by West, Tara
Last semester Sophie liked a total dork named Jacob and got into it with AJ over him. Even though I thought he was a loser, too, I decided to stay out of their fight. I didn’t think Sophie needed both of us on her back. Besides, she figured it out on her own, eventually. I guess I couldn’t be too mad at Sophie for keeping Bryon’s thoughts secret. After tonight, I figured out he had problems.
“He’s feeling a great sense of abandonment.” Her brows rose and she added the last part with emphasis. “And anger.”
Crap. So he wasn’t just having a bad day. The guy had major issues. “I got the anger part. Who abandoned him?” I asked, kind of already suspecting his mom.
“Not to sound selfish.” Sophie rolled her eyes. “But I’m more concerned with passing algebra than prying in on Bryon’s brain. His depression has been distracting me enough lately.”
“Yeah, but I’m worried about him. You should have heard him tonight with his dad. He really hates him.”
Sophie narrowed her eyes, her nostrils flaring ever so slightly. “So you’re asking me to spy? I promised you and AJ I wouldn’t do that anymore.”
“I just want to know why he’s so on edge,” I pleaded. “I don’t think it’s Sunny’s murder. I think it’s something worse and I can’t help him if I don’t know.”
“Don’t you have enough crap to deal with right now?”
“Yeah,” I sighed, then swore as a frizzy curl escaped from my hair band and scraped the roof of the car. “But what’s one more problem?”
Chapter Eleven
“Sun-ny? Sun-ny, are you out here?”
The real question was, what the heck was I doing out here? AJ’s mom would so bust me if she woke up and used her spying powers, but here I was anyway at two in the morning, channeling a dead spirit like a total idiot.
I couldn’t help myself. I’d lain on the cot beside AJ’s bed all night, worrying.
Worrying over Bryon’s disturbing thoughts.
Worrying about my chemistry test in two days.
Worrying for Sunny’s poor lost spirit.
The worst of it was Ed and Gertrude never showed up tonight to console me. Where were they? I’d had a hard enough time getting them to give me any privacy, and suddenly, they just vanished. Were they okay? I mean, I knew they were already dead, but I still worried about them.
My life was totally out of control. I felt so stuck, so helpless. With so many things needing to be fixed, I couldn’t just lay there all night. I had to take action.
“Sunny! Come out so we can talk!” I hollered into the crisp night air, scanning the dark, watery horizon for any sign of her spirit. Crap, I should’ve brought a jacket, but I was in too much of a hurry to sneak out of the house. Rubbing my bare arms for warmth, a shiver raced up my spine. This wasn’t the kind of shiver I got from cold weather.
This was something else. More like a blade of ice was slicing my spinal cord.
I was now beginning to recognize the feeling when Sunny’s apparition was suddenly too close.
Turning on my heel, I gasped.
Her pale, bruised face was within inches of mine.
“What do you want?” She asked in a voice almost as cold as her aura.
Backing up a few paces, I swallowed hard, instinctively rubbing my arms again. No matter how much I was used to ghosts, she still gave me goose- flesh. “The police caught your boyfriend.”
“Raymond,” she breathed and her stone eyes softened.
I nodded.
A crease marred her pale brow. “What are they going to do to him?”
“I don’t know yet.” I held out my palms. “Maybe put him in jail.”
Sunny’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open. “He didn’t mean to do it.”
That strange chill brought on by her presence intensified, like an arctic wind had rushed up my spine.
I shivered through a yelp, backing up more until I felt the soles of my shoes sink into soft mud. With a quick glance behind me, I cursed at the ripples lapping at my heels. Any further and I’d be swimming.
“Sunny, do you understand what happened?” I spoke through a shaky voice while trying to control my trembling limbs.
“He hurt me,” she said in a monotone.
Had dying made her that disoriented or was she just in denial?
I shook my head. “You’re dead.”
“No!” She glared at me through swollen eyelids. “It’s not true.”
“It’s true, Sunny. Listen, you’ve got to leave this dark place. Find some light and move on.”
“I can’t leave Raymond. He’ll be here for me soon.” She nodded at something just beyond my shoulder.
I turned my head, following the direction of her gaze. She was looking at something in the center of the lake. Was mental illness a side-effect of dying? He wasn’t going to be meeting her anywhere, unless maybe he got the death penalty.
“Raymond’s not coming,” I said in a clipped voice, trying to make her understand the reality of my words. “He’s the one who killed you.”
Without another glance, she turned, floating toward the canopy of trees behind us.
“Sunny, where are you going? Please don’t leave!” I screamed, trying to chase after her, but it was hard on wobbly legs. For some reason, all of my energy had suddenly drained and I felt as lifeless as a corpse.
She floated further away until the faint light of her spirit was shrouded in darkness.
Exhaling a deep breath, I sank to my bottom on the nearest small boulder and rested my head in my hands.
That didn’t go so well.
I wondered if all dead people in dark places acted this way. When my grammy died last semester, she kind of freaked me out because she wouldn’t speak, but I didn’t get the feeling of a thousand tiny spiders racing up my spine. Closing my eyes, I briefly remembered her smiling face. She had that same serene expression in death. Sunny’s stark glare looked anything but serene.
“Too bad we can’t put you on the witness stand. This would be an open and shut case.”
A jolt of fear shot up my spine at the sound of the deep male voice. My eyes flew open and I jumped to my feet. Officer Garza stood a few feet in front of me, his flashlight aimed at the ground beneath his feet.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted, my voice shaking with apprehension.
He smiled softly, but not like the smile of a good friend. Kind of like a sorrowful smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I knew you’d come back.”
I held my breath, afraid to respond. How did he know I’d come back here?
Shaking his head, his gaze shot up to the stars before coming back to me with a hard stare. “You’re just like your mother.”
I winced, that familiar surge of anger welling inside my chest. He could have punched me and it would’ve had the same effect. Just the mention of her name and I wanted to hurl.
She left us.
She left me.
I’d just entered my teen years, right at a time when I needed her most, and she walked out. That was over a year ago and I haven’t even gotten an email from her.
Was I that bad of a daughter? I stayed out of her hair when she asked me to—and she asked me to all the time.
And I worshiped her.
She was so beautiful. I did everything in my power to look just like her. She had straight, silky red hair and fair skin. Her eyes were of the brightest green.
I knew I looked more like my dad’s side of the family, even though I’d never met them. He told me my aunt had frizzy hair.
That didn’t stop me from buying every hair straightener under the sun, from trying to dye my hair red and getting bright orange instead. I dressed stylish, I acted cute.
I wanted to be just like my mom.
Then she left.
“I’m nothing like her.” I spoke evenly, with a chest that felt ready to explode.
A deep frown marred his brow and under the pale moonlight, the lines framing his dark, sunken eyes were clearly v
isible. Not only did the guy need a good moisturizer, he was majorly stressed.
“You dad should have told you.” He shook his head. “Your mother deserved better.”
“What are you talking about?”
What was my dad hiding from me? Had she tried to call and he wouldn’t let her talk to me? Did she have a good reason for leaving?
“Your real mother died when you were a baby.”
Bam.
My brain exploded, a pair of lead weights fell to my feet. As I felt my legs give way, I stumbled to sit on the rock behind me.
“W-what?” That was all that came out of my mouth, as I was vaguely aware of my own actions.
“She was murdered.” Officer Garza’s voice echoed in my ears and he sounded miles away.
That last word wrapped around my brain and threatened to strangle all reasoning from my mind.
Murdered.
Just like Sunny.
My stomach clenched and a sickening feeling shot up my chest.
“This can’t be true,” I breathed.
Setting the flashlight at his feet, Officer Garza knelt in front of me, his eyes pooling with moisture. “I’m sorry, Krysta.”
“Why would Dad lie?”
He sighed, running his fingers through a thinning hairline. “To protect you, I guess.” Digging into his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet. “Look, here’s a picture of you and her when you were still in diapers.”
My jaw dropped as he handed me the picture. An olive-skinned woman with crazy curls held a frizzy-haired baby on her hip. They both had big brown eyes. The same wide smiles.
My dad lied.
A torrent of warm tears slid down my cheeks and I didn’t even care about my makeup.
“She looks just like me.” I tried to control my quavering lower lip as I spoke.
“She was a beauty.” Garza seemed to choke on his last word and took a moment to clear his throat. A single tear slipped down his face before he continued. “Adela had beautiful eyes, beautiful hair.”
“Adela?” I didn’t understand why, but saying my mother’s name out loud brought a chill to my spine.
Shivering, I rubbed my bare arms.
This whole moment felt so surreal. I’d had a different mom. A real mom. Maybe...she even loved me.
“She was my partner. My best friend.” His voice broke again and then he plastered on a smile. “She loved you so much.”
“She did?”
His gaze drifted off to somewhere beyond my shoulder. “You were her world. You two were so much alike.” Garza laughed, before his brow set in a deep frown. “I remember the time she took you to Puerto Rico for your abuelo’s funeral.”
“My abuelo?”
“Your grandpa. She had just laid you down for a nap when she heard you laughing. She went into your room and she said you and your grandpa were playing peek-a-boo.” Garza’s cloudy gaze sharpened and he looked at me with smiling eyes. “You were laughing so hard that the whole family came into the room. You and Adela were the only two who saw him.”
A tremor of excitement shot to my toes. “She saw him, too?”
Garza nodded. “That’s how we solved most of our homicide cases. She spoke to the victims.” His voice took on a more eager tone. “Adela was the best detective on the squad.” Then his eyes darkened and his features contorted into one massive frown. “Maybe too good.”
“What do you mean?” I already sensed his meaning as I swallowed the lump of bile that rose up in my throat.
His gaze dropped to the ground and he picked up a twig, stabbing holes into the dirt. “We were assigned a multiple-homicide. A suspected drug cartel. She knew too much. I think they murdered her.”
My poor mom. How could anyone do this to her? To me?
A torrent of feelings ranging from sorrow to hurt to rage infused my skull.
I had never wished anyone dead before but I wanted whoever murdered my mom to pay. “What did you do to them?”
Dropping the stick, he leveled me with blood- shot eyes. “They never caught the guys. I was pulled from the case.”
“They killed her and you didn’t do anything about it!” Jumping to my feet, I practically screamed. A white hot heat shot through my torso and I clenched my fists, fighting back the urge to strike Garza.
I’d never been so angry in my life. My mom was murdered and what was anyone doing about it? What if she’d gone to a dark place? I shuddered at the thought.
Standing, Garza threw up his hands. “I have a family, too, Krysta. There was nothing me or your dad could do.”
“My dad?”
“He was a detective.” Garza nodded. “He had to quit to keep you safe.”
“Oh-mi-god,” I breathed.
Wrapping my arms around my torso, I slid back down to the rock. My entire world was spinning.
No wonder he worked as a security guard all night and drank all day. My dad went from being a homicide detective to a minimum-wage rent-a-cop—all to keep me safe.
He must have really resented me.
That would explain why he had countless women at the apartment but paid no attention to me. That person he’d called my ‘mom’, she was just a surrogate to fill a void for my real mother.
Still frowning, Garza folded his arms across his chest. “I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you all this.”
I had no response. Life as I knew it would never be the same. The woman who could have brought love and comfort to my life was dead, my dad was a bitter drunk, and the drug lords who murdered my mom were free.
Butt numbing, I sulked on that sandy rock by the beach, barely noticing the cop who had sat down beside me. My tear-soaked eyes had adjusted to the darkness. It could have been daylight outside for all I cared. Nothing really mattered at this point.
My life sucked.
“Krysta, I need a favor.”
The pleading in Garza’s voice drew me out of my trance.
Looking at him, I saw the deep lines etched around his eyes looked darker than before.
“What?” I asked, not trying to mask the annoyance in my voice.
He needed a favor. The man who did nothing after my mom was murdered.
“You and Bryon are the only witnesses in Sunny’s case.” Standing, he shook the sand from his jeans. “Her boyfriend is trying to back out of his confession, but you know he did it.”
“Yeah, he did it. Sunny told me.”
“Raymond was wearing gloves when he murdered her. Where did he hide them?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged while struggling to my knees.
My legs felt so wobbly, but I had to get out of here and back home before Mrs. Dawson caught me. Besides, I’d had enough reality for one night.
“Could you ask Sunny?” Garza held out his hand.
I looked at his outstretched fingers. Was this some kind of peace offering? An apology for not doing all he could for my mother? Or was he just being nice so I’d make solving his case easier?
“She’s not talking much.”
I took his hand, but only because my body had weakened so much over the past few minutes. I didn’t understand this sudden fatigue. Maybe it was stress, but I just wanted to crawl into bed and cry myself to sleep.
“Could you please try?” he asked softly while leveling me with a direct gaze. “We need to make this murder stick. I don’t want to see him walk.”
I didn’t either. Not Raymond. Not any murderer. “Okay,” I sighed. “I’ll ask her.”
“Krysta!” A familiar shrill cry echoed from behind me. “Are you trying to turn all my hair gray?” “I’m sorry.” My shoulders fell as I turned to face Mrs. Dawson.
“Officer Garza. What are you doing here?” Mrs. Dawson hissed and her feral glare reminded me of a wild animal protecting her offspring.
Garza threw up his hands. “Just looking for clues.”
“Clues?” Her eyes narrowed to slits, before she turned her suspicious gaze on me. “Krysta, what’s going on?
&
nbsp; I exhaled slowly. This was going to be a long night. “He wants me to talk to Sunny for him.”
She gasped, both hands flying to her mouth. “You told him?”
“No.” I shook my head. “He knew my mom. I guess she spoke to ghosts, too.”
“Officer!” She nodded toward me, but her fiery gaze was locked on him. “Are you really going to drag this child through a murder case?”
“Just one clue.” He held both palms out in a sign of mock surrender. “That’s all I need.”
She groaned, then swore—a word I’d never thought Mrs. Dawson would ever use. She marched toward me until we were separated by only a few inches. Pointing a finger in my face, she groaned again. “You know, I’m going to have to speak to your father about this.”
“Please don’t tell my dad,” I whined.
He didn’t need one more reason to resent me.
“I’m sorry.” Her face hardened. “I can’t keep this secret.”
I closed my eyes, hoping to chase away another torrent of tears, but it was no use as they slipped from beneath my eyelids.
Opening my eyes again, I wiped my face with the backs of my hands. I tried to give her my most heartfelt, pleading, puppy-dog expression. “He’s got enough on his mind.”
“I know he does, Krysta,” her voice softened and she pulled me into a tight hug.
That hug was just enough to send me over the top and I melted into a pile of heaping sobs in her arms.
It felt good to be hugged, and for a moment, I pretended Mrs. Dawson was Adela.
My real mom who loved me.
Pulling me from her, Mrs. Dawson ended the embrace all too soon and stared down at me with glossy blue eyes. “I’m sorry, dear. If you’re going to be looking for clues in a murder case, your father has a right to know.”
Chapter Twelve
“You are not to speak to the police again. Understood?”
Uggghhh.
I had been dreading this conversation the entire trip back from the lake, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. I thought Dad would show up tomorrow or the next day, in between work and visits from his girlfriends, which was why I could hardly believe he was waiting for me in Mrs. Dawson’s driveway.
