Page 17 of Nightmare

He strides over to me, his face still beat up, and yet somehow he makes it work for him.

Leaning down, he plants a kiss on my forehead.

He knows better than to come in for a hug when he’s all sweaty.

I grin up at him. “You look like a hot mess.”

Chuckling, he sits down. “I am getting more looks than usual, that’s for sure.”

“I think it’s turning the ladies on,” I say, nodding to my left where two young women are staring at him, whispering amongst themselves.

He glances over and winks.

Rolling my eyes, I lean forward on the table. “So, you’ll never guess where I’ve just been.”

“Where?” he asks, placing his elbows on the table.

“I went to the station and talked to one of the officers who was first on the scene when Western was arrested. Get this, the other officer killed himself not long after.”

Leo’s brows go up. “The job too much?”

“Or, a coverup. Maybe he knew too much and they killed him off.”

A snort escapes his lips. “This isn’t a movie, Bon. The line of duty is hard on people, seeing a teenage boy who has passed would be a lot to handle. Maybe he was struggling.”

“I mean, maybe, but you should have heard the way this police chief talked about it. So casually, like it was nothing. Then, he goes on to tell me the family never wanted an autopsy done. Like, why wouldn’t they? He shut me down so quickly when I asked. Something about him was off, and when I started asking questions about the Mayor, he just dismissed me. He is involved, I don’t know how, but he is.”

Concern washes over Leo’s face and he narrows his eyes. “Bon, are you sure you should be digging too much into this? I don’t know if it’s a good idea to be walking around questioning people and their stories. Those men could be involved, and if they are, it could be dangerous.”

I hadn’t thought of it like that.

Pausing, I purse my lips. “I hear you, but what if they are involved and Western lost a big chunk of his life because of it? Don’t you think if that’s the case, he deserves justice?”

Leo shakes his head. “The law is the law, and I’m sure they had enough evidence. I don’t think you should get involved, something about this whole thing feels off.”

“Which is exactly why I’m going to find the truth.”

Reaching across the table, Leo takes my hand and jerks me a little closer to him. “You need to be careful, I’ve heard of things like this going wrong.”

“I’ll be careful. I’m going to talk to Braithe’s mother next. I would like to know why she requested no autopsy, and try to find out if anyone did one regardless.”

Leo squeezes my hand. “Braithe’s mother doesn’t talk to reporters. She has been known to get quite ugly toward them.”

“Well, it’s a good thing she won’t know I’m a reporter then.”

“You think she’s going to just let a stranger in and tell her the entire story?”

I smile, pulling my hand away as the waitress places down our coffee. “I’m charming, trust me, I’ll get around it.”

Leo exhales. “You thought I was stressful, you’re going to send me into an early grave.”

I blow him a kiss.

He rolls his eyes.

Nothing Leo can say is going to change my mind on this now.

I’m committed.

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