TICK TOCK RUN (Romantic Mystery Thriller) by Elliston H

Author:Elliston, H [Elliston, H]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: H.C.Elliston
Published: 2011-03-15T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

My heart squeezed. “I’m phoning Lee,” I blurted out in the back of the taxi. I had barely minutes to confirm he wasn’t the blackmailer.

She shocked me with the most scathing wide eyes.

“I have to know. It takes more than ten minutes to drive from the bridge to Lee’s house,” I said, trying to convince her, or perhaps myself. “If he’s at home right now, he isn’t the blackmailer.”

“Please, Chelsea. Don’t call Lee.” She said his name as if it was a swear word.

“If it is him, I’ll do my damndest to get your money back. But if it isn’t…” I pulled my phone from my bag and found his name in the contacts. Damn it! I didn’t have his landline number, just his mobile.

Laura’s smile disappeared as expected. She grabbed for my phone and wrestled. “Please, Chelsea. Don’t stir things up.”

It didn’t occur to me she’d fight. “Laura, what are you doing? Let go!”

“Hey, hey, ladies!” the driver said. “No fighting in my cab or I’ll kick you out.”

I turned my back on her and leaned against the window. Not only had this evil blackmailer taken Laura’s money, but they’d stolen the parts of her personality that I liked, left me with the nasty bits. For the next few minutes I didn’t want to think about her.

Who had been under that bridge? I didn’t want that person to be Lee. I’d set myself the task of proving his innocence and if I didn’t even try, I wasn’t going to prove anything. I hesitated, aware dialing could put an even bigger rift in my friendship with Laura. But, phoning Lee was something I wanted to do, or rather, needed to do. I’d supported Laura more than enough.

I pressed call while cautioning myself about getting my hopes up.

Lee answered after what seemed like a short sleep. “Phoning to accuse me again?”

“Oh, at last. Where are you?” I demanded, too on edge not to cut straight to it.

“At home. Why?”

“Been out?”

“No. Anyway, you’ve got some balls phoning me after what you said last night.”

“Just listen a minute. Trust me.”

“Trust you? That’s a tall order.” He went silent a few heartbeats. “You sound different. Breathy. Has something happened?”

Yeah, I thought. Too much.

I hesitated. Deep breath. To accuse Lee yet again would be like a final kick in the groin. But if I didn’t rule him out, how could I ever truly trust him with blackmail hanging over us? If he did still want to know me, that is.

I pushed ahead with my plan. “Just bear with me and do what I ask.” A sensation of relief ripened inside me at the absence of a car engine humming through the phone. “If you are at home, then go over to the telly, turn it up loud so I can hear it.”

“What?”

“Just do it, Lee.” The jingle of an advert grew louder, and a female voice said Lee’s name in the background. The jingle could have been a car radio, but who was the woman with Lee? “Go into the kitchen.

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