Page 35 of Back In the Shadows

Reaching for my phone, I flipped on the flashlight and shined the light into the floor. To my surprise and relief, the contents were still there. Maybe Ella had cleaned up after I’d left. I reached in and hesitated. “Hang on, I see something else.” I adjusted the light and spotted a white envelope.

“Don’t touch it,” Ryan ordered. “Do you have gloves somewhere?”

“In the bathroom, second drawer.”

“What is it? Can you tell?” Kip asked.

“A white envelope. I’m not sure if it was in the original manila folder or not. I don’t remember seeing it, but I haven’tbeen myself lately.” I held out my hand to Ryan as he returned with the latex gloves. Ella always kept a box around for when I returned from a kill and required some medical attention. The first aid kit was loaded with anything needed to patch me up.

“Thanks,” I muttered as I slipped them on. Silence hung in the air as I reached in and retrieved the unfamiliar item. Carefully, I lifted the unsealed flap and pulled out a little piece of paper. My nostrils flared. “This is the same cream paper that was used on the note in the warehouse.” I glanced at the men before I read the words out loud. “Hello, Death. Glad you could join us. Just because I’m so happy you’re here, I’ll give you another clue to where your precious Ella is.Some ghosts never leave. Some rooms remember everything.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I muttered. “And how did the bastard get into my home undetected?”

“Let me see the note.” Dope reached out for it. “My guess, if it wasn’t here last time you looked at the contents, then he was here when those men grabbed Ella. They came into the house and trashed it, remember?”

I grunted at him; the memories were dark and faded.

“Whoever kidnapped Ella and left this for me must have put the papers under the floor and then took a chance that I would look through this information again.” I stood and paced the bedroom, ready to tear someone apart.

“We should search through the manila envelope to make sure they didn’t leave anything else for you,” Ryan said. I hadn’t noticed earlier, but he’d also slipped on a pair of gloves.

“I need my laptop. I’ll be back.” Dope rubbed the back of his neck as he left, then proceeded down the stairs.

“If anyone can figure out that clue, it’s Dope.” Kip said, walking the length of the room.

I reached into the hole and removed the manila envelope. “I’ll have to look at it all again. I remember most of the contents,but I was so angry that Ella had gone behind my back, I don’t recall all of it.” I walked to her bed and opened the flap, pulling out the newspaper clippings, notes she’d made, and photos.

Ryan released a low whistle. “She’s been busy from the looks of it.”

“No kidding.” I grumbled as I began to sort the items from what I knew I’d seen and what I wasn’t sure about. “I doubt the piece of shit left any other clues other than the riddle.”

“Even so, you might see something important that you didn’t the first time.” Kip pointed to the pile. “Since I won’t be of much help here, I’ll find Dope and make sure he’s staying on task.”

Ryan tipped his chin at Kip. “Good idea. I’ll help Death.”

“Check on Cami and the kids, Kip,” I snarled. “I don’t trust her right now.”

“Same.” Kip nodded and then left us to our work.

Over the next half hour, Ryan and I sifted through everything Ella had gathered. Even though there were some notes I hadn’t seen earlier, nothing stood out to me as important. I collected the information and slipped it into the envelope, my mind spinning with the riddle in the note.

“Ella must still be alive, or whoever has her wouldn’t have risked leaving a hint.” I glanced at Ryan before I walked to the bedroom window that overlooked the back of the property.

“It’s a good sign. In fact, he might not want to kill her at all. You’ve gotten a phone call and a hidden clue. I don’t think this is about Ella.”

I turned slowly, the impact of his words weighing on me. “It’s about me.”

“Somewhere out there, you’ve pissed someone off.”

I glowered at him. “Not helping, asshole. I’ve pissed off a lot of people.”

A flicker of anger registered in his eyes, then disappeared.

The sound of footsteps running up the stairs caught my attention, and I hurried to the hall as Dope and Kip joined us again.

“I have an idea. I haven’t confirmed it yet, but as soon as I heard you read the note, I had a sneaky suspicion. And I think I’m right.” Dope coughed as he struggled to catch his breath.

He must have made a mad dash up here, but he needed to lay off the smoke for damn sure.

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