Dylan went to the return and scooped up a ball. “Let me show you how it’s done, my friend.” A moment later he bowled a strike.
“Oh, come on,” I said with a mock-scowl. “This is so not fair.”
He walked towards me. “Fairs are where you can ride ponies and eat cotton candy.”
Laughter burst from my lips. “Okay, okay. Let me try this again.” On my next turn I did marginally better—the ball made it all the way to the pins, and even knocked one down. The second try took down a few more.
“Now you’re getting somewhere,” he said with a smile that seemed to convey genuine pleasure at my slight improvement.
A rush of warmth radiated inside me. I kind of like this guy. “So,” I said, curious about him. “You come here with your brother? How old is he?”
A look of pride filled his face. “He’s eleven, and super-smart.”
“Do you have any other brothers or sisters?”
His eyebrows drew together. “I have another brother. He’s seventeen.”
Clearly, this brother wasn’t such a source of delight. “Does he bowl too?”
A snort of laughter filled the air, then he shook his head. “No.”
I wondered what the story was there, but decided not to probe. After all, I wanted to get to know Dylan, not his whole family.
“What about you?” he asked as he carried a bowling ball towards the lane.
“It’s just me and my mom.”
He glanced at me, then nodded before bowling a spare.
“I’m glad to see you don’t bowl strikes every time,” I said with a smile.
I enjoyed the rest of our evening together, learning that he worked at the Sudsy Car Wash, but wanted to go back to school one day.
When we got back to my house he walked me to the door, but to my disappointment, he didn’t try to kiss me.
“Thanks for taking me bowling,” I said, then laughed. “Even though my loss was kind of humiliating.”
He grinned. “You did okay. For someone who never bowls.”
I nodded.
He tilted his head to the side. “Maybe we can go again sometime?”
Excitement rose within me. “Yeah. That would be fun.”
“Cool.” With a last smile, he sauntered to his car, and a moment later he was gone.
Chapter Four
Two days later I saw Dylan again. But this time it wasn’t for a date. No. This time when I saw Dylan he was plunging a knife into a man in the alley behind my work. As the terrible scene unfolded in front of me, I gasped in shock to realize not only had I just witnessed a murder, but that I knew the murderer—had gone on a date with him—and I fell back a step.
A split second after our eyes met, his widened in recognition, and he leapt to his feet. “Courtney?” His voice held a note of surprise. Then he pointed the knife directly at me and his tone changed to one of menace. “You never saw me.” A moment later he dashed in the other direction.
Stunned, I hardly noticed when Steven, my manager, reached my side moments later, huffing and puffing from the exertion.
“Courtney? What happened?”
Trembling began in my hands and soon took over my whole body, and I barely managed to utter, “Someone’s hurt.” I pointed toward the man Dylan had stabbed, and Steven went to his side.
It took a moment to make my feet move in that direction, but when I reached Steven, he had his fingers pressed to the man’s neck. Dark red blood had pooled beside the man, but all I could see was the image of Dylan stabbing the man, then looking right at me.
Fresh terror surged through me. He knows where I live.
“He’s dead,” Steven stated.
“Dead?” I asked dully, as if I’d never heard the word before.
“We need to call the police.”
“Police?” That idea frightened me even more. What would I say when they asked what I’d seen? What would happen if I told them I knew who had done it? Would Dylan kill me? I hardly knew him. Sure, we’d gone on a date, and he’d seemed like a nice guy. But he’d just stabbed a man. To death. I didn’t know him at all. If he was capable of killing someone, what’s to say he wouldn’t kill me too? In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.
“Yes, Courtney. The police.” He stood and faced me. “Do you have your phone?”
I shook my head. Company policy required us to put our phones in a locker while working.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s go back to the store and call from there.”
On autopilot, I followed Steven to Patty Melt Burgers and Shakes, then listened as he spoke to someone on the phone.
“Yes,” he said. “We’ll wait here.”
I want to go home.
Desperate to be anywhere but here, I glanced toward the door. But I knew I couldn’t leave. There was no hiding the fact that I was a witness. The police would want to talk to me, and there was no reasonable way for me to refuse.
Not able to think clearly, I decided I’d deal with their questions when the time came.
Within minutes, wailing sirens shattered the night air.
To learn more about Witness (Witness, Book 1), click HERE.
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Visit Christine Kersey’s website: ChristineKersey.com
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Follow Christine Kersey on Twitter @CKerseyWriter
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To see a list of all of Christine Kersey’s books, turn the page…
Books by Christine Kersey
Searching for Love
Falling for You (Searching for Love, Book One)
Finding Reese (Searching for Love, Book Two)
Surrender My Heart (Searching for Love, Book Three)
Bring Me Home (Searching for Love, Book Four)
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Lily’s Story
He Loves Me Not (Lily’s Story, Book 1)
Don’t Look Back (Lily’s Story, Book 2)
Love At Last (Lily’s Story, Book 3)
Life Imperfect (Lily’s Story, Book 4)
* * *
Parallel Trilogy
Gone (Parallel Trilogy, Book 1)
Imprisoned (Parallel Trilogy, Book 2)
Hunted (Parallel Trilogy, Book 3)
After (a parallel story)
The Other Morgan (a parallel story)
* * *
Over You Series
Over You
Second Chances (sequel to Over You)
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Witness Series
Witness (Witness, Book 1)
Retribution (Witness, Book 2)
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Standalone Books
Suspicions
No Way Out
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Box Sets
Parallel Trilogy
Suspense Bundle
Lily’s Story
Searching for Love bundle
About the Author
Christine has always loved to read, but enjoys writing suspenseful novels as well. She has her own eReader and is not embarrassed to admit that she is a book hoarder. One of Christine's favorite activities is to go camping with her family and read, read, read while enjoying the beauty of nature.
I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me in any of the following ways:
@CKerseyWriter
ChristineKerseyAuthor
www.christinekersey.com
[email protected]
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