Page 61 of On Your Life

Kira and I stare at the desk like we’re looking at a corpse. For all we know, we could be.

Her knuckles have gone white from the grip she has on the edge of the desk. Her chest rises and falls rapidly, like she can’t get enough air.

“What do we do?” she asks.

Like I fucking know. I obviously can’t go to the captain about this. The likelihood that this is some kind of misunderstanding seems slim. Who keeps shit like this in a drawer in their office?

My eyes catch on the last photo. In the right corner is a dark figure that I didn’t notice initially. The black outfit almost blends into the background but the clothing looks familiar. The gears turn in my mind, but there are too many pieces and not enough answers. Every time I think I figure something out, another question appears.

“Does the word reaper mean anything to you, Kira?” I ask.

I look at her and we lock eyes. That seed of doubt I’ve been carrying gets a little deeper. Something isn’t right here.

She blinks several times as if to clear her thoughts, and then shakes her head.

“No. What does that have to do with this?” she asks.

These have to be related but I don’t have time to dig into theories right now.

I grab the last photo and shove it into my pocket. It makes my hands feel dirty just touching something so vile.

“I don’t know, but I feel like this just got really fucking complicated,” I admit. “I need you to keep this to yourself.”

She leans back, staring at me like I just grew another head.

“We need to fucking tell someone about this, Fox. Those women could be alive somewhere!”

Every rational thought flies out the door the second my name leaves her lips. I don’t know why I haven’t heard her say it before but something about her yelling at me makes my blood rush.

“Right now, there’s no one we can tell.” Her expression hardens. “The captain is a huge pillar in this community. I won’t have his name tarnished over a hunch. Let me look into this.” I lean forward, planting both hands over hers. Her fingers tense beneath mine. “Keep your fucking mouth shut.”

It may come off as harsh but if there’s even a chance the captain is innocent, I won’t have Kira put his head on a spike over something we don’t understand.

“Fine,” she sighs. Her eyes drop toward my pocket. “Are you going to tell me why you pocketed one? Are you in on this shit too?”

“I have a theory. One that would make you seem a lot more innocent than you currently are.” Suspicion flickers across her face. “Are you done arguing with me killer or does it make your panties wet?”

She makes a disgusted face and climbs out of the chair. I watch as she gathers the Polaroids, carefully stacking them face down so we don’t have to see them anymore.

“I told you I’m innocent,” she mutters. “I’ve been telling everyone.”

The defeat in her voice catches me off guard. If she really had nothing to do with this, I’ll do everything in my power to help her out of this mess. But first, I need to get to the bottom of these photos.

“I’m starting to believe that,” I say.

Her shoulders drop the second the words leave my mouth. Like she has been waiting for someone—anyone—to say them.

***

My leg aches from bouncing it so hard during the change of shift debriefing.

The captain is standing three feet away. Talking and smiling like everything is normal. I watch him laugh at something one of the officers says. My heart starts pounding with pent up rage.

How many times have I stood in this room with him? How many times have I trusted him to guide me in the right direction? How many times has he looked me in the eye knowing those pictures were sitting in his desk drawer?

I force the thoughts away. I don’t know that. I don’t know anything. But suspicion doesn’t need proof to start eating you alive. The captain catches my eye and smiles. I smile back.

It all seems so fucking fake now. Every bone in my body hopes that I’m wrong. I keep telling myself that there has to be another explanation. Because if he’s involved in this I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know if my heart can handle another big loss.