AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stare at the label, remembering the two of us sharing a drink from this exact bottle when he told me Rory was pregnant.
When he begged me to look after her and their unborn child if anything ever happened to him.I tried to tell him he was being ridiculous, that he’d be around for a long time.
I wonder if he had a feeling in his gut he wouldn’t and that’s why he was so adamant I make him that promise.
Adam always had a sixth sense about this kind of thing.
What would his sixth sense say about this man with the scar and his connection to everything?
Pushing out a long sigh, I set the bottle on the work bench and continue sorting through the box.It’s mostly filled with pens and other office supplies, which doesn’t surprise me.Adam could never walk past a new notebook or set of pens without buying them.
I’m about to return everything to the box when something on the bottom catches my eye.It’s just another notebook, but this one is dated just a week before he died.
I pull it out and run my fingers over my brother’s familiar scrawl, remembering flipping through this notebook mere days after his death.Reading his notes about Jameson Gates’ relationship with Callie Sloane was difficult back then, knowing they were some of the last notes my brother ever made.I couldn’t even get through all of them.
But maybe revisiting them will help me get answers about this man with a scar.
Maybe he figured something out in his final days that could help.
Opening the notebook, I read through pages of notes Adam made about Jameson Gates’ connection to Callie Sloane and why Hayes might think Jameson was involved in her disappearance.It’s essentially the same information that was included in my brother’s official incident report.
How Jameson claimed to have met Callie when he had a flat tire and she stopped to help him.How they dated in secret for months because of who he was.How after Jameson attended the King’s Day gala and danced with Esme, the entire country salivated over the idea of them as a couple.How Silas Archer made a proposition for Jameson to marry Esme.How Jameson turned him down because he claimed to be in love with Callie.
Then how Callie broke things off a short time later.How that was the last time he spoke to her, even after repeatedly trying to call and text her.How he had no idea she’d gone missing until weeks later when Hayes Barlow, Callie’s friend and boss, went to the police to report her missing.
How Hayes blamed Callie’s disappearance on Jameson, despite there being no evidence to support it.
But that didn’t seem to stop Adam from digging further.
As I flip through the pages, it’s obvious he also spoke to Hayes, who essentially told him Callie wouldn’t just disappear without saying goodbye.That he always thought Jameson had an ulterior motive in wanting to be with Callie.
I turn the page again, hoping to uncover more information.
All I find is a phone number.No name.Nothing.
It could be completely unrelated to this, but I know my brother.He was organized to a fault.He wouldn’t jot down a number in this notebook unless it had something to do with what he’d been looking into.
Digging my phone out of my pocket, I punch in the numbers and bring it up to my ear, listening to it ring.
And ring.
And ring.
Just when it’s about to go to voicemail, a woman answers.
“Hello?”
“Hi.I, uh…” I clear my throat, taking a moment to get my thoughts in order.Truthfully, I hadn’t expected anyone to answer.“I’m sorry for bothering you.My name’s Creed Lawson.This may sound crazy, but I found my brother’s old work notebook.He’d written down this number.I’m just trying to figure out why.”
“Your brother was Adam Lawson, wasn’t he?”the woman asks.She doesn’t sound that old.Maybe in her thirties or forties.
“Yes.He unfortunately—”
“I know about your brother’s death,” she interjects, then adds, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you…,” I trail off.“I’m sorry.What’s your name?”
“Reagan.Reagan Fisher.”
