Her Last New Year's Eve by Ifeanyi Esimai

Author:Ifeanyi Esimai
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635898149
Publisher: ShotReads

Got a call from dispatch—another accident on the highway with fatalities. If only people swapped their alcohol of choice for the ambrosia Greek gods had in mind, more people would make it to the new year. Camera or feed not mentioned in the case file. Bring it up with the detective at the station. I’ll call once I get a chance. Love, Ted.

Vikki’s lungs burned from holding her breath. He’d left because of work. She brushed her teeth, showered, and dressed in her black pantsuit and a blue shirt. She looked more like a banker than a detective. The case file went into a tote she’d brought along. She left her room, put the Do Not Disturb sign on, and headed for the elevator.

In the lobby, the smell of coffee guided her to the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. She had coffee, eggs, sausages, and pancakes. She focused on her food, not paying attention to other guests as they spoke and dug into their food.

She finished breakfast. It was time to head to the police station. The automatic doors in the lobby opened for her, and she stepped outside. Cold air wrapped around her like a wet blanket. She must get to her car before her ears froze. Vikki scanned the parking lot. “Damn.” Her car hadn’t made it home with her.

She placed a call to Ringo with her fingers crossed. People who worked nights slept in. She hoped Ringo was the outlier.

Ringo answered on the third ring. “I got out of the gym right now. I’m sweaty and need to shower first.”

Vikki explained she needed to be somewhere by nine. She could come to him to get her key.

“Meet me at the bar in ten minutes,” Ringo said.

Vikki hailed an Uber with her phone, which took its sweet time to get to her. Her car was where she’d left it when she reached the bar, but no Ringo. She tried the door to the bar. It was locked.

Vikki had already dismissed the Uber driver. She called Ringo. “Where are you?”

“I’m about to get in the shower.”

Vikki shut her eyes and blocked everything out. She filled her lungs with cold air and let it out slowly. She reconnected with Ringo.

“Did you find it? I left the key fob on top of the back passenger tire.”

She did. Her lips trembled. Her fingers hurt—a white cloud formed each time she exhaled.

Vikki fed the address of the Ashton Police Station into her phone’s GPS. She was delighted she recognized some locations. They were slightly different but hadn’t changed much.

“Your destination is ten minutes away,” said the female mechanical GPS voice.

Vikki took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. Her ETA was nine a.m. That was good timing, considering how her morning had taken off. The GPS was the only thing consistent this morning so far.

It was one of the coldest drives in her life. Now, she was at her destination.

Vikki turned into the parking lot of the police station. She found a spot, checked herself in the rearview mirror one last time, and exited the car.

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