One Last Breath by Sarah Sutton (speld decodable readers txt) 📗

parents, and at that realization, she lost slight hope in her questioning. If she were right, then it was very possible that their daughter kept things from them, unless she was a complete angel, but Tara knew that most seventeen-year-olds were not.

“Have you ever suspected that she might’ve been seeing someone without you knowing?” Tara finally asked.

The parents looked at her with utter shock and surprise. The boy looked up at his mother as if he too knew it was a question no one would dare to ask. Tara could see just from their faces that they could never imagine their daughter would hide something like that.

“No,” the mother replied as she shook her head with full force and certainty. “Reese would never lie to us. She’s a good girl.”

The father echoed her words, and Tara felt her last flicker of hope die out. She knew she wasn’t going to get answers here, but she still covered her bases. She asked about their daughter’s friends, about her place of work, if their daughter ever mentioned anyone that seemed off. But each question was only met with a dead-end answer. When they finally exhausted their efforts, Tara and Warren said their goodbyes and stepped outside.

As they reached the driveway and were far enough out of earshot, Warren whispered, “Anyone who thinks a seventeen-year-old wouldn’t lie to her strict parents is a bit delusional, don’t you think?”

Tara nodded. They were her exact thoughts. “I say we check out the coffee shop she worked at. See if anyone came in there.”

After all, they both knew it was the last place she was seen alive. At her suggestion, Warren nodded, reached for the door handle, and slid into his car. He didn’t even skip a beat, as if Tara echoed his thoughts as well.

Chapter Eight

Tara and Warren walked down the sidewalk, which was still littered with fallen tree limbs and branches, as Warren ended a call. He had been speaking with Dr. Harris, getting the results of the dental records. As he placed the phone into his pocket, he turned to Tara.

“They match. It’s definitely Alyssa,” he said.

It was a piece of information they all already assumed, but now they knew for sure, and it was only confirmation that the killer would most likely strike again. Two random killings a year a part. It was just the beginning, Tara assumed, and it made her feet quicken instinctively as they walked toward the coffee shop.

The road was mostly quiet, except for a cleaning crew collecting the remnants of the storm and a street cleaner that swept the road ahead of them. The stores were lined on a long strip, and at the end, in the distance, they could see the ocean.

When they reached the shop, a Closed sign hung from the inside of a large glass door, but Tara could see someone moving about within. She knocked. A woman with a mop in hand soon swung open the door.

“We’re closed,” she muttered. “We don’t open for another half hour.” Tara assumed she was in her thirties. She was tired-looking but still young and youthful. She was tall and slender, with piercing green eyes and a loose braid that fell just past her shoulders. She held the mop in one hand, slightly leaning on it, and heaved a tired sigh as she flicked her braid behind her shoulder.

Tara held out her badge, and life burst into the woman’s face. It was a look of confusion and concern. But then understanding blossomed, and her face morphed into horror.

“Come in,” she said before opening the door wide and then leading the way. Once they stood in the store, her hand moved to her mouth. “What, is it Reese?”

She clearly hadn’t known that the body was found, and now Tara would have to break the news to her.

Tara nodded. “Her body was found on the beach this morning.”

The woman gasped, closing her eyes tight.

“Did you know Reese well?” Tara questioned.

The woman looked up at her as she steadied herself. She nodded. “I’m the manager here. I’ve worked with Reese for the past year.” She turned to the counter behind her, staring at it longingly. “She was such a sweet girl,” she added before bringing her hand to her mouth again in utter horror. She shook her head again, this time in disbelief. “Did you find who did it?”

“Not yet, that’s why we’re here.”

The woman heaved another sigh.

Tara reminded her that Reese went missing after leaving work, and the woman nodded. She had already been informed when the cops first came in after Reese first went missing.

“Did she happen to mention where she was going? Did she mention anyone?” Tara asked.

The woman shook her head again, her eyes falling to the floor as she tried to recall. “No, I already told the police this, though.” She looked back up, meeting Tara’s eyes. “It was late when she left. She said she was just going home, and I believed it.” She paused for a moment. “She has really strict parents, you know.”

The woman’s words only confirmed Tara’s suspicion, but based on her impression, Tara was starting to think that maybe Reese was as obedient as her parents believed.

She asked a few more questions: if she was aware that Reese had a boyfriend, if Reese ever seemed frightened by anyone, if she could think of anyone who would want to harm her. But each time, the woman would just shake her head.

Warren looked at Tara. He could feel defeat surfacing.

“What time did Reese finish her shift?” he finally asked.

She thought for a moment. “I think she left here about eight thirty. The store closed at eight—so yes, she would’ve been out of here by eight thirty.”

Tara and Warren met eyes. Her parents had said ten. Why would she give her parents that time? She was seeing someone. Tara was sure of it.

“Had anyone ever come in here to visit Reese? Anyone who may have been a bit flirtatious?” Tara asked.

The