8: A gripping dark fantasy mystery by Georgina Bartlett

Author:Georgina Bartlett [Bartlett, Georgina]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: darkstroke books
Published: 2021-08-02T16:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

Justine had snoozed her alarm three times, deciding to stay underneath the covers. It was seven a.m. Tuesday morning, and she could hear the rain tapping against her window. After her failed stakeout, she drove home and climbed into bed. Sleep never seemed to happen, but she felt safe underneath the covers.

Monsters play and sleep all day. When you snooze they wear your shoes… She heard her mother’s voice in her mind, reciting a song she made when Justine was six and thought a monster was hiding under her bed.

Her mother always taught her to face fear head on, never to be ashamed of her emotions. Reciting the song in her head usually helped when she was feeling overwhelmed. But there was no voice today. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Donovan walking towards her car, his red tie dripping with blood. A buzz on her intercom broke through Justine’s security blanket. It came once before the person on the other end kept their finger on the bell.

Keeping her cover wrapped around her shoulders, Justine slumped into the living room and grabbed the intercom phone by her front door. “What?” she snapped.

“Justine, it’s Rick. Can you let me up?”

“Hey. Listen, if Ronnie is with you and she’s trying to get up here by using you, you can tell her I’ll call her back, ok?” she groaned and hoped Ronnie was there to hear it.

“Ronnie’s not here. Can you please let me up?” Rick said, insistent.

Justine frowned at the phone and froze for a moment. She wondered if Ronnie had sent Rick to arrest her for stealing information from her computer.

“Justine?” Rick said after a long pause.

“Yeah sorry. Look, Rick, I know Ronnie probably sent you to tell me off for taking the address. I’m sorry, ok. I will come down to the station and apologize to her today. How does that sound?” she ranted and forced a smile. The line was silent for the moment, and she wondered if he had taken her terms and left.

“I’m here to talk to you about Ronnie. I really don’t want to have this conversation over the intercom,” Rick stammered, his voice low.

Without another thought, Justine pressed down her door release and let Rick into the building. She unlocked her front door and left it on the latch for him before wandering into the middle of the room. She turned when she heard his footsteps on her wooden floor. His eyes were puffy. There was a file in his hand.

“Justine.” His voice hit her like a frosty wind. “I’m sorry to tell you that at eleven last night, Ronnie’s body was found. She was confirmed dead at the scene.”

The cover was still wrapped around her shoulders, but everything felt cold. Her eyes pierced into him, unable to leave the moment.

“Do you understand what I have told you?” he asked her, his voice broken.

Justine didn’t respond. The only movement from her the rise and fall of her chest.

“Justine, are y-”

“I haven’t slept. I haven’t

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