Page 77 of Aftermath
Stone’s strong hands immediately grasped my hips and pulled me in. He held me in his arms, hugging me to him. I wanted to cry, but nothing came out. Instead, I let my head fall to his chest and stood there in silence.
“We will find them,” Stone said. “We will find the Coastal Killer, and I will make sure they pay for everything they have done.”
* * *
I dug through Stone’s fridge the next morning, trying to find anything I could eat. Stone made a pot of coffee behind me, and I could feel his eyes on me every few seconds. He hadn’t stopped checking on me since the pub.I could feel his need to protect me growing by the second.
He’s worse than you two.The pair of cats at my feet just glanced up at me, waiting for breakfast.
I found a few breakfast sausages and read the ingredients on a few breakfast pastries I found, passing on each of them. By the time I scraped together a meal, we ended up with sausage, fruit, and yogurt.
Stone didn’t complain when I placed his breakfast in front of him.
My cellphone kept lighting up on the counter, but I ignored it.
Probably just Calvin or my mother.
“I think we should go back to the pub,” I said, breaking the silence we’d been sitting in for a few minutes.
“What?” Stone choked on the sausage in his mouth.
I waited for him to stop coughing before continuing.“That man from outside yesterday was there that night. I didn’t know it until I saw his face, but he was working the night I was attacked. Maybe he knows something.”.
‘Len,” Stone warned. “You really want to go back?”
I knew he would never tell me not to, but I heard the hesitation. He was looking out for me, but who would look out for the victims it was too late for? I was their only chance at justice.
“Yes,” I answered firmly.
The phone lit up again, but I ignored it, too focused on convincing Stone.My mind was made up, and no one would talk me out of it. I was ready to go back; this time, I could face it. I had to.
He sighed as he carried his plate to the sink. The water turned on, and he scrubbed the plate before collecting mine. When the water finally stopped, he turned back to me.
“Alright,” he agreed. “We go back today to chase down the last of our leads. But if you want to leave at any moment, just say the word.”
I nodded.
“I’m serious, Lenny,” he said. “One word, and we can leave.”
My phone lit up yet again, and I finally gave in, checking the screen. I had ten unread messages from an unknown phone number. I opened it and immediately dropped the phone. The screen landed with a smack on the tile floor, and I prayed it didn’t crack.
Stone was up and across the kitchen before I could pick it up. He bent down to grab it, looking at the still-open screen. His brows furrowed, and eyes narrowed on the photo I knew he saw. There, on my phone, was a picture of the most recent victim of the Coastal Killer.
It was a dark photo, taken before the sun rose. I could just make out the shape of the body on the ground.
I ran to the trash can and emptied the contents of my stomach.
Stone was immediately behind me, rubbing my back.
“Sorry,” I murmured.
“I threw up all over my partner the first time I saw a body in the field,” he admitted.
I straightened and gave him a weak smile, but it didn’t last. The other messages remained unread; I hadn’t seen them before the photo that first popped up.
“What else does it say?” I asked.
“I did this for you,” Stone read aloud.
