Dark Shadows (Gia Santella Crime Thrillers Book 11) by Kristi Belcamino (best motivational novels txt) 📗

himself to his feet. I stood with my legs wide, staring at him and leaning forward in case I had to attack again.

“Amanda is dead,” I said, without preamble.

His mouth dropped open in shock.

He hadn’t known.

“What? How?” He turned toward the bedroom door.

“Stay here,” I said. “The detective is on his way to process the scene.”

“I need to see her,” he said in a choked voice. I shook my head.

“Not gonna happen.”

“You can’t stop me,” he shouted in a strangled voice and charged me.

At first, I got ready to do a throat stab, but I didn’t want to really hurt him, so I went with a temple punch. He slumped to the ground.

I looked up to see that the noise had brought everyone out in the hall.

I stood there over Owen’s body panting, my hair flopping in my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Amanda’s dead. The detective is on his way. I need someone to let them in while I make sure nobody else goes into Amanda’s room.”

Sabine’s face grew sheet white, then she burst into tears.

“I can’t take it anymore. I can’t. I just can’t. I want to go home,” she said.

Hannah just stared at me for a long moment and then abruptly turned around, marched into her room, and slammed the door. I heard the deadbolt slide shut.

Conner was at my side. “Are you okay?” he looked down at Owen, who was moaning and starting to stir.

“I had to stop him from going in there,” I said, jutting my chin toward the room where Amanda’s body was. “He wouldn’t listen. He should be okay in a few minutes.”

I felt guilty for knocking him out, but not that guilty.

Kneeling down, Conner helped Owen sit up. “You okay, buddy?”

“Will you take him to your room and maybe lock the door?” I asked.

He looked at me and frowned at first but then nodded. “Sure.”

Owen finally noticed me and glared. “You’re a crazy bitch.”

“You have no idea,” I said. Conner led Owen to his room, and I waited until the door closed.

Then I looked over at Sabine and Clint. “Why don’t the two of you go to your rooms, as well. I think everyone should just stay locked in their rooms until the detective arrives.”

Sabine looked at me, tears streaming down her face. “Someone is killing us one-by-one.”

I didn’t respond.

She wasn’t wrong.

Once I was alone, I glanced at Amanda’s door.

I wasn’t sure how to lock it from the outside, but I would figure out a way to make it hard for someone to sneak in undetected. There was a large bureau at the end of the hall that held candles and extra bedding. I pushed it over in front of her door. It made a loud screeching noise and was probably scratching the beautiful wooden floor. At this point, I didn’t give a shit. I figured getting any deposit back was ludicrous. I was surprised the owners hadn’t heard about the murders already and come to kick us all out.

Once the bureau was in place, I felt comfortable going back downstairs. Anyone would be able scoot it aside, but it would be an obnoxiously loud process that I would hear.

I went to the front door, disarmed the alarm, and propped the door wide open. Then I went into the kitchen and started the kettle. I was going to need some coffee to get through this morning.

As soon as the water was boiling, I made another French press pot of coffee. I poured a cup and headed back toward the stairs. I sat at the top of the stairs on the landing with my back to the wall that once held the bureau and waited for the detective and his crew to arrive.

I was about half way through my cup when I thought to call Ryder.

“I’m on my way.”

“One of these days you’re going to have to tell me your hook-up with the police department here.”

He sighed.

“Is it bad?”

No answer.

“Are you really a cop? Private eye? Career criminal working as an informant? Spill it, sailor.”

“Boucher is my brother-in-law.”

“You have a sister?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

He was married. For some ridiculous fucking reason, I found this disappointing.

“You’re married?”

I found I was holding my breath waiting for him to answer.

When he answered, it was in a very quiet voice. “No.”

“So he’s your ex brother-in-law?”

“I guess.”

“Huh.”

“I was married to his sister.”

His responses were very confusing. I didn’t get it.

“But you’re not married to her anymore?”

The silence seemed to stretch on, and I suddenly got an inkling of what he was about to say. Horror shot through me. But it was too late.

“She is dead.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Then he hung up.

I stared at my phone. Fuck. Way to be an insensitive prick, Santella. I pushed him and pushed him until he said it. And all for what?

That last question was one I wasn’t ready to answer. Not right then. I wasn’t about to admit to myself why I was so eager to find out if he was married or not.

Twenty minutes later, I heard someone downstairs.

“Hello?”

It was the detective.

He was followed by three officers. He made his way up the stairs, and I stood, stretching.

“I had a tough time keeping her boyfriend, Owen, away,” I said. “We sort of got into a fight, and I knocked him out. I told them all to stay in their rooms until you got here. I had him go in someone else’s room in the meantime.”

“I’m assuming this is her room?”

The detective stood in front of the bureau. He nodded, and the men with him lifted the dresser and moved it to one side.

He pulled on gloves and reached for the door handle. I swallowed, knowing what he was about to find inside. He entered, two of the men followed him and then the door shut, leaving me and one of his officers in the hall staring awkwardly at one another.

“Do you want a cup of coffee?” I asked.

The officer shook his head. Didn’t even crack a smile.

“Okay. I’ll be in my room if the