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I sniffle, wiping my nose with the sleeve of my shirt. “You made it clear where you stood on the matter, but I needed to do this.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Willow asks, her voice shaky. She never saw the connection between Logan and Christie. She presumed, like the rest of them, that Christie just pissed off the wrong person. She wasn’t exactly known for being nice.
I turn to my best friend. “I failed you once, Willow; I wasn’t going to do it again. If it turned out not to be related to Logan then I would have scared you for nothing. You weren’t sleeping back home. You had nightmares every night and it killed me inside because I did that to you,” I tell her, putting my hand up to stop her when she goes to interrupt me. “I know what happened wasn’t my fault. I get that. But I’m still partly to blame for the pain you all suffer. No matter what you say, that much is true.”
CJ pulls me into his arms and I go willingly, resting my head against his pec and wrapping my arm around his waist. “Cupcake, you should have come to me. If I knew it meant this much to you I would have helped. And you have to stop blaming yourself. You can’t be responsible for what others do. They have their own minds.”
I glance up at him and smile. “I didn’t want you to be mad.”
He rears back like I slapped him, and it hurts. “I’d never be mad at you, Allie, ever. I may raise my voice, but only in worry, in concern, and that’s because I love you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’m sorry for not talking to you about it.”
He kisses me lightly before pulling away, shifting us so we’re facing the room.
“What did you find out?” Cole asks, his expression blank.
I shrug. “Not a lot. Nothing really ties Christie’s murder to Logan. He had no reason to kill her, other than for revenge, which seems petty and a little farfetched since he’s in prison. If it had happened before she testified, then I would have understood. I’m going to keep researching, but after this second murder, I might need to take a step back. I can still do my piece on Christie’s murder or on something else.”
“What makes you think these two murders are connected?” Cole asks, cuddling Willow to his chest.
“The hair,” I whisper, feeling sick.
“What?” both he and CJ ask.
Sensing my reluctance to answer, Jordan speaks up. “I got the files on Christie’s murder. In it, it says a chunk of hair was cut and taken from her head. She was also placed peacefully in bed, similar to the position Linda was in when she was found. It’s like he feels remorse for killing them. I don’t know. He could be a complete psychopath. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is that Christie was stabbed, and this girl wasn’t.”
Alex clears his throat. “It does seem strange. Why do you think he’s taking their hair?”
Jordan turns to a pale Alex and shrugs. “I’m not sure. A memento?”
He glances away, staring down at his phone. “I’ve got to go. My nan needs me to mow the grass.”
He gets up, leaving with a goodbye. When the front door shuts, CJ pulls me over to the sofa, sitting me down on his lap. “He’s mowing his grass in January?”
Cole chuckles. “He is a little weird.”
“Leave him alone. He’s my friend.”
“He did look a little pale before he left,” Jordan mentions. “Hope he’s okay. I know how sensitive he is. I bet you he’s worried about all of this.”
“True,” I murmur. “The other week he did say he wished the police would do more to keep us safe. He even complained to the university about the drug dealings he keeps witnessing at the back of the library. They put a camera up, but it was destroyed when they broke into the library. He probably doesn’t feel safe here anymore, and he has reason to believe that. I’ve tried to keep his mind off things, but he can be a little closed off at times.”
CJ stares at me with love in his eyes. “You’re a good friend to him.”
“He doesn’t really have anyone else. People aren’t nice to him because of the way he dresses and looks.”
He lowers his gaze. “I’m sorry. I’ll try harder, but I can’t promise anything. We have nothing in common with each other. I can deal with weird—I am going out with you, after all—but he doesn’t like letting people in,” he says. I slap his arm over the comment about me being weird, even though I know he’s joking.
“He has you there,” Willow giggles.
“Nah, I can see what CJ is saying. Every time we’ve tried to get to know him, to make friends, he’s acted withdrawn and weird. The only time I see him comfortable is when he is with you girls and no one else is around. He acts himself then,” Cole adds.
“How would you know that?” Willow asks, voicing my thoughts.
“You guys didn’t hear us come in once when you were all watching movies. We were getting a beer out of the kitchen and watched how is with you. He seems like a good lad, just a little weird. I don’t think he’s had great past with other males.”
I never really noticed. He’s a little shy, but now they’ve mentioned it, he does seem more comfortable when it’s just us girls.
