Return of the Nomad
Page 16
“I was just panicking and thinking what’s this going to look like? What are they going to say about my daughter? Some crazed, drug addicted woman went around murdering people? And then her father murdered her? God, no, no, so I had to make it look like something else. I had to make it look like some psychopath had broken into her apartment and then they’d report it like she was young, and full of hope and trying to get her life together. Not out for revenge. So I—I went back into the living room and I knelt down beside my little girl and I tried to, to…” His voice cracked. “To stab her, but... I, I went around and I turned the furniture and I broke the window. I went into her room and I took her mother’s necklace so I…”
“I know,” I said. “It’s okay.” I let his words sink into the recesses of my mind. That was it. I reached into my jacket and pulled out the cash I had taken from the false bottom drawer in Carter’s apartment. I placed it in front of Jimmy on the bar.
He rubbed at his nose again with his wrist and looked at me, confused.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Start a memorial fund for mothers who are struggling with addiction. Make sure she’s remembered for the right reasons.”
“I don’t understand… I broke the law, I killed her. I thought—”
“I’m not the law, Jimmy.” I stood from the barstool, placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Then I left.
As I climbed into my car and slammed the door shut, I felt a wave of peace and relief roll over me. It was over.
I turned the key in the ignition and cracked a grin as the engine roared to life. I reversed out of the space, pulled the truck around and merged onto Overland. I’d get to the freeway, it didn’t matter where after that. Maybe I’d go see my granddad. Maybe not.
It hadn’t been anything like my younger visits to L.A. Archie and I usually got ourselves into a bit of trouble when we met up after a long time. Nonetheless, this time had been a surprise.
Archie had always been a good friend; reliable, and trustworthy. He was a cop, and he knew where the line was. But he also knew sometimes things weren’t as simple as black and white, as right and wrong. In this particular situation, that had been more important than anything else.
It occurred to me, as I joined the freeway and sped away from the city, that we hadn’t been wrong about the how. Just the who. Tanner hadn’t hurt my friend. He was pretty harmless when all was said and done. I almost regretted the way I had acted towards him. My emotions had clouded my judgment just as much as his had with Pam.
Pam. I hadn’t seen, at first, how the repetitive symptom, the foaming at the mouth that had occurred with every victim, was there to mimic the symptoms of a heroin overdose. Some kind of karmic retribution, I figured. And the hikes in the country? Knowing her, well, that was probably where her interest for those plants, those poisons, had been sparked. She’d always been clever like that.
My mind drifted back to Jimmy, and the bar I had just left. As the lights whipped across my windshield, I realized I didn’t hold any of it against him. I just hoped he could find peace somehow. Someday.
Thank you!
Hey, thanks so much for giving my work a chance! For an “up-and-comer” like myself, every reader is vital. And every review, even more so. That being said, if you happened to enjoy this novel, it would make this author very happy if you would consider taking a moment to leave behind a short review. You totally don't have to...but if you did you could save some time by clicking on the quick links down below ;)
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Ana Delgado Book 2 - Brutal Little Murder
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Love,
Beatrix