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My cheeks hurt from smiling so big. “I hope so. Thank you for making the new me!” I say to both her and Sadie, the flight attendant. She passes me her number and tells me to call her with questions. The second I get home, the first thing I work on is my resume.
It’s time to make my dreams come true.
Try hitting a moving target, Mr. Grave Killer.
CHAPTER 36
Paxton
Six months later…
“Still at it, huh?” The chief leans against the partition, eyeing me with a mixture of concern and curiosity.
I glance up from the files spread across the desk and shrug. “Somebody had to miss something.” Desperation keeps me here. I need her back with me. I’m off duty, so he doesn’t care.
Last month marked the one-year anniversary since I dug Kali out of her grave. Every Tuesday night before I go home I pore over the case files, reexamining every detail, statement, and suspect’s interviews. Including mine. Each week, I wonder what’s being missed. When I compare Kali’s case to Shanna’s, you’d think we had a copycat or we’re dealing with two suspects.
Their cases are unique.
The makeshift coffins tell a twisted story. One meant for the person to survive, the other was not. Kali’s box had air being pumped in, Shanna’s did not. The construction of the coffins differed as well. Screws, wood, and the process, all different. But both cases were meticulous, not leaving any prints. Not even a partial.
Both were buried in remote spots, far from a lot of traffic and cameras. At least I know that Kali being buried close to me was just a coincidence. But why keep her alive and not Shanna?
I run my hands through my hair, a headache beginning to throb at the base of my skull. Are there two perps at play here or just one trying to throw us off? He said there’d be three, so why hasn’t he done it again? Was he truly doing it to get Kali’s attention? Was she right to leave?
There’s always the one question I get stuck on that has nothing to do with the case; will Kali ever come back to me? We haven’t talked since right after they found Shanna. I texted her Happy Birthday and got back a simple “thank you” in response. That pissed me off. I deserve more than a fucking thank you. I called Grams after that message, at a loss. Maybe her wise wisdom had some insight.
“Paxton, honey. You said she’s your future wife. If that’s true, why would you give up on her?
“I fu…” I dial back my anger reminding myself who I’m talking to. “I didn’t give up on her. She. Left. Me.”
“You told me she asked you to go with her.”
“That was an impossible request. I’ve dedicated my life to being a K-9 officer. I can’t just get up and leave after working my ass off to get Riggs. If she loved me like she said she did, she would’ve found a way to be with me.”
And all I got was radio silence and a thank you text.
“I love her, Grams, but I don’t know if I can wait for her. It felt like Mom shutting down all over again. And then just…she just moved on.”
“I’m sorry you had to experience that. But every woman is not like your mother.”
“I can’t walk around with this brokenness inside me every day, Grams. I need to move forward.”
I need to move forward.
The throbbing in my head refuses to stop, so I lean back in the chair and close my eyes, pressing my fingers into my temples. Why am I putting my life on hold for someone who has moved on?
For someone who can’t even live here.
I’m done trying. Six months, and I’ve memorized every word in that damn file. I’m no closer to solving the case than on day one. I slam the file shut and march it back to the records room. A sharp ache settles in my heart. One that has been threatening for months, but I’ve pushed it back with hope. Hope she would see being with me is better than running.
She chose to run.
And now the stabbing pain is the icing on the fucking migraine cake.
“You know what you need?” Liam says.
“Do not tell me pussy,” I retort, throwing back another shot of tequila and slamming the empty glass on the table. “Because I might actually punch you in the nose.”
