Page 4 of Oliver

Grief curls through my chest like acrid smoke and ignoring the burn, I grab the box of letters from her nightstand drawer.

They’re all addressed to Kenny, and I haven’t found a single response. Did she write them and never send them? Why?

The pink paper crinkles in my hand and I smooth it across my thigh.

I saw you today, withher. Am I being replaced so easily? You fucking coward. It’s been a year, a year of listening to you tell me you can’t leave your precious Nunnie and kids. Now this? I fucking hate you. Hate. Bastard.

Was Dixie really that naive? Did she eat up his pretty promises like cake only to realize in the end, it leaves you with regret and a stomachache?

“What were you thinking?” I ask aloud before dropping the letter back into the box and grabbing another.

Baby, I’m sorry. I was hurting. I was mad. Now you’re so angry. Please forgive me. Please…

Forgive her for what? What the fuck did she do? What didhedo?

I can still hear her desperate tone the last night I spoke to her. Dixie wasn’t killed by a stranger, there’s no way and even if I could convince myself otherwise, Oliver’s warning can’t be ignored.

I can’t explain why she was killed in the same manner as the Lucky Charm's victims unless she knew the bastard which, shudder is a horrible thing to contemplate.

But what if whoever killed her was someone closer to home? Someone she foolishly trusted. Someone she pushed too far.

With a sigh, I carry the box into my room and set it on my desk. I guess since these remained in her room, she assumed they would never be seen. What I don't understand is why she was messaging all these other freaks if she thought herself in love with Mr. G.

Ugh. What was she thinking?

Rubbing the perpetual ache in my chest, I power up my computer and click through the screens.

Dixie never spoke with Mr. G via any of the messaging apps that I can see. How did they communicate? Was it via these juvenile love notes? Did they call each other?

I don’t know. I never saw Dixie’s phone because I presume it was at the scene of her death. With a shiver, I push that image aside and rub my brow.

Yes, I lied to Maeve about her phone, but I had to start somewhere and admitting what I did know was not an option. Now, I guess it doesn’t matter because I’ve pulled her along on a weird ass hunt that’s ended with a threat in the form of a rabbit’s foot on my car.

Is Mr. G sweating? Wondering when I’ll come forward and out him. What about Oliver, that fucker. What was he doing in those fucking chat rooms? Why? Why did he message Dixie? Was he warning her or threatening her?

All I know is that I opened a can of worms, and I can’t put them back now. Messaging Charming Charlie only made things worse and since he’s the one who sent me into the woods, he knows who I am. If I leave it alone, I’ll be wondering forever if this dude was content with just the threats or if he’s waiting until I’ve relaxed to kill me.

My heart skips a beat at the thought. There’s a tiny kernel of insanity lurking in my soul that whispers,would it be so bad? Maybe, it would be worth it, just to finally know if my suspicions are correct.

Unfortunately, I’ve only gotten so far with the messages I can see. When Dixie borrowed my computer a couple of times, it allowed me to access those messages but somehow, I’m blocked from seeing the remainder. It’s maddening, like reading a book but only seeing the middle without the beginning or end.

This is what pushed me to finally message Charming Charlie. Dixie seemed close to this one and much of their conversation was more of Dixie sharing confidences and Charlie responding. He wasn’t always nice. In fact, he was kind of a jerk, but Dixie seemed to trust him.

It was a shot in the dark because I could just as well have been speaking to Mr. G, but I thought not based on Dixie’s complaints, which included her love life.

Maeve’s texts about the foolhardiness of messaging these weirdos reminds me of her defection to the Sinners and I grit my teeth. Maybe it was stupid to talk to these assholes online but going through Dixie’s communications only got me so far. What could I do?

After the incident in the woods, I reached out to Charming Charlie in a rage, which in retrospect was not a great idea based upon the response I received.

Sweetie:You sent me on a wild goose chase. Was it you who put the rabbit’s foot on my car? Not cool. I thought you were Dixie’s friend.

Charming Charlie:Listen, you little cunt. I did you a favor by giving you that shit. Don’t make me regret it.

Asshole.

Truthfully, I don’t think any of these bastards were her friends but prior to this message, I tried to keep my suspicions out of my words. Now what? Charming Charlie led me astray and his threats are disgusting to say the least.

If I didn’t have proof one of the Sinners was messaging Dixie right along with these other skeevy fucks, they’d be the first I would turn to. They have more resources and reach than I ever could.

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