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Chapter 7
Leila stowed her ratty old duffle bag on the seat beside her and said a thanks to the man above when her Chevy started on the first try. She had stuffed everything she cared to bring along in the tattered bag, and left her apartment keys in her mailbox. She wanted to put plenty of miles between herself and Stillwater before the sun can up. She didn’t have a clue where she was going, her plan to just get in the truck, pick a direction and drive. Let the wind take her where it would.
She ignored the heavy feeling in her chest as she put the truck in reverse and headed towards the only highway out of town. Her phone rang on the seat beside her. She glanced at the screen, and drew in a deep breath when Sterling’s name and number flashed across the lighted screen. She sat the phone back down on the seat and continued to drive. She had made her decision. The call went to voicemail.
Her window stuck and refused to roll down. She cursed and drove on towards the only gas station
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Leila had planned to lie low that day, stay at home, and just wait for Zenia’s call tonight when it was time to head to the morgue. She had showered off the swamp, burnt her bloody clothes from the night before in case the Sheriff came poking around, and tidied up her apartment.She hadn’t been able to help herself from calling to check on Sterling that morning. He hadn’t answered, but sent her a text saying he was being interviewed again. She hated the Sheriff even more at that moment, as poor Sterling had barely been given any time to rest.But by early afternoon Zenia called to ask her to come to the bar. Lucille Mount had marched into the Stillwater Police Department with a lawyer in tow, and several minutes later her son was released from police custody, with no charges filed so far at least. Lucille had spent several hours fussing over son, as she had just arrived back in town for a church sponsored ladies retreat and nearly had a heart attack w
Bad Moon On The Rise Chapter 9
As Leila headed in the front doors of the morgue, she got another ping on her phone. She read the text from Zenia quickly, autopsy room is straight down hall on right can’t miss it. Mike and I are in the coroner’s office. Don’t worry I’ll be loud. She wondered how she was to gain access to the morgue after hours, but nearly laughed when she noted that Zenia had somehow propped a tampon at the bottom of the metal door so it didn’t latch properly. Leila took a deep breath and slowly and quietly slipped in through the door.&n
Bad Moon On The Rise Chapter 10
Once the adrenalin had worn off, Leila found herself exhausted. She dragged herself into her small apartment and ran a warm bath into the claw foot tub. The apartment had been designed for a soul occupant or a couple. It was one large room with a curtained off area that served as the bathroom. The bathroom sink was one of those antique deals that mounted directly into the wall with its metal plumbing exposed underneath. The bathroom walls were tiled with those white subway tiles and had a checkered floor. Shelves were built along the wall for storage. The kitchen however had left the nineteen fifties behind and moved into the seventies. Dark brown cabinets, a green oven mounted between some of the cabinets. Green plastic laminate countertops, a small cooking range, and dingy linoleum flooring. At a yard sal
Bad Moon On The Rise Chapter 11
Leila parked on the side of the street quickly and sprinted over to the house. She made it a great deal up the front path before Sheriff Thorne blocked her path with his wide girth and smug expression. “Miss Dupree, big surprise to see you here. But I can’t allow you to pass. We have executed a search warrant on your boyfriend’s property. So I suggest you turn around and return to your vehicle.” “Where is Sterling?” Leila asked.
Bad Moon On The Rise Chapter 12
Leila said nothing about what had just happened in her truck and neither did Sterling. But he did give her a sweet grin before Zenia walked up to the truck. The girl had been on her cellphone and pacing the gravel lot in front of the bar. She didn’t sound happy when she hung up the phone. She stuck her head in the window of the truck. “Zanna won’t tell me shit. She said it’s too hard to talk about. She’s been praying nonstop for Clyde’s soul to go to Heaven. That’s a lost cause for fuckin’ sure.”
Bad Moon On The Rise Chapter 13
Chapter 13 Leila couldn’t dwell on her dilemma, because Sterling’s very life was at stake here. She could figure out the other stuff later. This came first. “Could you at least stay long enough to look over our suspect list? And we still need to come up with a timeline of events that night,” said Leila to Zenia. Sterling broke his deep gaze with her. Did he actually look disappointed that she didn’t want Zenia to leave them alone? He slid his handwritten list to Leila. Her eyes scanned the names. No surprises, nearly all regulars. Forty or so names she knew of, though she didn’t know hardly any of them very well. “Alright,” Zenia conceded, “but I’m going to need another drink.” &n
Bad Moon On The Rise Chapter 14
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Bad Moon On The Rise Chapter 15
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