Total pages in book: 7
Estimated words: 5672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 28(@200wpm)___ 23(@250wpm)___ 19(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 5672 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 28(@200wpm)___ 23(@250wpm)___ 19(@300wpm)
"No problem, sir." I say, taking the offered file folder. I open it and get the details.
Kourtney Denneson, eighteen, from Nebraska. Unknown male, early twenties. As a homicide detective for ten years, you'd think I'd be used to dead bodies, but the truth is I'm not, and I don't think I ever will be. The second it becomes just another day at the office is the second I put in my retirement papers.
"Rook, let's go," I say, grabbing my gun and badge from my locked desk drawer.
"Where are we going?" Dante Hodges asks. He stands from his desk and follows me out the back door to the parking lot.
"Caught a case. Out at the music college," I reply, getting behind the wheel of my police-issue Dodge Charger, pull out of the parking lot, heading down the street, passing Fenway Park as we go.
“What’s the deal?” Hodges asks.
“It’s all in the file,” I say, tossing it into his lap.
“Holy shit,” he says, reading it.
“Yeah. Captain wants a quick closure of this one.”
“I bet," he says quietly.
"What?"
"Nothing, man. Does this thing go any faster?"
"Yeah,” I say as he flips the lights on.
Once we arrive at the scene, Rook is quietly going over the scene, jotting things down until the roommate arrives home.
"Kourt?" the short blonde screams, coming into the room from the open front door.
I watch as Rook's eyes widen. I know that look. I'll let him deal with her.
"Miss?"
"Gaines. Heather," she answers.
"Heather. You can't be here right now."
"I live here. What's going on?"
"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your roommate has died. Where were you?"
"At work. I left here at noon. She was fine, waiting for an online date. Oh God. He did this didn't he?"
"We don’t know yet, but there is a deceased man with her."
"Oh God," she repeats.
“Have you known Ms. Denneson long?” I ask.
“Yes. She’s…was my cousin.”
"Do you have somewhere you can stay?”
"No," she whispers as tears stream down her face. “My parents live in Nebraska. Her parents?”
“They are on their way.”
“Okay. Good…umm… was she in bed with the guy?”
“Yes? Why?”
“Uh…We’re members of the Chasteness Society.”
“The cult?”
“It’s not a cult. It’s a way of life. Not a religion; definitely no virgin sacrifices taking place. We are not supposed to be intimate with someone who isn’t our spouse. The group doesn’t care about sexual orientation, just that don’t do it until you get married. I don’t know why, but our mothers are sisters, they started it, and we just go along with it. Clearly, Kourtney didn’t fully believe in it. This is her first time away from her parents. They can’t know that she was in bed with him.
“It will be in our report, which will only come up a trial if we find a suspect.”
“Okay.
"Come with me," Rook says, leading her away from the door. “Let’s get some coffee or something.”
I finish up my part of the investigation and release the scene to forensics. When I get downstairs, I find Rook holding a sobbing Heather in his arms. I open the back of the cruiser, and they get in. We bring her down to the station to await her aunt and uncle. Rook doesn’t leave her side. I’m honestly not sure how much longer I can do this job. I need a vacation. In all my years on the force, I’ve only taken the required days off. I’ve never actually planned anything. Now, I plan on taking it very soon.
Only ninety days until I make Gwenna Halstead mine.
If I can make it through that, I can make it through anything.
CHAPTER THREE
Gwen
THREE MONTHS LATER
I can’t sleep. How can I? I haven’t seen Wes except for once since the night of Mitch and Kylie’s wedding. It was three weeks ago. It was a brief glimpse of him, and it wasn’t enough. I was dropping off a purse of Kylie’s that I borrowed, and he was there. His daily texts weren’t enough. Nothing will ever be enough but him. He couldn’t get away from me fast enough when I saw him. His only words to me were to remind me that there were only three weeks left, and then I was his.
Today is the day, however. I’m eighteen now. The clock on the nightstand reads 12:02. Of course, I don’t feel any different than I did three minutes ago. I’m restless. I fling the covers off of me and grope in the darkness toward the adjoining bathroom. I turn the shower on and step under the hot water. The room isn’t my own, nor the one I usually stay in when I’m here. I don’t know why Kylie put me in this one. I’m staying with Mitch and Kylie again because my parents discovered they love traveling. Alone. Together. They left two weeks ago. They were supposed to be home today for my birthday, and then they’d leave again tomorrow. I told them that it was silly to do that. As awful as it seems, I only want to spend today with Wes. Besides, I still have five months of high school left, and I wouldn’t want to deny them anything, especially when they lived their whole adult lives for their children. They were there for every sporting event, dance recital, and freaking cookie my sister and I sold. They’ve promised to be home before prom and graduation. That’s all I can ask for.