Secrets Never Sleep: A chilling mystery suspense thriller (P.I. Nia Carter Thriller Series Book 1) by Dan Padavona

Author:Dan Padavona [Padavona, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-29T00:00:00+00:00

25

Nia stood beside a large table in the police department’s records room while Eli pulled boxes of folders off the shelves. Overhead lights reflected on plastic holders that protected an array of photographs.

She got his attention. "Look at this."

He walked over and set Cecilia Gray’s background check on the table. There was no new information, nothing she hadn’t learned years ago. But as she scanned the family lineage, a name stuck out.

"Have a look at this," she said.

Eli peered over her shoulder, the proximity sending an unintended shiver down her back. "What did you find?"

"I spotted a name on the family tree. Look here—Cecilia Gray. It lists Eugene Cantelli as a second cousin."

Eli frowned. “I don’t recall seeing his name on this report seven years ago.”

“An oversight?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Anyone in a fight with Sebastian Lacroix would need well-connected allies. Theron fits the bill, but so does Eugene Cantelli.”

“Perhaps he lent money to his Gray relatives to keep Lacroix at bay.”

"Blood ties," Eli said, pulling up a chair. "That complicates things."

"Complicates, or explains?"

Nia thought about Cecilia, caught between familial loyalty and a town power struggle.

He flipped open his notebook and jotted the connection. "Could be both. Remember, Cantelli was one of the few who didn't bend a knee to Sebastian Lacroix. He competed against him instead of selling his land on the cheap."

"An enemy of my enemy."

"Exactly."

“But Lacroix invited Cantelli to his party.”

“He invited the entire town to his party.” Eli moved toward a steel cabinet marked Police Evidence. "I don’t believe those two drink tea together on lazy afternoons."

With a metallic groan, the drawer slid open, revealing the documents. Eli's hand paused over a stack of envelopes tied with frayed twine. He undid the knot and extracted an envelope.

"Letters found in a lockbox inside Cecilia’s home," he said. "Between Cecilia and Theron. We’d saved these."

"Read the good bits."

He coughed once before reciting the letter. "'My dearest Theron, in your arms, I find a hope for our future—a world created just for us.'"

"Passionate."

“I’m not much into poetry.”

“But you’re willing to paint with my daughter.”

“True.” He continued reading. “They dreamed of leaving, starting anew.”

"Escaping Duskwood. Maybe they realized Lacroix was too strong."

"Conspiracy theories won’t serve us. Besides, I trust my department."

“Then who killed Theron?”

“Good question,” he said.

“Hand me the missing person’s report on Cecilia Gray.”

“At your service.”

She read the report aloud. "Missing since June 5th, no leads." The report included a jumble of interviews and dead-end inquiries, all pointing to a single, chilling conclusion: Cecilia had vanished, and suspicion cast a wide net over both her family and Theron’s.

"Divided loyalties?" Eli suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe," Nia agreed, but something didn't sit right. She stood, pushing back her chair. "We need more than what the missing person’s report tells us."

"Agreed. Real voices, real memories."

"Let's hit the pavement."

They found themselves beneath a sun that blazed as had the fireplace at Lacroix’s party. The town felt like a repository of secrets.

Cecilia Gray’s former house was a five-minute drive away. They approached a neighboring home, where a woman was tending to a garden overrun with wildflowers.

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