Page 83 of Kept in the Dark

Trey’s phone vibrated and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Chief Harbor.”

There was a long pause accompanied by muffled inflections of a voice on the other line. Whatever they were saying was serious and they had Trey’s complete attention.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Another pause.

“Okay, I’ll be there in twenty.”

He hung up the phone. “That was one of my officers. They found Nicole House’s car.”

Hailey’s eyes widened. “Is she alive?”

Trey shook his head. “I don't know, she wasn’t there. I’ve got to go check it out.”

“Now do you think Nicole’s disappearance is related to my mother’s case?” Sara asked.

Trey sighed. “At first, I wasn't sure, but there’s too many coincidences for me to believe they’re not connected. It just seems suspicious. Especially because she could potentially have a lot of information that would ruin David.”

Gavin asked, “Could they all be in on it?”

Hailey hadn’t even considered that. If Morgan was the one standing in the way of Nicole and David being together, it would give both of them motive. And Ryan, well, if he was jealous of the life Hailey and Sara lived, Morgan would be a good target for that rage. Plus, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities for there to have been a recent tiff between Nicole and one, or both, of the men. Which would explain her disappearance.

Trey clenched his jaw. “I guess we better find out, and fast. Because if I had to guess, Nicole likely isn’t the only liability. Which means I’m probably going to find some bodies if I don’t figure this out soon.”

He kissed Hailey on the lips and then kissed Trinity on the forehead and said his goodbyes.

Gavin and Carter followed Trey out to the living room. It was somehow eerie to know the three of them were discussing a plan that would keep them all safe from this faceless killer. Hailey just hoped they would catch him before he killed again.

Not long after, Hailey fell into a deep sleep, plagued by nightmares of sticky blood, scorching fire, and the dead body of her mother crying for Hailey to help her.

Sara looked around the bar for Jasmine Johnson. She spied her sitting in the back corner, eyes already trained on Sara. She could tell the woman didn't miss a beat, just like Sara.

Jasmine was stunningly beautiful, her skin a warm golden brown that accentuated her striking amber eyes and curls that highlighted her high cheekbones.

Sara walked toward her, clutching her mother’s diaries as she did. Stealing them out of Hailey’s car had been easy since she was on bedrest, and everyone was completely focused on her. Not that Sara didn’t feel a little bad about that, but it’s what needed to be done.

When Sara contacted the reporter a few days ago, Jasmine had requested that Sara bring proof of her father’s affair, or she’d never run the story. So, Sara took them from Hailey’s car. And now she was here to tell her side of the story and burn her father at the stake.

Jasmine stood and extended her hand. “Hi, Miss. Gallagher.”

Sara took her hand. “It’s Sara.”

The woman nodded. “I’ve got to say, I was surprised to receive that phone call from you. Why did you call me?”

“You’re not afraid to get your hands dirty in order to get the truth out. I didn’t kill my mother, my father set me up. And now I want revenge. He ruined me so it’s time I return the favor.”

Jasmine smiled. “So, the princess gets revenge on the king who locked her in the tower. Okay, I like that. So, what’s your story and why should I believe a convicted murderer?”

Sara appreciated that Jasmine didn’t shy away from speaking her mind. Her bluntness was a breath of fresh air.

Sara said, “If I was guilty, why would I want to bring all of this up again? It would be easier to act like it never happened- for people to naturally forget about it- than it would be for me to lie about my innocence.”

Jasmine considered Sara for a moment, then said, “Okay, I’ll bite. Give me the summary of what story you’re wanting to sell.”

Sara sat back. “Everyone loves Mayor Gallagher. But what they don’t realize is that he’s an abusive narcissist who would beat his wife and daughters, all while claiming to love them as we posed for the cameras. He had me tossed in jail for killing my mother when he knew for a fact I had an alibi. He even paid off the witness so there would be no proof. And, to top it off, he had a years-long affair that resulted in a baby.”

Jasmine raised a brow and took a sip of her margarita as Sara began flipping through the pages of one of the diaries. If she hadn’t learned how to be so detached from her emotions, she may have burst into tears at the sight of her mother’s handwriting.

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