The Perfect Lie by Cheryl Bradshaw

Author:Cheryl Bradshaw [Bradshaw, Cheryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cheryl Bradshaw
Published: 2019-06-12T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 28

Alexandra Weston

December 20, 1985

Alexandra had gone into her visit with Elias Pratt expecting the interview to be no different from all the other interviews she’d had with criminals in the past. When it wasn’t, it confused and titillated her at the same time.

Unchartered territory.

A killer who made her feel something she never had before.

A killer who seemed to actually give a damn.

A killer whose secrets she was determined to discover. If not from Elias’s own mouth, she’d find another way. And she knew just where to begin. After being shot the night her parents died, Sandra Hamilton had recovered quickly. As an outpouring of love and attention flooded in from people who’d heard her story, she slid with ease into her newfound role of the grieving victim, weeping during interviews and even feigning a panic attack or two on air. She played the part well. So well, in fact, it was Sandra’s label of Elias as a “Devil in Disguise” that took hold, sticking to him like gum beneath his feet.

One day after visiting Elias, Alexandra stood in front of the door to Sandra Hamilton’s modest house. She knocked. No answer. She waited almost a full minute. Knocked again. This time, the door opened. Sandra poked her head out. Her hair was a matted disaster, her attire a short cotton nightie. This, coupled with the dark circles under her eyes, and it appeared she’d been sleeping all day.

“Who are you?” Sandra asked. “And what do you want?”

“My name is Alexandra Weston. I’m working on a book about Elias Pratt.”

“So?”

“Can I come in?”

“No.”

“I tried calling several times yesterday. I even left messages on your answering machine. You never called me back.”

Sandra moved a hand to her hip. “What do you think that means?”

“You don’t want to talk to me.”

“Good. You’re smarter than you look.”

Sandra turned and walked away, leaving the door ajar. Alexandra took it as a sign she’d been offered a full-access pass and stepped inside. Sandra stopped at the kitchen, reached for a pack of cigarettes on the counter. She cupped a hand around her lips, lit up, took a long drag, and blew smoke into the air, allowing the smell of tobacco to waft through the room.

From the back of a long hallway, a man emerged from a bedroom. He was dressed in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and looked like he exceeded Sandra’s age by at least fifteen years. He scratched at his family jewels, gave Alexandra a quick head nod, smiled, and continued to scratch away until he, too, reached the kitchen.

He looked at Sandra. “Who’s your friend?”

Sandra whipped around, glared at Alexandra. “You need to go. I don’t have time for this.”

“I need to ask you a few questions.”

Sandra glanced at a clock on the wall, tensed. “You have to go, Ben. Now.”

“Already?” he asked. “Feels like I just got here, baby. Can I see you again?”

“Maybe. I’ll call you.”

“What about tomorrow? I can come over after work. Five thirty be okay?”

“I said I’d call you.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.