Page 84 of Kept in the Dark

Instead, she pointed to the entry that detailed the affair and the pregnancy.

Jasmine pointed to the book. “May I?”

Sara nodded and Jasmine picked it up and began reading. “Shit. Do you know who the kid is?”

“Ryan House.” Sara smiled slyly.

Jasmine’s eyes widened. “The son of the missing woman?”

“One and the same.”

“Sounds like I might have just found myself in the middle of a crime piece,” Jasmine said as she sat back and smirked.

“Sounds like it.”

Sara’s phone buzzed and her breath caught in her throat when Gavin’s name popped up on her screen. She knew it wouldn’t be long before he called to check on her. She had left abruptly, and he had been curious about her secrecy, but didn’t press her.

Thankfully he gave her space when she needed it, but he had already been suspicious when she left. Plus, they were all walking on eggshells since Hailey had been hurt.

She ignored the call but knew she had to cut the meeting short. “Look, I gotta go. Is this enough proof for you to run a story?”

“A beloved Mayor who’s actually a monster? The public will eat it up. But I have to have more proof to run anything other than the affair or I can be sued for defamation. Get me something irrefutable and I’ll greenlight it. For now, the story of the affair will run in about a week or two, maybe sooner.”

Sara nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”

Sara ducked out of the bar and made her way back to Angie’s. Now, it was time to watch David Gallagher’s kingdom crumble right out from under him.

July 1, 2011

12:36 pm

Hailey sat on the couch next to Trey. The box that held the case files was small and the reports were even smaller. Dust from the box riddled his coffee table but neither of them cared.

Despite Hailey’s invitation, Sara stayed behind to help Genevieve with Trinity, though Hailey figured it had more to do with spending time with Gavin and not being re-traumatized. Truth be told, Hailey hoped something developed between the two of them.

She and Trey had been looking over crime scene photos for nearly thirty minutes, studying each photo carefully. Hailey would look at the image as a whole then she would look from left to right, carefully examining each pixel.

Hailey almost missed the slight change in color of the dirt in the photo, but the light caught it just right. At the time, her father was having their yard relandscaped and there were marks running through the dirt that covered part of the yard.

Hailey showed Trey the photo. “What is this from?”

Trey took the photo from her and looked at it for a few moments. Finally, he raised a brow and said, “They’re drag marks. I bet someone dragged your sister inside.”

Hailey shook her head and furrowed her brows. “Wait, why would they do that? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Trey said, “Think about it: your mother is killed, and your sister is passed out in the yard. The killer waits for Thomas to leave and then gets an idea to move her body next to your mother’s, making it look like she may have had something to do with it.”

“That sounds like the killer is counting on luck and that’s a huge liability for someone who just killed a mayor’s wife. Plus, they’re running a huge risk of her waking up.”

Trey nodded. “True, but not if you’re someone who can control the narrative.”

Hailey knew he was referring to her father. Truthfully, he was looking guiltier by the minute.

“But why wouldn’t he carry her? She wasn’t that heavy,” Hailey asked.

“She vomited when Thomas dropped her off. He probably didn’t want the added mess.”

Hailey closed her eyes and exhaled. Sara was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it had altered her entire life. Hailey felt anger surge through her as she pictured her father deliberately setting up his own daughter.

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