1. Righteous, New Mexico-3
289 Words
Now, she sat staring blindly out of the dirty window of the bus. She had found something during her forensic audit that she wanted to share with Toni, but now she was having second thoughts. The last thing she wanted to do was take a chance of endangering her friend.
A frown creased her brow as she thought about what happened. When she had asked Douglas Knockletter about Javier Cuello his face had changed. Tina knew enough from growing up in some of the neighborhoods she had lived in to know it was time to leave while she still could. There was no doubt in her mind that he was about to kill her.
Her fingers instinctively moved to her throat. She was going to have bruises on the pale column. There was no way she would be able to hide it from Pearl unless she wore a scarf or turtle neck.
She decided she would turn the information she had over to the agent in charge of her sister’s case back home. Staring down at the image of her sister one more time before she closed the folder, she couldn’t keep the desperate plea from escaping her.
“Riley, please, please, help me,” she whispered. “Pearl and I need you.”
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the seat. She had barely slept in the past six months since Riley’s disappearance. Between working at the bar and doing her research, she was lucky to get four hours a night. The stress of the last few days was finally catching up with her. Wrapping her arms protectively around the manila folder, she cradled it to her chest as the minutes turned to hours as she made her way back home to San Diego.
- Writer
