Page 50 of Broken Promises
“That’s mighty nice of you, Mr. Weston.”
I stood and placed the tiny cooler into my briefcase before closing it and the unopened file inside. After wrapping my arm around the urn, the coroner opened the door to his office and walked us to the front door. The receptionist was stroking her neck as I turned to them both.
“Thank you for everything. I’ll let you know once the tests come back.”
Pushing the door open with my back, I nodded to them both before walking to my car. I placed the urn and my briefcase on the passenger’s seat before cranking the car and pulling away. I didn’t feel like we were any closer to the truth, and until we had the tests results, we were still on the starting block.
I slammed my hand against the steering wheel and yelled, “Damn it!”
Frustration was boiling over as I drove the distance back to the airstrip. My pilot was walking around the plane with a clipboard, checking items off our preflight inspection. That meant we were ready to leave, and I was eager to get home to Hannah. After the events of last night, I wanted more and couldn’t wait until I had her in my arms.
The pilot got into the cockpit and said, “We’re five minutes from takeoff and will be home in two and a half hours or less, depending on the headwinds.”
He placed his headphones on as I pulled out my phone and sent a text to James.
Me:I’m attaching a sensitive picture, so beware who sees it. This is supposedly Kelly Johnson. I’ve got all lab samples and her cremated remains.
I attached the picture I’d taken of the photo of the body and pressed send. A minute later, he responded.
James:I’ve got the lab on standby and they’ll have the results within twelve hours. Whoever did that to her wanted to make sure she wasn’t recognizable.
Me:Agreed. This wasn’t random, in my opinion. This was personal.
James:I’ll meet you at your house. On my way there now.
Me:See you soon.
I slid my phone into my suit pocket as I began to read the report and review the photos taken by the coroner. There weren’t many clues on her body. Her clothes appeared to be thrift-store, she was emaciated, and from the stages of healing, the coroner reported he believed she was abused over a long period of time. Possibly a year or more. Whoever did that to her wanted to send a message and make her suffer. Part of me hoped it was Kelly Johnson, so we could mark her off the list of potential suspects, if such a list existed, which it didn’t. We were basically blind, and I closed my eyes, trying to stave off the headache that was pushing against the back of them.
For the next two hours, I read every word of the report, comparing it with the information we had. I felt like I was digging in sand, trying to find a single grain and then losing it through my fingers. By the time we landed, I was seriously frustrated, so imagine my surprise when the plane touched down at the small airport north of the city and I see James waiting next to my car.
As the pilot taxied the plane up to the hangar, I couldn’t wait for him to stop before I opened the door and let the stairs down. Stepping out, I jumped with the briefcase in one hand and theurn in the other as an overwhelming feeling of dread and doom overtook me.
James started walking to meet me, and the look on my face said I was right. Something’s wrong and part of my brain seemed to understand that, while the rest of it was raging. I stopped in front of James and pushed the urn into his arms.
“Why are you here?” I asked, and he glanced down briefly. “Fucking tell me what’s going on, James.”
“You know Hannah’s friend, Samuel?” I nodded, and James continued. “He’s in the hospital with a broken arm and a fractured cheekbone.”
“What the fuck happened?”
“Rhys, there’s more. Let’s take your car and I’ll explain,” James said, and I narrowed my eyes at him. Without asking why, I pulled my keys out but when I attempted to unlock the driver’s door, he stepped up and held out his hand. “Keys.”
Now, I knew something was seriously fucked-up as he got behind the wheel and I climbed into the passenger’s seat. He cranked the car and pulled away as his GPS directed him where to turn.
“Now, tell me what happened with Samuel,” I demanded.
“Someone broke into his house late last night before his boyfriend got home. They attacked him in his sleep, and when the boyfriend arrived, he found him. They expect him to make a full recovery, but it’s what he told his boyfriend that’s the problem.”
“Stop beating around the bush,” I yelled, and he exhaled before glancing at me then back to the road.
“When Samuel woke up this morning, he told the doctors that whoever attacked him said something to the effect of, ‘Now, you can’t get between me and her.’ The only female Samuel spends time with is Hannah, so we’re on the way to her office tosee her. I’ve had one of Lucian’s men on her car for the last two hours, just to be safe.”
“How did you get involved?” I asked, wishing he would speed up.
I pulled my phone out while I waited for him to explain and dialed Hannah’s number. It went straight to voicemail, so I left a message, hoping she’d see it and call me back.
“Hey, baby. I’m back home in Atlanta and I’m on my way to you now. Call me back.”
