Page 123 of Kept in the Dark

People killed for a lot less.

Truthfully, he was glad to see the door was ajar because it gave him probable cause to search the premises. He may not be able to collect evidence, but he could at least look and come back with a warrant.

So, he started in the living room which was tidy and smelled of vanilla. It was obvious a woman lived here. Hannah’s home was clean and organized. Everything had a place.

She collected expensive art and had clearly been abroad quite a few times from the many knick-knacks she had on shelves. There was a beautiful chandelier that hung in the middle of the room.

Trey walked to the kitchen, carefully eyeing the floor and walls for any blood, just as they’d found in Nicole's home days earlier.

Nothing in the kitchen was awry so Trey moved to her bedroom. Her bed was made, and she had a water bottle sitting on the bedside table next to a photo of her winning an award. He glanced at the clothes hamper in the corner of the room and almost blushed when he saw her panties and lace bra. He felt uncomfortable seeing her intimate items without her knowing.

Nothing in her room led him to believe there was foul play or that she had been out killing people to cover up Morgan’s death.

He slowly opened the closet door. His initial search hadn’t indicated someone hiding in the shadows of the small alcove. The darkness, however, had concealed something else.

He ran his hand over the wall as he felt for the light switch. The room illuminated, revealing a chilling discovery.

Photos of David Gallagher covered the back wall of her closet. Some were of him eating lunch or running errands. Others were taken through the window of his home, Lauren's face etched out with what appeared to be black ink.

It was clear the woman was still stalking David, even years after he had ended the relationship with her.

But what really caught his attention was the photo of Morgan and David on their wedding day, except Morgan’s face had been replaced with Hannah’s. Trey couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There were some of the twins and Morgan but, again, Morgan's face was replaced with Hannah’s.

Trey’s stomach lurched.

This woman was sick.

How long had she been stalking David? How did she get all the photos?

Trey was about to call the D.A.’s office to request a warrant when he noticed crimson droplets staining the carpet. He bent down and studied the trail that led to the back of the closet.

Bracing himself for what he might find, Trey pushed aside the clothes to see what looked like a crawl space door, blood smeared over the white slat.

If he couldn’t have gotten a warrant before, he definitely could now.

Heart racing, he took a deep breath and shoved the door open. The smell of decaying flesh assaulted him, and he gagged as he brought up his shirt over his nose and mouth. On the other side of the frame was a small room with enough space for a child to stand. He took out a flashlight and slowly swept the beam around the room.

He cursed and nearly fell back. He was never prepared to see a dead body, let alone find one when he wasn’t expecting it. He nearly threw up but regained his composure, slowly breathing in and out.

Nicole House’s body glistened as he swept the beam of light across the room one more time. Her skin was gray, almost translucent. His gaze swept over the wounds that covered her. The blood had stopped flowing and was now crusted to her lifeless body.

He may have thought she was simply sleeping if it wasn’t for the look of pain that was still etched on her face. Her lips, now blue, were parted as if she’d been screaming when she died. Though her eyes were vacant, Trey couldn’t mistake the fear that still lingered.

He gently closed the door, wanting to preserve any evidence and then quickly made his way out of the house to call in a CSI team as well as a judge to get him a warrant. After that, he called his dispatchers and issued a BOLO for Hannah.

In the middle of the chaos, his phone chirped, and he saw he had two missed calls from Gavin. A shiver slid down his spine.

Something wasn’t right.

Gavin picked up on the first ring. “Trinity is gone. After Sara left, I went to check on her and her window was open. I found her phone on the sidewalk a few houses down. Apparently, she and Cecilia were planning to meet up. But when I called Gen, she said Cecilia was in bed and the girl’s phone had been missing all day.” Gavin paused for a moment and then said, “I think Ryan has her.”

Trey’s heart nearly stopped. Trinity was in danger, and she needed him.

He jumped in his truck and sped out of the neighborhood back toward town. Rage boiled up inside of him. “How did you let this happen? My daughter was supposed to be safe with you!”

“I know, I know,” Gavin said quickly, his voice cracking. “I’m sorry. I had no idea she’d sneak out with a freaking maniac on the loose.”

Trey rubbed his face. Out of everyone, Gavin understood what it meant to lose someone to Ryan’s violence. And the former marine was right. Trinity shouldn’t have snuck out.

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