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Cassie’s smile was tight. She could tell Detective Harris was grasping at straws she didn’t believe existed. It was clear to Cassie that the police had no leads. They were trying any avenue they could think of, and that included her.

“I haven’t seen any ghosts related to this case. I’m sorry.”

Detective Harris stood. “If I’m being honest, I figured it was a long shot.”

Cassie stood, too. “You don’t believe what you’ve heard, do you?”

“I deal with facts, not rumors,” Detective Harris said.

“I wouldn’t constitute the number of cases I’ve helped close as rumor.”

“Luck.”

“Luck can be construed as magic or mysticism.”

“Touché.”

“You’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“Is that one of your feelings?”

Cassie smiled, and it was genuine. “No. It’s an observation. You care about this case, about these women. I don’t think you’ll stop until you solve it.”

Once again, Detective Harris’s confidence flickered, and she let her guard down for a moment. “We don’t have a lot of evidence. The crime scenes are barren. Without a lead, I’m afraid these women are destined for the cold case files.”

“You won’t let that happen.”

Detective Harris’s resolve returned to her face. She set her jaw. “No, I won’t.”

“If I see anything, I’ll reach out.”

Harris produced her card. “Please do. I’ll take any help I can get. Even if it’s unconventional. These women deserve to have their story told.”

Cassie took the detective’s card, unsure if she would ever be able to help in a case like this again. She felt surprised by how the uncertainty bothered her. She looked back up at the detective, her jaw set.

“I promise if anything comes to me, you’ll be the first to know.”

Six

Cassie couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the day. Her brain buzzed as though it was full of bees, and the incessant sound was enough to drive her crazy. Instead of coordinating the new pieces they had added to their Vera Wang collection, she spent her time Googling anything and everything she could find about the women who’d turned up dead.

There had been three so far. The papers didn’t have too much information since the police didn’t want their investigation derailed. They hadn’t yet revealed the cause of death.

During the last press conference about the murders they had only offered the standard statement: they were treating the investigation very seriously and focusing as much of their manpower on the case as possible. She had heard those words plenty of times and she hadn’t needed Harris’s insider information to realize the cops didn’t have much to go on.

One family had put up a reward for anyone with information that led to an arrest, but so far, the comments on their Facebook post were filled with either well wishes or conspiracy theories.

Cassie’s heart broke for those left behind. What had happened to those women was inconceivable. The friends and families of the victims had to face an ongoing horror until they had their answers. It would be a long time before they would be able to make peace with their losses.

Cassie thought about her own family, which always brought about a mixture of pain and longing. After the incident in the graveyard ten years ago, her parents had rented an apartment in Savannah so they could help Cassie with her recovery. Her sister was still in college at the time, but she tried to visit Cassie as much as possible. Savannah was a long way from California, but the few times she made it back to Georgia meant a lot to Cassie.

Life was good for a while. Or as good as it could get following such a trauma. Her parents were more than happ

y to help in any way they could, but they couldn’t have known what she was going through at the time. They wouldn’t have understood that her life had changed irrevocably.

She had a breakdown and while her therapist attributed it to stress, Cassie knew it wasn’t related to her recovery. But how could she tell anyone what she was seeing? They wouldn’t believe her and, even if they tried to be patient and understanding, it would’ve broken Cassie to know they thought she was crazy.

So, she pushed her parents away. She grew distant with her sister. Whether she was trying to protect them from what she saw or trying to keep herself out of an insane asylum, Cassie still didn’t know. Either way, the relationship she had with her family became superficial.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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