Page 104 of Tell Me Something True

Without saying goodbye.

She was good at that.

But at least this time, she hadn’t snuck away.

At least this time, he wanted her gone.

Chapter 20

Tabitha, on call for the night, pulled into the Plush Petal Motel’s parking lot just after two a.m. Thursday morning. Two police cars, complete with flashing lights, were parked side-by-side, blocking an ancient red Honda. A male uniformed cop with short brown hair was talking to an agitated older man with a long, scraggly beard.

She parked in the spot in front of room 5A and sat there, staring at the building. The motel, just off East Main Street, was set back from the road, the building itself a U-shape of connected rooms, most of which seemed empty. Not surprising. There was nothing plush about this motel. It was seedy and probably dangerous, and not a place you’d want to stay if you could afford even a little bit better.

Someone tapped on her window, and she about jumped out of her skin. Glancing over, she saw Miles peering at her through the glass.

Her heart raced with excitement. Her stomach got jittery with nerves.

Her chest warmed with hope.

Oh, no, she scolded all those parts of herself conspiring against her. Do not even think of going there.

She and Miles were done.

He’d made that clear enough eleven days ago on the sidewalk in front of her apartment. Reiterated it again that night at his house.

Reminded her every day since then by ignoring her when they saw each other walking down the hallway at the County’s Municipal Building, or when they passed each other in the parking lot before or after work. The man didn’t even give her so much as a polite hello when she bumped into him at Sacred Grounds coffee over the weekend.

She rolled down her window.

He leaned down, eyes narrowed on her. “Everything okay?”

He was in full cop mode, from his watchful gaze and the way it swept over her to take in the interior of her car, to his deep, commanding tone.

“Everything’s fine. Although your concern about my well-being is both noted and appreciated.”

“So there’s no reason you can’t get out of your car.”

How long had she sat there, lost in memories?

Grabbing her bag, she turned off the car and sent him another smile, this time minus any pleasantry. “None whatsoever.”

She pushed the door open, forcing him to step back so she could get out.

“Manager called in possible prostitution involving an underage female,” he said as she shut the door. “Officer O’Neil found a fifty-eight-year-old man engaging in sexual activity with a female minor in room 2A. She’s not giving her name or age, but if I had to guess, I’d say fourteen or fifteen. Probable runaway, though no one matching her description has been reported missing in Mount Laurel. She’s in the room with Officer O’Neil.”

Tabitha followed him as he rounded the front of her car onto the sidewalk.

“She’s lying!” a man yelled, probably the man the other police officer had been talking to. “Little bitch! She told me she was eighteen! She came on to me!”

Her stomach clenching, Tabitha kept her eyes forward, her steps quick. She’d dealt with men like him her entire life. Had never known a man unlike him.

Until she’d met Miles.

Tabitha waited outside the doorway of room 2A while Miles knocked on the doorframe. A white female police officer, her brown hair pulled back into a short, smooth ponytail, was crouched before a girl in an overly large black sweatshirt, the hood covering her head, sitting on the edge of one of the twin beds. The police officer glanced up at him, then straightened. Said something to the girl then walked over to them.

“She give you anything?” Miles asked the officer quietly as she joined them on the sidewalk.

The officer shook her head. “Not one word.” The woman looked at Tabitha. Held out her hand. “Riley O’Neil.”

---