Detective Annalisa Vega 02-Long Gone by Schaffhausen Joanna

Author:Schaffhausen, Joanna [Schaffhausen, Joanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, American Suspense, Police Procedural, Crime Thriller, Chicago, Illinois, Murder Investigation
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Published: 2022-08-09T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

Sassy bent over Carla’s bed and tucked her daughter’s wayward leg back under the blankets. Carla didn’t stir. Asleep like this, her dark hair in waves around her face, she looked so much like her father it made Sassy’s teeth hurt to look at her. She was perfection. Sassy had loved Alex since she wasn’t much older than Carla was now, when he was a boy with a mop of curly hair daring her to climb the tallest tree at the park. She dreamed sometimes that they were still kids hiding in their boxy clubhouse, and she’d block the door to try to warn him about what was to come. Don’t go to Katie’s house. But he would laugh in the dream and say Katie made the best peanut butter and oatmeal cookies and they should go get some right now. Meanwhile, Annalisa banged on the door outside the clubhouse, demanding to be let in. Alex would try to push Sassy out of the way to let his sister inside and Sassy would scream, No, no, no, she can’t find you!

Sassy left her daughter’s room and bumped directly into Moe, who was standing in the darkened hall. She gasped in genuine fear. “What are you doing here?” She’d left him with a glass of wine downstairs.

“You were gone so long I wondered what was wrong. I thought you might need a hand.”

“I’m fine.” She put up her palms when he tried to reach for her. “Don’t wake the girls.”

She led him back downstairs and found her own abandoned wineglass, which he had thoughtfully refilled. “You seem tense,” he said as he came up behind her and started massaging her neck. She raised her shoulders and moved from under his touch.

“It’s a lot,” she said. “The girls, work … I’m just tired.”

“I see.” He cocked his head and looked at her. “This isn’t about my meeting with Annalisa, is it? Because she gave me no choice.”

“No, I understand.” He’d told her that his lawyer had instructed Annalisa to back off. He’d thought Sassy would be pleased. Instead, she felt nervous around him for the first time since they’d met. You’re going to hear some stories about me, Moe had said on their first date. Only half of them are true.

You’ll hear stories about me too, Sassy had admitted. I’m afraid all of them are true.

Moe reached out and took her hand with a gentle squeeze. “You can ask me anything, you know.”

She bit her lip. “Why does it matter? If you’re innocent, who cares what Annalisa does or who she talks to? Maybe she’ll even find out the truth.”

“For the cops, there is only one truth: I’m guilty. They’ve been harassing me for years, and I’m sick of it. I don’t deserve it and neither do you.”

She looked him over carefully. His face was open, his gaze clear and warm, but she felt like there was something he wasn’t telling her, and it made her squirm. “I don’t know…”

“Come with me.

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