He looked up at the empty chair next to his desk as dread settled deep in his gut.
Unless the lab had made a mistake, which the odds of that happening were next to nil, the hair on Arlo J’s body was a DNA match to Blake O’Connell.
Chapter 7
April laughed, twirling around Violet’s room as the little girl jumped on the bed like it was a stage while holding her hairbrush, pretending it was a microphone. They were blasting Taylor Swift music from April’s phone and having a fun dance party, singing along toShake It Off. Violet added little riffs of her own and April was impressed with how in tune and creative she was with her vocals. “You’re really good,” April said. “I bet you could sing for an audience, and they would love you.”
Violet blushed and shook her head vigorously. “I only want to sing for you, Aunt April. I love our dance parties.”
“Me too, kiddo, but I totally lost track of time,” she said, glancing at her watch. “I have to get going soon. Do you want me to tuck you in before I go?” April hated when it was time to leave her niece at the end of the night, but after the rough morning Violet had, April had done everything in her power to turn the day around for Violet. They’d gone outside and kicked a soccer ball around, enjoyed a picnic lunch, spent a few hours doing school work, made a new friendship bracelet that April was now proudly wearing on her wrist, and then April had even asked the kitchen to make Violet’s favorite dinner, macaroni and cheese. Then they’d proceeded to tire themselves out with a dance party.It had been a long and very full day for both of them.
Violet plopped down on the bed and a wave of sadness crossed her sweet features. “I wish you didn’t have to leave,” she said, pushing a stray hair from her face.
“Me too,” April said. “But hey, maybe one day, we can be together every day, and I’ll never have to leave you again.”
“Really?” Violet asked, her voice filled with so much hope it made April’s chest tighten.
April nodded. “I can’t make any promises, but if there’s any way to make it happen, you know I’ll do it.”
Seemingly content with April’s answer, Violet scooted under the covers and leaned back onto her pillow. “Do we have time for one chapter?” Violet asked, eyeing the hardcover copy ofBlack Beautyon her nightstand.
April checked her watch again and sighed. If she wasn’t out of the building in five minutes, Ned could dock her time with Violet in the future, and he’d take off way more than the few minutes she might be late leaving by. “Sorry, Sweetie. I don’t want to get on Ned’s bad side. But we’ll be sure to read an extra chapter next time.”
Violet gave a small nod as her eyes began to droop, her little body quickly starting to drift off to sleep after a busy and exhausting day. “Good night, Aunt April,” she whispered, holding up her hands for one last hug and kiss.
April knelt, enveloping Violet in her arms as she peppered her face and head with kisses and squeezed her tight. “Good night, Sweetie.” After one last look at her beautiful niece, she tucked the covers over Violet’s shoulders, and left the room, turning the light off on her way out. She quietly shut the door, ordered her Uber, then gathered her jacket and bag from the hallway before making her way out of the building.
A few minutes later, she was on her way to her apartment. Fatigue pulled at her as she craved a hot shower and some dinner. She’d done her best to take Violet’s mind off of whathappened that morning, but April couldn’t stop thinking about those knives, and how they’d flown into those soldiers’ chests. If it hadn’t been for their protective gear, she had no doubt they’d be dead. Just like that girl Tanner had told her about who’d been stabbed to death. A heaviness clawed at April’s chest, sinking like a boulder in her gut. That poor girl. April knew next to nothing about murder and criminals, but from the moment Tanner had told her that she’d been kept alive for a few years before she was killed and her body was found, April couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe…
April’s phone buzzed with a message just as her Uber pulled up in front of her apartment building. She let out a sigh, grateful for the interruption to her morbid thoughts.
Tanner: Are you home yet?
Seeing his name pop up on her screen, April smiled but waited until she was safely inside her apartment with the door securely locked before plopping down on the couch in her living room and messaging him back.
April: Just walked in the door.
Tanner: Can I call you?
April: Of course.
Seconds later, her phone rang and she answered on the first ring. “Hi,” she said.
“Man, it is good to hear your voice. Is it cheesy of me to say I missed you even though we just saw each other this morning?”
This guy knew exactly how to make her feel all warm and mushy inside. April was almost forgetting what it was like to notbe smiling when hearing his voice. It was sweet, and honestly terrifying.
“Not at all. I missed you, too. Did you have a rough day?” Tanner’s heavy sigh in answer to her question told her everything she needed to know. He was usually smiling or at least in a good mood whenever he called her. Today felt different though, and it worried her. “What’s going on? Did you get hurt?”
“No, nothing like that. I’m perfectly fine. But yeah, definitely a rough day,” he said.
“What happened?” She asked, kicking off her shoes and massaging her foot. That little dance party had done a number on her feet. She wished she’d had the foresight to take her shoes off in Violet’s room before they started dancing.
Tanner sighed again. “I can’t actually tell you much, but I got the results back on that DNA sample I was waiting on.”
“You mean for that big biker case you’re working?”
“That’s the one,” he said.
