Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
As I drifted off to sleep that night, I reminded myself that Wes had given me no tangible reason not to trust him. Right now, all of this was in my imagination.
Basically, I went against my gut and tried to lie to myself so I could have a chance at getting some rest.
***
I ended up sleeping for a few hours, at best. The foreboding feeling that Wes was hiding something won out and kept my brain busy most of the night.
And the following day, Wes brought everything to the forefront again when, in the middle of the afternoon, he announced, “I have to go meet with one of the investigators.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Detective Olson.”
“What does he need from you?”
“He wants me to look at some potential suspect photos.”
I blinked. “They have more than one suspect?”
“Well, it’s more of a lineup kind of thing, but using photos instead of real people. I think they might be close to narrowing it down to one person and need my input.”
I sucked in a breath as my adrenaline surged. “That’s great news.”
He looked into my eyes. “I won’t stop until we get to the bottom of this, Juliette.”
Did he think that’s why I was concerned? Maybe I should’ve been more concerned about finding the perpetrator than I was about Wes’s sneaky behavior. But the latter had completely overtaken me.
“Can I go with you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “He told me I need to come alone.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why can’t you bring someone? You shouldn’t even be driving yet.”
“I’m fine to drive.” He shrugged. “I guess they don’t want anyone influencing what I remember.”
“I was there, too, though,” I pointed out. “What if something sparks my memory?”
“I get why you’d think that,” he said. “But you already told them you don’t remember seeing anyone. I admitted that I got a glimpse of a guy right before it happened. So that’s why they’re focusing on what I remember. They likely wouldn’t trust your word since you’ve already admitted to having no memory besides me covering you.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Oh my God. His face was turning red again, same as yesterday. This confirmed that it wasn’t my imagination. He’s lying.
“Where exactly are you meeting the cop?”
He hesitated. “The police station.”
I nodded, remembering the bits and pieces I could make out from his phone call. He’d mentioned the Hotel Adventura. Nothing about a police station. Hmm…
Wes turned away from me. “Have you seen my keys?” He scrambled to locate them, knocking into one of the end tables, seeming discombobulated.
“You have to leave right now?” I asked.
“Not yet. Like in ten minutes. But I can’t go anywhere without my keys. Can’t remember where I last put them. I think my brain is still fried from the meds they gave me at the hospital.”
As I pretended to help him look for the keys, a crazy idea came to me. As much as I knew I shouldn’t pursue it, I wasn’t able to stop myself. “I, uh, have to go next door to return a book I borrowed from Pam,” I said. “So I probably won’t be here when you get back.”
He forced a smile. “Okay. Make sure Eddie knows. I’ll see you a little later then.”
I nodded and walked to my room, grabbing one of Wes’s black hoodies that had been hanging on a rack. When he went to use the bathroom, I snuck out the back door, somehow managing to bypass the guards’ attention.
After running over to Pam’s, I knocked on her door.
She opened. “Hey, Juliette. I was ju—”
“I need your help.” I took a deep breath.
Her expression turned serious as her dog barked, circling her legs. “What is it?”
“I have to borrow your car. Just for like an hour.”
“My car?” Her forehead wrinkled. “Why?”
I decided to be somewhat honest. She either still knew nothing about my mafia ties, or had chosen not to say anything. But I could certainly play the worried-girlfriend card. That I knew she could relate to. Pam had a cheating husband some years ago, so I suspected she might sympathize with that angle.
“A guy I’m dating and I have been going through a little rough patch. He’s supposed to be going downtown to meet a friend. But I’m not sure I trust that he’s not meeting a woman.” I sucked in a breath. “I want to follow him to make sure he’s being honest.”
Pam sighed. “Some guys are impossible to tame.” She rolled her eyes. “Say no more.”
“Thank you.” I let out a relieved breath. “I know this seems crazy, but I appreciate you helping me out.”
“You do whatever you need to, Juliette. And give him hell.” She disappeared for a moment to get her keys.
“I shouldn’t be too long,” I told her as she handed them to me. “I just need to see where he’s going. Then I’ll bring the car right back.”