Page 98 of Oliver

Is Bone running scared? Should he be?

He’s the last link that I don’t understand beyond why Dixie started this quest to begin with.

Regardless, she pursued Mr. G knowing about my humiliation. She made friends with sexual predators. If Oliver is correct, one of them groomed her in his image, and she killed to please the bastard. For that she paid the ultimate price.

Despite Bone’s protestations, I’m sure he knows more than he’s let on. Was it about that night or her disgusting extracurricular activities?

Does it matter? Maybe it does. He should feel the burn of punishment, too.

With a sigh, I text back:I didn’t do shit.

Sabrina: What’s going on, Penny?

Penny:Nothing you need to worry about. It’s probably better if you pretend you don’t know me

Sabrina:Too late for that. Is it the Sinners?

Laughing out loud, I grab my stomach when a cramp forms and lean over the bed. Shit.

After stumbling to the bathroom, I empty my empty stomach and head downstairs. The only good part about doing basically nothing is that my injuries from the fall down the stairs have had time to heal. I’m still a bit achy but so much better, it’s a relief.

The bread is now stale. The contents of the refrigerator are sour.

Uncle Hank is still waiting for me to get over being sick. Not that he seemed all that concerned. Jerk.

Since I’m low on options, I grab a spoon and the peanut butter before collapsing to the couch. The spoon is halfway to my mouth when I glance outside.

Is that Oliver sitting in his fucking vehicle? Of all the…whatever. I’ll just ignore him and maybe he’ll go the fuck away.

Except the tiny annoying fucking voice in my head points out that he’s sitting out there to watch over me.

No. I will not go there.

For all I know the dick isn’t worried about me dying so much as revealing his sick dealings in the underworld.

Penny:No, it’s not the Sinners. It's way worse. Forget my number, Sabrina

She doesn’t respond and after eating as much as my desiccated stomach will allow, I rest my aching bones until I feel stable enough to shower.

Afterwards, I’m somewhat refreshed and I sit down at my computer.

On a whim, I go back through Dixie’s messages, and start at the beginning. Her relationship with Charming Charlie was relatively benign at first. This while they attempted to get to know each other. Dixie flirted and Charlie responded in kind although his words were filthy. Dixie didn't seem to mind.

What started as a dirty dance became a series of confidences between Dixie and the asshole. Dixie bared her soul, he comforted her. Next, he started to beat her down, calling her names and raging before apologizing. It’s such a mindfuck, I don’t know how Dixie let it happen, but she ate that shit up like it was candy.

Chanting Charlie:You’re too fucking weak, stop being a little bitch.

Dixieletta:I’m sorry, you’re right. I’m sorry.

Charming Charlie:I am too, little girl. You just have to stop with your shit. It makes me crazy.

With each exchange, my heart sinks lower. I can only imagine how this made Dixie feel. Her messages become more and more desperate until they end a few days before her death. Through them all, Oren sits in that chat room with them and says fucking nothing.

Despite my searches, I can’t find anything referencing a damn boat and I wonder if Maeve and Diem were wrong. Unfortunately, nothing spells out a fucking place to dock them or even a damn body of water, either. Frustrated, I slam my hand against the desk, watching absently as a picture from the shelf above topples and falls.

Why am I still doing this? Why can’t I let it go?

There are no more answers, the dick is dead. I’m never going to find a reason to explain away the darkness that grabbed Dixie’s soul and dragged her into the abyss.

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