
“You can easily find places to purchase a burner phone online,” Castella says.
“Why would I do that when I’ve had no reason to purchase one?” Kelly asks.
Castella taps on her computer again. “I can never know exactly what you and your friends went through on that island.”
“They’re not my friends,” Kelly says.
“They’re not?”
“I just told you. We didn’t really interact with each other on the island.”
“What about at the retreat center, after you were rescued?”
“Do you really think any of us were in any condition to forge friendships?” Kelly’s tone is harsh. “We had just been rescued from human slavery, Detective.”
Oh, Kelly…
I understand where she’s coming from, but she needs to be more cooperative. Again, I try to reach her subliminally, and again, I know it’s an exercise in futility.
“All right.” Castella clears her throat. “What I was trying to say is that I’ll never understand what you went through on the island.”
“No, you won’t.”
Another throat clear from Castella. She’s trying to be patient, but I know from experience that Kelly can try anyone’s patience. Even a saint’s. And Detective Castella is no saint. She’s going after Kelly, and she’s wrong. All I can do is be here with Kelly for support.
“That being said,” the detective continues, “there are some people who might believe you wrote this text yourself, Ms. Taylor.”
Kelly stands then and pounds her fist on the table. “I did not! Install a fucking camera in my apartment if you want to. Watch me every minute of every fucking day. I’ve never bought a burner phone, and I’ve never sent a text to myself. Go ahead. Install a fucking camera. Why should I care? I’ve already got round-the-clock security, someone watching me every minute. Do you even know what that feels like? I may as well be a rat in a cage.”