“He’s right. They probably will.” Castillo cleared his throat. “Let me know if you need anything. Anything at all, anything the department can do for you.”
“I will. Thanks again, Captain.” He ended the call, and Kyra set the phone next to her paper plate, the cheese on her pizza hardening into an unappetizing glob. Her stomach gurgled. “That was nice of him.”
“Castillo and Quinn always shared that bond of being the first ones at the scene of your mother’s murder.”
“Were they?” She tilted her head.
“Castillo was working patrol at the time. He’s the one who responded to your 911 call. As soon as he walked into your mother’s house, he called Quinn because he knew they had another one of The Player’s victims on their hands. Quinn was nearby, so the two of them were at the house alone with you...and your mother’s body for several minutes before the hordes showed up. I guess you left the bedroom for Quinn, but you wouldn’t come out for Castillo.”
“That’s weird. I’m sure I read that, but I don’t even remember. I knew Castillo had worked the case with Quinn, but I just thought he was on the original task force.”
“Yeah, he was. After your mother’s death, Quinn asked Castillo to join the task force. Castillo’s career took off after that. From what I heard, it never hurt to have Detective Roger Quinn in your corner.”
“And now he’s never going to be in anyone’s corner again. Certainly not mine.” She dropped her head to her hands.
Jake lightly squeezed the back of her neck. “I’m in your corner now—and I’m not going anywhere.”
She wouldn’t be able to answer without bursting into tears again, so she just pressed her body close to his.
Spot’s meows broke the spell, and Jake pushed off the couch. “I’m going to feed this mangy cat. Why don’t you get ready for bed? I’ll clean up everything here and join you later.”
Kyra dipped her head and rose woozily from the couch. Her eyelids drooped and she silently thanked that bottle of cabernet. Without it, she never would’ve been able to sleep tonight.
As Jake bustled through her kitchen, she brushed her teeth and washed her face with cool water. No need to remove her makeup. Her tears had already done that job. She smeared on some night cream, shed her clothing and crawled between the sheets.
Her eyes grew heavy, waiting for Jake to join her. Then the harsh ring of his work phone jolted her awake.
His body shifted beside her as he removed his arm from her waist. She peered over his shoulder at the digital clock and realized with a start that she’d drifted off and had slept through the whole night.
Jake’s voice mumbled a hello. The mattress bounced as he shot up against the headboard. “You’re kidding. Tell me you’re kidding.”
Rubbing her eyes, Kyra struggled to sit up, her hand squeezing Jake’s bicep. “What? What’s going on?”
Had they found out something about Quinn’s death? Something suspicious?
Jake growled into the phone. “When will it end? When will this end? I’m on my way.”
He said goodbye and tossed his phone onto the nightstand. Then he twisted around and cupped her face with one hand. “We have another copycat killer. Our fourth.”
Kyra clutched the covers in her fists. “He’s taunting Quinn—even in death.”
Copyright © 2021 by Carol Ericson
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ISBN-13: 9780369708977
Safeguarding the Surrogate
Copyright © 2021 by Delores Fossen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Safeguarding the Surrogate Page 19
