The Dark Places by R. Whitfield (novel24 TXT) 📕

leaned back into his chair, taking in the atmosphere. Even though the place was busy with patrons, it seemed to somehow feel completely relaxed. The wall lights were turned down low, which let the natural sunlight filter through the slatted blinds. The tables were painted a rustic black, with mismatched salt and pepper shakers, red napkins and large bottles of Tabasco sauce.

“So, Rhodes,” Surin began. Parker turned his gaze in her direction. “You, unfortunately, know a hell of a lot about my personal life, down to the layout of my apartment.” Parker shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I, however, know nothing about you, and I have decided it’s time to even the playing field.” She grinned wickedly, her green eyes glowing.

Parker’s head fell into his hands, and he pushed his golden hair back from his face. “OK, Elliott, I deserve this, I guess.” He sat back and waited for the barrage of questions. “Fire away.”

“Why psychology?” Surin began. He laughed out loud, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

“I was expecting something more, well, personal I guess,” he replied.

“I’m only just getting started,” she answered back.

“OK, well, I don’t know. If you were wondering if I suffered some childhood trauma and felt the urge to find out the whys and whos then sorry to disappoint. I had a happy childhood, normal overbearing parents, high school was a blast, and college was a real eye-opener, in a good way.” He grinned.

Surin rolled her eyes, God, he had led a charmed life.

“I always wanted to be a cop though, always.” His voice turned serious. “I did my research and basically decided it was either psychology or law, and I truly disliked my law professor, end of story.” He leaned back, clasping his hands behind his head, elbows out.

“And Jolene?” Surin asked, enjoying the brief look of shock that crossed his face before he regained composure.

“Why you have been busy, haven’t you?” he replied. Surin sat back and raised her shoulders, shrugging innocently.

“Jolene, my ex-girlfriend, is a school teacher in Miami. What else is there to say?” he asked, then reached forward and picked up a cardboard drink coaster, fingering it nervously.

“Well, what happened?” Surin continued, noticing his discomfort.

“What happened with your fiancé?” he fired back defensively.

“You know damn well what happened with my fiancé, you have met what happened, twice,” she snapped.

“I’m pretty sure that was the last straw, not the first,” he replied and leaned over the table towards her. Surin took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she inhaled the lingering scent of his aftershave. “Fair is fair. You show me yours, et cetera,” he said and sat back, tossing the coaster to the side.

“Work,” she breathed, “he hated that I worked so much.”

“But he knew you were a cop, right?” Parker asked gently.

“Oh yeah,” she added, “even before we started dating, I knew him through friends. At first, he was fine, of course, and I guess it was exciting for him then, you know, dating a cop. But once I became detective, the caseload got bigger and the hours got longer.” She shifted in her seat and watched an elderly couple take a booth near them.

“So many missed date nights and family get-togethers, BBQs he went to solo. I was even caught up on a case and couldn’t go to his grandmother’s funeral.” She looked at Parker. “But I never apologised, never felt I had to. This is who I am, and I thought he knew that.” She placed her hands face down on the table, trying to control the emotions bubbling under the surface.

Parker felt like an ass. “You know what? This is your business, I’m sorry.”

“No,” she replied, “I pried first, I mean I actually got a copy of your college transcripts for God’s sake.”

“You what!” he responded with a smile. “That takes stalking to a whole new level, Elliott, wow!” he added with a gruff laugh.

She smiled and continued. “It would never have worked with Grayson. I think I always knew that, but he was the only person I had ever confided in and trusted which is hilarious on my behalf because, in the end, he betrayed me in the worst possible way.”

The waitress had quietly set their beers on the table, and Surin took a long pull.

“That night we had a huge fight about setting a date for the wedding. I wanted to wait, looking back now, maybe I wanted to wait forever. Anyway, he was pissed, started saying that I was never home, that we were never intimate.” Surin shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “He kind of lost it, even accused me of spending too much time at the station because I was seeing someone else. It went way too far, and horrible things were said. I stormed out and went to work, of course, and he went to the pub.” She smiled. “And we all know how that went.”

Parker looked at her. She was sipping her beer slowly, a long tendril of hair had fallen out of her bun and was tucked messily behind her ear. He already felt like he knew too much but looked up and smiled sadly, urging her to continue.

“I left work early, which I had never done before and can honestly say haven’t done since. I felt so guilty, and I wanted to make it up to him, so I went home. As soon as I opened the front door, I knew. There was this pair of hideous high-heeled shoes on the floor; they were wet and caked with mud. I slid down the wall, sat beside them and cried.” Surin looked at Parker. Her eyes were teary even though she tried to hide it. “I cried for what seemed like forever, then I picked myself up and walked upstairs into my bedroom.”

“Right, you can stop now,” Parker interrupted. “Please,