Barbara Holloway Series Novels & Stories

I snap my head around, my breath catching in my throat. Barbara steps in. Her brown hair is sticking to the cold sweat on her forehead. And her chest is heaving as if she had just run a marathon. In her right hand, she is clutching Jade's expensive designer leather handbag. “I’m keeping this,” she announces, an utterly twisted grin spreading across her face. “Are you calling Zayn?” Barbara looks down at me, her eyes hollow, her face completely bloodless, her lips trembling so hard. I don’t answer. I wonder what happened in the basement between her and Jade. Barbabra’s gaze pierces me until I speak.

I say quickly. “I know,” she replies. “But the problem is, we don’t know the truth yet.” Later that afternoon, by the time the day wound down, Maya and I are quiet in that way that only comes when you’ve uncovered something dangerous but can’t yet name it. “Dean Holloway was a decoy,” she says finally. “Or a shield,” I add. “And whoever’s behind this,” she continues, “is careful. Patient. They let us chase the wrong name long enough to look convinced.”

I was carrying a lunchbox to Noah Lester’s office. It was already late at night, and the building had emptied hours ago. Only the lights in Noah’s office still burned brightly. The sharp click of my heels echoed down the hallway, but it couldn’t drown out the soft moans coming from his office. He and his new secretary hadn’t even bothered to shut the door properly. I could clearly hear their voices. “Mr. Lester,” she purred. “You’re always so rough with me. Tell me—am I the one you love most?”

nothing. “What the hell?” I whispered. How did I get here? I looked next to me and saw a shovel in one hand and a knife in the other. I tossed the knife away from me in revulsion. My hands were bloody and I trembled in horror. Then, I realized there was a hole near me. Not ready for what I was about to behold, I peeked into the hole and screamed. In the dugout pit. . . was Hailee. . .dead