Drawn by Carsen Taite

Author:Carsen Taite [Taite, Carsen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635556452
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2020-05-12T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Riley reread the article in the Dallas Morning News for the third time over her Monday morning tea. She didn’t usually read the news, having been cured of curiosity about current events by the onslaught of media during her father’s trial, but a nagging suspicion that Claire had been holding something back about the Shasta case led her to the internet to see what she could find.

A few quick searches led her to this story about a dead body found by a runner on Friday morning near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. The deceased, Wendy Hyatt, a twenty-three-year-old white female, had been employed as a paralegal at a downtown law firm, and before her body had been found, she’d last been seen working late on Thursday evening. Preliminary cause of death—strangulation. At the very end of the copy there was a brief mention of Jill Shasta. The reporter had contacted the police department spokesperson to determine if there were similarities between the two cases but had been told the department wouldn’t comment on an ongoing investigation. Riley wasn’t an expert on criminal justice, but she knew enough to know the official statement was code for probably, and we know a helluva lot more, but we’re not ready to tell you yet.

Claire’s question about when she’d last seen her father echoed in her head as it had for the last two days. She hadn’t answered out of pure stubbornness, but what if Claire had a legitimate reason for wanting to know? Riley didn’t know much about what her dad had been up to since he’d been released, other than reconnecting with her mother and trying to wind his way back into her life. She remembered his offer to let her talk to his attorney about his case. Had the gesture been made out of confidence or did he think she might not take him up on it? Was he a possible suspect in the deaths of these young women, or was Claire simply trying to provoke a reaction, and if so, why?

Riley spent another half hour looking for more details about the murders, but the vague statement from DPD was the only news on the subject. Annoyed that the internet consisted of nothing more than a spinning wheel of information, packaged differently, but still the same, she turned off her laptop and poured another cup of tea, while she contemplated the day ahead. Other than preparing a few sketches for Lacy, her late afternoon watercolor class was the only thing on her agenda. She reached for her wallet lying on the table and fished out the card Claire had given her when she and her partner had come here last week. When she turned it over, she found Claire’s cell phone on the back. Before she could overthink her impulse, she picked up her phone and dialed.

“Hanlon here.”

The sound of Claire’s sharp and sure voice caused Riley to have second thoughts. She started to disconnect the call, ready to explain she’d dialed by accident if confronted on the subject.

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