Page 53 of Melody

“I was sure the guy had to be mistaken. Maybe the ring wasn’t actually adiamondring but cubic zirconia or something. When I had a day off, I went to a jeweler downtown. I wanted toknow how much the ring was worth—because something in my gut told me it really was worth a lot.”

Kyle squeezed her hand, giving her strength to go on, and she looked at her left hand, the one sitting on her lap with no ring, but she could still almost see that lovely ring there, how it had somehow made her hand look dainty and delicate—prettier somehow.

“The jeweler was an old guy, nice enough, and I told him I wanted to know the value of the ring. He asked if I was wanting to get rid of it and I saidno, that my boyfriend gave it to me and I just wanted to know what it was worth. The way he smiled suggested I wasn’t the first girl to ask. He said it would cost about a hundred dollars and he’d need the ring for a day. I said, ‘Forget it.’ I couldn’t afford to spend that kind of money on curiosity and Tommy would notice if I wasn’t wearing it even for an hour, much less a day. So the guy said he could give me a ballpark estimate for twenty bucks and two minutes. I hadn’t really noticed the band, but he said something about its unusual design and the type of metal it was. I just thought it was silver or white gold, but it was something else. I can’t remember what he said. Then, after another minute, he slid the twenty-dollar bill back to me but said he would have to keep the ring and call the police.”

Kyle finally spoke. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah. He said he was certain that ring had been stolen recently. I have no idea how he knew that, but he asked where I got it. I told him my boyfriend gave it to me as an engagement present. ‘Who is your boyfriend?’ he asked—and, instead of answering, I got the hell out of there. But I was sick to my stomach. For all I knew, he had cameras in his store and the cops would be hunting me down.

“Worst of all, though, I knew I’d have to tell Tommy. If he really bought it, we could go to the jeweler with the receipt.When I told Tommy what happened, he called me all kinds of names—nothing new—and then he grilled me. Did I give the jeweler my name? Which jeweler did I go to? At least I didn’t go to the Mall, he said, and then he talked about laying low for a while. But he still refused to tell me where he got it.

“Nothing happened, though. No cops came to our door and there wasn’t anything on the news at first. But I was on Facebook about a week later and someone posted something about a ring recovered by the police in a murder investigation.”

“What the fuck?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah, that’s whatIsaid. I read through the article and then did some digging to read about the initial crime—and then I knew: either Tommy had murdered the woman that ring belonged to, or he knew who did. Either way, I knew his hands were dirty, and he’d just dragged me into it—and then blamedmefor almost getting him caught.”

“Is it possible he bought it at a pawn shop or something?”

“Believe me—I tried justifying it by wondering that too, but we were arguing all the time by that point, and I knew based on everything he said that it wasn’t something like that. If he’d gotten it at a pawn shop, he would have told me. Instead, he refused to talk about it at all, so I knew he’d been involved in a serious crime. I kept asking anyway—and finally, one night, he pushed me up against the wall, holding his arm against my neck so it was hard to breathe, and he said, ‘So help me God, you say anything—’ He didn’t finish the sentence, but I knew right then that he’d kill me if I said a word to the police.

“I didn’t know what to do. I talked to my best friend about it, because at that point, I knew I was on borrowed time. But I couldn’t just disappear in Pueblo. If I stayed there, he’d find me. I had to get out of there…but I didn’t know how. Slowly, I took my valuable things and put them in the storage unit I’d kept since cleaning out my parents’ house. Tommy had never knownabout it. I didn’t pack, but I had a bag ready in the closet and everything I needed I kept all together so I could grab it at a moment’s notice. But it turned out to be easier than I expected. The cops picked him up on a drug charge and he called me so I could bail him out. Instead of going to the police station, I left. And my friend Marin helped. I went to her place and we dyed my hair brown and cut it shorter, and then I left town that night…and I came here to Silver City.”

“Whyhere?” Kyle asked.

“We used to visit my grandparents here when I was a kid. So I kind of knew my way around. It was probably a stupid move. I probably should have gotten farther away or maybe even left the state—but I thought it’d be okay. I figured at some point, the cops would arrest Tommy for the murder and put him behind bars for a couple of decades and then I could go home. I thought I was untraceable—I’ve only been using cash and I’m paid in cash. I don’t have a bank account or credit cards and I haven’t registered my car here; I haven’t gotten any speeding or parking tickets. I changed my appearance and I’m even using a fake name, so I thought my bases were covered.”

“Wait—what? Scarlett’s not your real name?”

“No. It’s…Melody.”

Kyle smiled. “I like that.”

Despite all the distress she felt, she couldn’t help but smile back at him. “Thank you.”

“Why’d you choose the name Scarlett?”

“It’s stupid, but I picked something that came easy. My real hair color is red, so I decided to go with it.” She let out a long sigh. “But now you see my problem. I can’t stay here. If I’d believed Tommy was willing to kill me before, I have no doubt in my mind that’s why he wanted to find me. As long as I’m alive, he knows I could tell the cops what I know.” She sawunderstanding in Kyle’s blue eyes. “But dead people can’t talk—and, if I stay here, I’m dead.”

“You feel like that’s the only option?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Kyle wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, and—just for a moment—she allowed herself to feel safe. Protected. Loved. Looking back, she knew the last time she’d truly felt completely safe had been when her dad was alive. Even when he’d been on the road, she knew he was taking care of her and her mother. When he died, so did all the security. It was like having the ground pulled out from underneath you, she thought.

But Kyle…oh, did the feeling of his arms around her get close.

She couldn’t allow herself to indulge in that feeling, though. It was dangerous not only for her but for him, too. If Tommy perceived Kyle as a threat, she had no idea what he’d do to him. Although she knew Tommy was a criminal, one who’d likely never reform, she didn’t know if he’d ever actually killed someone…although she was sure he’d hadsomethingto do with the dead woman whose ring he’d stolen. That didn’t mean he’d actually been the one doing the killing but, even if not, with that man, there was always a first time for everything.

She was going to have to finish packing and leave…but just a few more seconds wouldn’t hurt.

Finally, Kyle broke the silence. “Why don’t you stay the night at my place tonight? It’s in Charlotte. It’s not like it’s millions of miles away, but itisa different place.”

For a few moments, she considered it. A big part of her loved the idea…but, in reality, it was just as dangerous as staying in her apartment. “Thanks, Kyle. I really appreciate the offer—but if Tommy could find me here, what makes you think he wouldn’t find your place? It’s…just prolonging the inevitable.”

But maybe that was what Kyle needed—maybe he needed a little time to let go, to say goodbye.

Could she give him that? Would it risk her life if she did?

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