The Sinister Strand by J. M. Tompkins

Author:J. M. Tompkins [Tompkins, J. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, female sleuths, Suspense, Thriller, Science Fiction, Dystopian
Published: 2022-05-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“How are things going there?”

I couldn’t help it, my award-winning-sarcastic side took over. “It’s great! Dad’s home, and his Alzheimer’s is all but disappeared. So, what’s happened?”

“Don’t jerk me around, Anneliese.”

“Really? You think it’s me doing the jerking?” It came out before I realized how dirty that comment may have sounded. And the silence following my statement indicated the Cap was thinking the same thing.

He cleared his throat on the other end of the line. “We’ve got another victim. I hate to call you and tell you that, but there’s no way Jolene committed this crime. If you need to stay, though, no worries.”

“I’ll be home tonight.”

“What?” Addison said with her eyes wide as I hung up the phone.

As I looked at her, a wave of emotion washed over me, and the only way I could describe it was oh shit.

“It just came out, I’m sorry. I should have talked with you about it first, but I need to get back to Rochester. There’s a development in the case.”

“We need you here, Anne. This morning is the calmest Dad has been. You can’t just leave.”

“If her captain called and said he needs her, then he needs her,” my mom interjected.

“Thanks, Mom. I am sorry.”

“Do what you need to do,” my mom said.

“I’m not leaving to take you back to the house,” Addison said. “The traffic will be wicked out there.”

“I’ll get a cab.”

I tried to hug everyone before I left, but Addison wouldn’t have anything to do with me, until she was reprimanded and finally conceded to give me a half hug. Emily and Rose smirked at their mom getting into trouble.

The hard part was going back into my dad’s room and telling him I was leaving. It was worse than I thought, because he was asleep again. I had to nudge him a few times to wake him up.

“Annie, when did you get here?”

Seriously? I’d had no idea his mind was anywhere near this bad. I had to remind myself that they’d said this experience had made him worse. He probably wasn’t this bad before. But clearly, I had no clue what they’d been dealing with.

When I told my dad I was leaving, he teared up. The only other time in my life I’d seen my father cry was at Austin’s funeral. That pulled at my heart in a way I’d never experienced before. I squeezed his hand and kissed his forehead.

“You’re my hero, Dad.”

“And you’re my little girl,” he replied.

Walking out of that hospital felt worse than leaving Rochester to go back home to Boston. What was happening? Where did I belong?

Hours later, after catching a taxi outside to Addison’s house, packing, and ordering a ride share, I stood in the bright airport like a lost kitten. I knew I couldn’t turn my back on this case. Maybe I could leave the job in Monroe County, but not this case. I had no choice.

There weren’t that many agents working the main counter, so there was a bit of a line.

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.