Dead Woman Crossing by J.R. Adler (best management books of all time txt) 📕

“I’m sorry, baby,” Nicole whispered, closing the door.

If she was so sorry, she’d leave him, Kimberley thought to herself as she sat there in her silent bedroom, crying a river that she hoped would be just enough to drown her father.

Kimberley took a gulp of her beer, washing down the memory.

“We have no leads on the case, but it’s quite eerie Hannah was killed in the same way as Katie DeWitt James. Bullet to the head and decapitated,” Kimberley said.

She was consumed by the case and all she wanted to do was talk about it, think about it, dream about it. She figured if she thought about it enough, she’d eventually solve it.

Nicole put her hands over Jessica’s ears. “Don’t talk about that in front of your daughter.”

“Mom, she’s only one. She doesn’t understand what I’m saying,” Kimberley argued.

“Just shush about that around her.”

Kimberley rolled her eyes. “Wish you would have had that same sentiment when I was growing up,” she said just above a whisper.

Nicole glanced over at Kimberley with narrowed eyes. “What did you say?” she asked, but Kimberley was sure she had heard her.

“Dad said and did worse things to me, and you didn’t do anything to stop him.” Kimberley raised her chin.

Nicole closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “I did everything I could to protect you.”

“Except leave him.” Kimberley downed the rest of her beer and stood from her seat.

“That’s really unfair, Kimberley.”

“You’re right, it is. Sorry I brought it up.”

Having enough going on in her life right now, she decided to drop it. Her focus and attention needed to be on the case, not fighting with her mom about a dysfunctional childhood long past.

“I’m going to head out for a run. Can you watch Jessica?” She looked at Nicole, waiting for an answer and trying to determine if she was mad at Kimberley for bringing up her childhood. Nicole took a couple of small, deep breaths, seeming to calm herself down.

Finally, she nodded. “Yes. Don’t forget you’re having dinner with Emily tonight over at the farmhouse, while I watch the grandchildren.”

It had been Nicole’s idea to take the grandchildren for the evening, while Wyatt and David had a boys’ night and Emily and Kimberley had a girls’ night. Nicole wanted both sides of her family to be close, and this was her way of forcing it to happen. Kimberley nodded and left the room to change. She was looking forward to having dinner with Emily as she wanted to bond with her as a friend and a stepsister. It would be good for Jessica to have family and good for Kimberley to have a friend. She never really had one of those.

Kimberley’s Adidas tennis shoes hit the ground, spitting up gravel behind her. She ran like she was running away from something or toward something, she was never sure which it was. She was used to running on treadmills and pavement, so her speed was a little slower than usual, careful not to trip over a rock or twist her ankle in an animal’s hole. She decided to run around the property, the outskirts of the farm—not too far away from Jessica.

She tried to clear her mind, focus on her breathing, her footsteps, the simple beauty of Oklahoma. The pale burn of the sun looked like it was being sucked down into a vortex, the navy and black of the sky filling in toward the exiting light, the captors following the victim as its last signs of life diminish. The bright moon like a stand-in for the burning ball that was once there, hoping to fool any onlookers who might have suspected foul play. The stars being the multitudinous set of accomplices, steadfast in their watching. The sky out here looked like nothing she had seen before. In New York, the city gave off so much ambient light that you couldn’t even see the sky at night, let alone the stars. It truly was a beautiful sight.

Her mind kept spinning back to Hannah. The Hannah she had met before tragedy struck her life. A young, lonely single mom just trying to survive in a world that hadn’t been all that kind to her. Regardless of her circumstances, she had still been hopeful and optimistic for her and her daughter’s future. Where did it go wrong? What happened to take it all away?

“Why were you down at Deer Creek alone in the middle of the night with your baby, Hannah? Who were you meeting there?” Kimberley asked out loud as if she thought Hannah would answer her from beyond the grave.

There was silence aside from the sound of the wind. Kimberley ran past a couple of outbuildings on the property. She wasn’t sure what was in each of them, but she presumed some sort of farming equipment. In a building ahead of her, Kimberley could see someone moving around, shadowlike. She slowed her running to a jog and then to a fast-paced walk, creeping closer. A door slid closed behind them as they exited a wooden structure that looked like an old shed. Kimberley got closer and closer, keeping the figure in her line of sight. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was Wyatt. Dressed in a dirty white tee and torn up jeans, he looked tired.

Kimberley closed the distance between him and her, and as soon as he noticed her, his eyes widened as if he were startled. He quickly picked up his cell phone and started talking.

She waved as she approached him. Instead of returning her greeting, he pointed at his phone indicating he was on a call. Kimberley stopped in her tracks and bent over, trying to catch her breath. She was just a few yards from him and thought he’d finish up the call quickly to chat with her. Wyatt had something else in mind. He kept the phone pressed to his ear and walked away