Dead Ringers
Page 26
"I'll think about it," I said. I looked at Ben. "What do you think?"
"You know what I think. I'll be covering the Sirens story since that’s what I was investigating while you were chasing this case. I expect it’ll blow up in a spectacular way once Jessica Suarez's little black book becomes public, so we're both going to have a busy few months ahead, but I'll be with you every step of the way, no matter what you decide."
I smiled at hearing that, and my heart warmed at his words. Ben and I would be okay. Perhaps it was an added bonus that we would be working on very different things for a few months. Instead of competing, we could concentrate on not only helping each other, but having fun at it. We certainly had a lot to catch up on. "A sabbatical sounds nice," I said.
"Don't forget you promised I could write the music score for the eventual film," said Mike. "We had a deal."
I glanced at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Jeez. Talk about goldfish memory," he sighed as he rolled his eyes. "After all I've been through these past twenty-four hours, this is the thanks I get!"
"Someone throw a pillow at him. Not mine," I added since I just nestled into a comfortable position.
A pillow sailed across the room and I laughed, then stopped, wincing again. Mike caught it and held onto it, pulling a face at Daisy.
"There's something else," said Ashleigh, the tone of her voice sobering us. "We haven't released all the details to the press yet but I had cadaver dogs go through Hayden's house and yard as well as the imaging equipment and it looks like the women you identified weren't the only victims. Hayden Roth's backyard is a virtual cemetery."
"There were more?" I asked, thinking about the pretty backyard that harbored such a terrible secret.
"Several so far. It appears one of his biggest mistakes was running out of space,” said Ashleigh. "He had to dump April and Sammy."
My stomach rolled.
"With the discovery of the photo albums Hayden made, it's likely Anna Sanchez and Danika Jones are amongst them. Their photos are in there and we'll identify all of them eventually but it will be a major operation. Without you, Shayne, these women might never have been found. A lot of families can finally get the closure they need," she added. "I agree with everyone else. You should tell their stories. You should be their voice. Make sure it's their voices that are heard, not his."
I squeezed Ben's hand and took a deep breath. I moved to LA to change my life, just like Sammy did. And Anna, Danika, April and Bonita. I could do this for them. I could tell their stories, and Daisy's. They deserved to have their voices heard, not Hayden’s. I reached for Daisy's hand, then one by one, my friends added theirs on top, creating a stack of friendship. "I think I've got a lot of work to do," I told them.
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