AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I slip into a new suit, complete with a dark blazer that adds a touch of authority to my appearance. The pendant now hangs prominently around my neck and between my breasts, a secret reminder of the past that I carry with me, concealed from the world.
As I briefly touch it, a thought occurs to me that has me rushing into my sanctuary. It feels like time drags, seconds feeling like hours, as my laptop starts and I open the USB onto the screen.
I know exactly what I’m looking for this time and it doesn’t take long to navigate directly to it. The file that was so easy for me to disregard with everything else that I had been concentrating on, the one with the label Darling, Alexandra.
Clicking into it, file after file fills my screen. Everything that I saw in the victims’ files and ignored, but now focused on. My heart races in my chest as I scroll through the folder and the files.
The files in the victims’ folders were only a shadow compared to the files in my own folder. My whole life is there, everything.
Images flash across the screen dating as far back as there were images of me to be found. Images from the foster home I lived in, school records, my academy application, everything.
My heart feels like it wants to leave my chest completely. How long had they been watching me? Why? Had they been watching me or was this something someone else had done?
I am so confused.
Taking a deep breath, I know I need to think about what these revelations could mean. The necklace is a testament to them either spending far longer on me than I assumed or having more wide-reaching connections. Though my mind says that odds are it is the first option.
Promising myself to look more closely at it later, I temporarily decide on a different approach until I could make sense of this new and disturbing information.
Taking my phone out I type a new message to them.
Their response is almost instant but just as confusing as everything else.
I don’t know if I should be happy they are honoring their promise, or worried about what they consider big.
Chapter 28
Alex
Icouldn'tletmyemotions overwhelm me now; I needed to gather as much information as possible and figure out how to deal with this situation. After making sure I have everything I need, I step out of my house and head for my car. The drive-thru café is calling to me as I crave the comfort of caffeine.
At the café, I fleetingly think of James’ comment from days before when I opt for a triple shot espresso. Yes, I am now at the three shot stage. He would be proud.
The drive to the office is filled with conflicting emotions. On one hand, I have a job to do, a job I’m trained to do, and part of that training is to focus on the immediate tasks ahead. On the other hand, the burden of the information I discovered gnaws at me, clouding my judgment. It feels like I am living a double life—one life as an FBI agent trying to solve a case and the other life where I know those who killed the victims intimately. But I also know there is a far bigger picture to the case that I can’t share with anyone.
I am being torn in two directions, my emotions and my logic all over the place and not able to reconcile anything in my mind.
So for the moment, I would be the FBI agent, going through the motions until I could do something more.
I’m thankful not to run into anyone as I make my way to the parking garage and up the elevator to the office. I can only imagine what a sight I am, though I made sure there were no visible signs of anything that would raise questions, I also wasn’t one to wear makeup and that in itself might raise questions.
As I step into the office, I try to compose myself, adopting my usual professional demeanor. James is there, looking over the files that Derek and I have on the table, obviously looking for an update.
“Morning,” I say to him as I take a seat at the table.
"Morning," James replies, his voice tense with frustration. He finally glances up, and I can see the worry and concern in his eyes. "Any progress on the case? We need to find a break soon, or this investigation might be taken away from us."
I take a deep breath, trying to hide my own turmoil as I respond, "Derek and I are trying a different approach today. We'll keep you informed as we make headway."
James nods, but his frustration doesn't seem to subside. "I hope you're onto something because we're running out of time."
"I understand, James," I say, trying to reassure him. "We're doing everything we can. We just need a bit more time."
A noise behind me has me looking over my shoulder as Derek enters the office. His eyes land on me, and I see the slight widening of them and the almost misstep before he continues around the table. Yep, the makeup is definitely going to raise questions.
Everyone exchanges greetings before we go back to discussing the case with James. Until James suddenly changes the subject. "Have you heard from or seen Mark? I've been trying to get a hold of him, but he's not responding to calls or messages. It's unusual for him to be MIA like this."
Derek glances at me briefly before responding to James, "No, I haven't heard from him either. Maybe he's caught up with something and forgot to check his messages. You know how dedicated he is to his work."
