Though Trey was strong, Ryan hadn’t given up easily. Blows were shared back-and-forth and after the drawing of a crowd, Trey had managed to get the upper hand as his fist connected with Ryan's nose, breaking it. By the end, they had both dripped with blood.
Trey had shoved his forearm into Ryan's throat, cutting off his airway. “If you ever lay a hand on her again, I swear I’ll kill you.”
And he had meant it.
Ryan had simply smiled as crimson smeared his face and leaked into the dirt.
Trey had taken Hailey to get ice cream after that, hoping to ease her anxiety with something he knew she loved. Thankfully it worked, and they had laughed together the remainder of the evening.
Hailey never told him what Ryan had said to her that night, and Trey had respected her too much to push her into revealing what she wanted to keep secret. Even after all these years, Trey still felt uneasy just thinking about it.
The crime scene techs were hard at work collecting any evidence, working in sync like the hive of bees just outside the door. Though there weren’t many techs present, the house was still full of life.
Trey stepped around one man who was dusting for fingerprints on the knife block. Three of the five knives were accounted for in the block, and one had been found in the dishwasher, leaving one lonely knife they needed to find.
Trey didn’t think they would locate it. Nicole had likely been murdered, the killer using Nicole’s own knife to do it. The amount of blood alone was enough for him to believe she was dead.
But, without a body, the case would remain a missing persons case.
He shivered as he thought about her last moments. Did she see it coming? Did she call out for help only to be met with violence? Did she survive an attack just to be taken to an isolated area to suffer even more?
There hadn’t been any signs of forced entry; no broken windows or splintered door jambs. Someone who knew Nicole had likely harmed her, in the safety of her own home, no less. She opened the door for a friend only to find they were actually an enemy.
“Harbor.”
Trey looked to his right to see Jason Shuarts near the back door just off the kitchen. He made his way over to his friend. “Hey, Jay. What can you tell me?”
Jason was crouching down to study the floor, his brown skin glimmering in the sunlight that was slowly fading into the night sky. Once Trey got close, Jason stood up. “I can tell you need some sleep. You look like shit.”
Trey laughed. “I don’t think you’ve got much room to talk. It’s a wonder you managed to lock down someone like Angie looking the way you do. She’s clearly out of your league.”
Jason returned the laughter then slowly became somber as he pointed toward the backyard. It could be seen through the sliding glass door which remained open as officers and CSI techs came and went, collecting evidence as they did. Trey followed Jason’s motion and eyed the small droplets of blood that stained the concrete steps descending into the yard. He noted the weeds that were sprouting through the cracks, eager to feed on the sun’s fading rays.
“She went out the back door or someone carried her. Could be the perp’s blood, too. Either way, the blood stops in the grass.” Jason walked outside, carefully following the trail of violence to its stopping point. Trey went behind Jason, studying each drop.
“Footprints?” Trey asked.
“Not that we found. But if there were any, the rain washed them away. Thankfully the porch protected the blood, so we’ll run DNA testing to see if it’s Nicole’s or the perp’s.”
Trey nodded. Florida was known for its sunshine by the tourists, but for the locals, it was the afternoon showers that everyone begrudgingly anticipated. Trey looked up at the sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight, the wrath of the thunderstorm hardly evident in the aftermath.
“Do we have any leads?” Trey asked.
Jason shook his head. “Not yet, but it’s still early. As soon as I find anything, I’ll call ya.”
Wanting to talk about something less gruesome, Trey said, “So are you ready for your big day?”
The man beamed. “You know, it sounds lame, but I’m ready to settle down.”
Jason was finally marrying his high school sweetheart, Angela Moretti. Trey and Jason had been friends since grade school, and now Trey had the privilege to stand next to him as Jason’s best man. He was happy to celebrate his friend’s special day. It was the least he could do after everything Jason had done for him over the years.
Jason had seen Trey through some of his worst and best moments in life. He was there when Trey’s mom was diagnosed with cancer and when she beat it; and when it came back with a vengeance that eventually took her life. He was there when Trey got his first arrest at thirteen years old and when he had to do community service as his punishment. He was there when Trey passed eighth grade after thinking he would fail. And Jason was there to pick up the pieces when Hailey left and never looked back.
Trey wasn’t proud of the fact that a woman nearly broke him beyond repair. Trey thought Hailey was the one and when she left without so much as a goodbye, he was devastated. He poured his pain into one bottle of bourbon after another until Jason dragged him out of the hole he was in.
“Trey?” Jason said.
He snapped out of his thoughts. “Sorry, I just can’t believe you two are tying the knot after all these years. Took you long enough.”