Page 71 of Hide Me Darling

"Are you safe?" Dad's voice cuts in, concern evident.

My mind momentarily flashes to the several times I have absolutely not been safe. "Yeah, I’m safe," I reassure him, lowering my voice and trying to keep it steady.

I can hear one of them hum on the other end of the line which I know means they either don’t believe me or they are thinking about something. Which, let’s face it, they shouldn’t believe me, I almost let another killer drown me last night. But the sex was too fucking good.

“Go to the local police there,” Dad finally says, shocking me from my one way thought train to depravity.

Frowning, I look at the screen of my phone, yep it is my parents I’m talking to. “I’m sorry, have you been taken over by pod people?” I jokingly ask and their laughter has a smile spreading across my face.

“Think about it, if you go to the local police about someone you have physically met there and know wouldn’t have just disappeared they will need to look into it. If they don’t, then you will know they are involved,” Dad explains, his reasoning does make sense. Especially because the sheriff and deputy are on my list of suspects. It's the first time I’ve had the opportunity to press for action without it being obvious I’m here investigating.

I hear Papa chuckle as though he’s thinking about something specific. “And if they are involved and you ask them to look into it, they might mess up by trying to get rid of her. You have your knife, right munchkin?”

“Yes,” I respond, rolling my eyes. “Okay, I’ll do what you suggested and see what happens.”

“Make sure you stay safe, no unnecessary risks,” Dad commands and I choose to ignore the last part.

“Hey honey, have you spoken to Seanna recently?” Mom asks and I frown, they never ask that, she speaks to them as regularly as I do.

"Yeah, about two days ago like normal. Is something wrong?" My heart thuds in my chest at the thought.

Mom quickly reassures me, "No, well, not as far as we know. She just seemed a bit stressed or off when we spoke to her last. Maybe give her a call today?"

"Okay, I will," I promise, the concern for my sister now mingling with everything else I’m dealing with.

After promising again to be safe and telling them I love them, we say goodbye and end the call. I take a deep breath, trying to focus on my next steps. I need to get to the bottom of this, and quickly.

Chapter 35

Hydessa

Waving goodbye to Allegra, I start walking towards the police station, determined to follow Dad's advice. If there's any chance that the Sheriff or Deputy are involved or complicit, I need to know, and this is the best way to find out.

The beachfront is now buzzing with activity, tourists are everywhere as I make my way through them toward my destination. It doesn’t take long until I’m pushing open the front door to the station. It’s a small building, just big enough for the two of them. They don’t even seem to have anyone looking after the front desk.

I’m surprised when I see the Sheriff inside a glass walled meeting room having what looks like a tense conversation with Chester. While the Sheriff looks calm and composed, Chester appears frustrated and uses his hands in an exaggerated way to convey whatever he’s trying to say. Whatever it is, the glass walls are keeping their conversation private and I have to assume there is some sort of soundproofing in that room for interview purposes.

Eli looks up, scowling from his desk close by. Perhaps he is expecting trouble this morning, but the snarl vanishes from his face when he sees that it’s me standing at the counter.

Without hesitation, he gets up and starts moving toward me. “Hey, Taylor,” he greets, but his steps are interrupted when Chester starts storming out of the station with angry steps and his face twisted in rage. But just like Eli, the look disappears when he sees me standing there. I smile in greeting at all of them.

"I'd say good morning, but it's almost lunch already," Chester says. "And I didn’t see you at the bakery earlier, sooo… have a late night?"

I laugh. The police station is not going to be where I admit that, yes, I had a late night killing a man who preyed on innocent women. "Something like that," I say in response.

"Then maybe I should take you to lunch," he suggests.

"Uh, I actually came to talk to the Sheriff," I say, glancing over at Sheriff Brooks, who is now observing us.

"Well, don't let me keep you," Chester says with a wink, but there's a seriousness behind his eyes. "Maybe later?"

"Maybe," I reply noncommittally, my attention shifting to the man I need to see.

He gives Chester a narrow-eyed look. "Chester, didn't you need to go sort those permits? Wasn't that what you were just complaining about?" he says pointedly, making Chester grind his teeth in frustration..

Chester sighs, clearly annoyed. "Yeah, yeah, I’m going," he mutters, giving me a quick nod before heading out of the station.

Eli watches Chester leave, then turns back to me. "What brings you in today, Taylor?"

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