Her Name Was Annie by Beth Rinyu (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📕

“What type of things did they find that could possibly involve me?”

“We’ll talk about it when you get here. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

“Okay.” I ended the call with a million thoughts racing through my head, none of them being very positive.

Chapter 8

THE RELAXING SATURDAY morning I had planned turned into a chaotic mess. After shoving the rest of my breakfast down my throat, I showered, put on my makeup, and dressed in record time before heading out the door. It was when I stepped out into the sunlight that I realized I had on two different color boots. Thankfully, I was still home and able to run back inside and change. My messy appearance on the outside of a haphazard bun, oversized sweater, and ripped-up jeans was no match for how I was feeling on the inside. My stomach was in knots. The closer I got to the police station, the more internal churning I would feel. What was so important that I needed to get down here immediately and why wouldn’t Jack tell me anything over the phone? I was about to find out.

Jack was waiting for me in front of the police station. He ushered me inside in a no-nonsense matter as if I was just some ordinary victim or maybe suspect. Since I didn’t know what was going to be thrown at me, I didn’t know what to think anymore.

“Jack, can you please tell me what’s going on?” I asked once we stopped at the closed doorway I was assuming we’d be entering.

His eyes met mine. One of the things I had learned about Jack after being with him for so long was that his eyes would turn a darker shade of blue whenever he had something weighing heavily on his mind. At that moment his clear blue eyes were like when the bright blue sky is overtaken by storm clouds. He went to reply, but the detective who was at the beach house the day of the incident interrupted us.

“Good morning, Ms. McGuire, thanks for coming on such short notice.”

I didn’t even bother to correct him again and tell him to call me by my first name. I was too scared. Bypassing nervous and slipping into terrified just a few seconds ago. When he opened the closed office door we were standing in front of, I stretched my neck over his shoulder to find another officer sitting around the table. I knew this scenario all too well from watching one too many episodes of Law and Order. They would both take their turns questioning me, one being sympathetic, the other being brash, trying to get me to crack. The only difference was, I had zero information to give them.

“Should I have a lawyer here or something?”

The detective laughed and Jack immediately chimed in, “No, not at all.” He turned his attention to the detective. “I want to talk to her alone for a second.”

“No problem,” the detective said, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

“Jack, what the hell is going on?” I hissed.

“Where’s Kara?” he asked.

“She’s home. She was getting ready to go visit my dad. Why?”

“They tracked the victim’s credit card activity and were able to find the hotel he was staying at right before…he killed himself.”

“And?” I raised an eyebrow, trying to move him along.

“They found photos in his room. Some were of you and some were of Kara. They were all taken from a distance, like he or someone else had been watching you.”

“What?” My voice was a mere whisper. The fear I had been feeling a short time ago had escalated to pure terror. “Kara!” I shouted. “Did you warn her?”

He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Just relax. I don’t want to make her nervous for no reason. I have it covered for right now. Trust me, she’s fine.”

He has it covered? Did that mean he had someone following her to make sure nothing bad happened to her? Panic coursed through as a memory of something I had suppressed for so long came to the forefront of my mind. “We can’t keep this a secret from her, Jack.”

“I know, but for right now just take a look at the photos and see if you remember when they were taken.”

I nodded and warily followed him into the room, with my legs feeling like they were going to give out on me at any moment. “Ms. McGuire…”

“Stephanie,” I corrected.

“I’m so sorry. Stephanie.” The detective who I was already acquainted with began, “This is John Mathis. He’s another detective here.”

“Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand to me, and I made my best effort to shake it. “Please have a seat.”

I slid into the chair across from him and Jack took the empty seat next to me.

“Did your husband tell you why we called you in?”

Normally I’d jump right in and clarify that Jack was my ex-husband to anyone who made the mistake he had just made, but I was feeling too defeated to even argue the point. I nodded. Certain the manila folder sitting in front of him contained the photos I was so terrified of seeing.

“I need you to look these over and see if you have any recollection of what day they may have been taken or where you may have been. Anything you could give us would be of great help.”

I pinched my eyes closed for a split second and took a deep breath as he slid the first photograph in front of me. Jack was right, it was taken from a distance and then zoomed in. I was dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, with my hair slicked back in a ponytail. I immediately recognized the striped awning in front of my parents’ home. “That was from about a month ago at my father’s house.” I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone, searching through my calendar app. “It was October fourteenth.