heartbeats by Susan Rae

Author:Susan Rae
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Published: 2012-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

Elizabeth glanced at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She was horrified, realizing, once more, how close she had come to disaster. She rummaged through Drake’s shaving kit and found a small pair of scissors. Snipping at her curls, she diligently cut out the burnt tendrils. With most of the burnt curls in the sink, she pulled what was left of her hair into a barrette at the nape of her neck.

Andi and Drake were huddled in front of the TV in the living room. As Elizabeth entered the room, Drake reached for the remote to turn off the VCR, but she waved her hand to tell him to forget that idea.

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “I’m not that fragile.” She came to sit beside him on the sofa.

The picture showed the steps of the funeral where people were entering before Julie’s service. A female news correspondent stood in the foreground explaining the situation. The sound was turned down, enabling Andi and Drake to concentrate on the images.

Drake gave her a slow smile, his deep blue eyes filled with a mixture of admiration and intimacy that sent her heart astir again. Grabbing her hand, he rubbed his fingers caressingly over hers then turned his attention back to the screen.

Across from them Andi cleared her throat. “Well, then…” she started to say. Elizabeth caught her knowing look as Andi glanced from Drake to her. A slight blush warmed her cheeks, making her feel downright ridiculous. She and Drake were consenting adults—there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Still, it was clear that Andi was aware that their relationship had moved up a notch—or rather, had taken a major leap. Were they really that transparent? Thinking that it wasn’t such a good idea at this point for everyone to know she and Drake had slept together, Elizabeth slowly drew her hand from his while Andi continued to talk.

“As I told Drake,” Andi explained, “I managed to convince the local networks to give me copies of their footage. Three networks thought it newsworthy enough for video. This is Channel Five’s. They took the most tape, but I’m afraid that it isn’t much. This is the unedited version. If you could just look closely, Elizabeth, and see if there’s anyone you recognize that shouldn’t be there—or anyone who seems even just a bit suspicious.”

Elizabeth studied the screen. She recognized some of Julie’s relatives and a couple of their friends from school, but other than that, no one. Then she watched herself hurry up the steps with Drake at her side. The camera zoomed in on her. She didn’t think the picture especially flattering. Her face was pinched, and pale. She remembered they had just finished talking with Andi and handing over the threatening letter for evidence. Another video frame popped up in the corner of the screen, overlaid over the first. It showed the scene outside her apartment the night of the murder.

The tape went blank for a second. Then a talking head came

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