Lost Souls by J. Bishop (the giving tree read aloud txt) 📗

her notes. “Did you get what you needed?”

Mason tossed his jacket over the chair, and Trick took off his hat and put it over Mason’s jacket. Mikey noted that Trick seemed a little more stable on his feet than he had earlier when he’d dropped off his backpack and small suitcase.

Mason waved a folder. “They came through. We’ve got a lot to go over.”

“Great,” said Mikey. “I figured they’d get you the goods.” She went back to studying the screen.

“You having any luck?” asked Mason.

“I’m finding a few things,” she said. “Not sure if they’re going to help clear Cissy though.”

“You never know. The smallest clue could make a difference,” said Mason. He sat on the couch and opened the folder. Trick sat beside him. “You going to be able to get through this?” asked Mason.

Trick nodded and held his stomach. “I think so. I’m feeling better.”

“There’s a fridge in the back with bottled water if you want some,” said Mikey.

“Thanks,” said Trick. “But I may help myself to another cup of coffee.”

Mason leaned over the file and pulled out some photos. Mikey saw the contents, and blanched. “Crime scene?”

“Yes,” said Mason. He rifled through the papers and pulled some out. “Here’s credit card and phone records.”

“Give me the phone stuff,” said Trick. “My stomach can tolerate that better.”

Mason handed them over, picked up the photos and studied them. “Nothing surprising here. Shot to the head. He’s sitting on the couch. Gun’s on the floor beside the coffee table. Nothing else seems disturbed.” He narrowed his eyes, and then pulled out his phone and checked something. “Why is he home on a weekday? Time stamp says it’s a Thursday at noon.”

Trick looked up from the papers. “Don’t know. We’ll have to ask Cissy.”

“We need to swing by and check the cameras at the apartments today. See who came and went that morning,” said Mason.

“Hopefully the manager will be there today,” said Trick.

“Mikey,” said Mason. “Can you call and check if we can view the video this afternoon?”

Mikey noted something on the screen. “Sure,” she said absentmindedly. She rubbed her jaw. “Huh.”

“Find something interesting?” asked Mason, still eyeing the photos.

Mikey sat back in her seat. “Maybe.”

Trick lowered his papers. “Don’t keep us in suspense.”

“I’m checking their social media…” She sat back up and opened a new screen.

“And?” asked Trick.

Mikey typed into the search bar and hit enter. A list of results pulled up on the screen. “Well, there’s not much to report on Chad. He kept a low profile and didn’t post much, unless he was pissed when the Cowboys lost.”

Trick chuckled. “I believe that. Chad was a huge sports fan. Loved the Cowboys.” He shook his head. “What’s happened to that team is a travesty.”

“Yeah,” said Mikey. “He posted something about them not being able to find the end zone with binoculars.”

“Sounds like him,” said Trick.

“Cissy’s a different story, though,” said Mikey. “She posted pretty regularly. Almost every day when they moved out here. Pictures of their new apartment, going to the zoo, the wharf, the beach, visiting spots along the coast. They were obviously happy as a couple, all smiley and close.”

“I know that much,” said Trick.

“Up until about six months ago, and then her posts are less regular.”

“They were settling in by then,” said Trick. “Makes sense.”

Mikey tapped her pen on the pad. “They weren’t just less regular, the tone changed, too. No more happy, touchy, feely stuff.”

Mason looked up from a photo. “What do you mean?”

“She starts posting quotes and sayings, and a lot of them are whimsical, even sad. As if she missed her old life.”

“She was probably missing Texas,” said Trick. “That wouldn’t surprise me. Her whole family’s back there.”

Mikey eyed the screen. “Maybe. The posts are a little depressing, though, like something’s changed.”

“Unless she’s comes out and says she wants to kill her husband, that’s not much to go on,” said Mason. “People get sad.”

“No, I know,” said Mikey. “But this past summer, there was an event at Chad’s workplace. I guess they were having some sort of company picnic. Chad and Cissy attended. Pictures were posted online and Cissy and Chad were tagged.”

“Nothing strange about that,” said Trick, trailing his finger down the phone records he held.

“Except in one of the photos, Cissy made a comment,” said Mikey. She swiveled in her seat. “It was a picture of a group of people, smiling, Chad and Cissy among them.”

Mason stood and came over, and Mikey clicked over to the window with the picture. “There. See it?”

Mason nodded. “What did she comment?”

Mikey rolled her eyes. “You really need to brush up on your social media skills.”

“I’d rather stab myself in the eyes,” said Mason. “That’s why I have you.”

Trick stood and joined them, and Mikey pointed out the comment. “She says ‘I see you.’”

“I see you?” asked Trick. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I have no idea,” said Mikey. “I did some checking on the people in the picture. I learned that one is Chad’s boss, a Tony Povia, and his wife. Nothing stood out on his page. It’s a big group, and not everyone was tagged, but I checked the ones that were and didn’t find much, except for one.” She clicked the mouse. “Her name is Lydia Stanford. I found her page with a profile pic, but it’s a picture of a flower. There’s not much else listed, other than where she works and her birthday. She’s about as active on social media as you are Mason.” She clicked over to Lydia’s page.

“Why does it stand out?” said Trick.

“Seems pretty routine,” asked Mason.

“It does until you look a little deeper,” said Mikey. “She rarely posts, and there are no personal photos, so I can’t tell which one she is from the company photo, but about six months ago, she switched her status to ‘In a Relationship.’”

“So?” asked Mason.

Mikey scoffed. “Hello? Aren’t you supposed to be smart? Why would a woman who rarely posts, who has no photos of herself or a significant other,