Will Trent 11-After That Night by Slaughter Karin

Author:Slaughter, Karin [Slaughter, Karin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, American Suspense, Police Procedural, Crime Thriller, Murder Investigation, Georgia, GBI
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2023-06-22T04:00:00+00:00

OUTSIDE THE WINDSONG APARTMENTS—MIDTOWN ATLANTA

They had a cat whose government name was Pepper, but like every cat, he had several aliases. Mr. Frisk. Bubbly-boy. Then, when he had gotten older, Paunch de Leon.

He was mercurial, going from family member to family member during the day, but every night, he would find his way to the foot of Leighann’s bed. In his later years, he’d developed a pronounced snore. Sometimes, the honking sound would wake up Leighann. Sometimes, he would have dreams of chasing squirrels or rabbits, and she would feel his tiny paws kicking against her leg as he chased after them in his sleep.

Leighann reached down her hand to stroke his furry head, but Paunch was not there. She tried to roll over in bed. Pain shot into her face. Her eyelids were closed with a crusty film. She reached up to her face, trying to wipe it away. Her fingertips were gritty. She blinked several times.

Tiny green specks kaleidoscoped through her vision. Her eyelids would not fully open. She wanted to go back to sleep. She wanted Paunch to snuggle against her. She felt cold. Her skin was tingly. She had to pee. A breeze frosted her nerves.

This wasn’t right.

Leighann gasped a deep breath like she was coming back from the dead. The green specks were tiny leaves in various shades of emerald. She saw limbs, twigs, and a slice of light coming from above. She touched her fingers to her mouth. Her lip was cracked. She was bleeding.

There was no way to sit up. She had to inch her way across the dirt on her butt and elbows to get out from under the thick row of bushes. Arborvitae. Leighann only knew the name because her mother had told her when she was helping Leighann move into her first apartment.

Look at that beautiful hedge, sweetie. That’s arborvitae.

A sudden burst of sunlight cut into her eyes. Her brain throbbed inside her skull, keeping time with her heartbeat. She heard birdsong. Car engines. Leighann cringed, using her hand to block the unrelenting sun.

Her apartment building rose up in front of her. Cars filled the street, waiting at the traffic light. It was morning rush hour. She could tell from the drivers. Some were drinking coffee. A woman was putting on eyeliner as she waited for the light to change.

What the fuck was happening?

Leighann looked down at her legs. Tiny streaks of blood sliced across the skin. From crawling under the hedge? From lying on the ground? She had no memory of how she’d gotten here. She’d been at Jake’s. Hiding out. Avoiding the Creeper. Sleeping on the couch. Jake had told her to go out clubbing with him. She had wanted to, but she’d made him beg anyway. Then they had driven to the new spot for the Downlow. And then—

Leighann put her head in her hands. The pounding wasn’t stopping. She looked for her purse. She found it under the hedge. She did a quick inventory, not from memory but from habit.

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