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

everything in storage, but I can’t find the damn things.”

“I’m sure they’ll turn up,” said Mikey. She thought of her other question. “Cissy, did you have a separate phone to talk to Trick?”

Cissy paled. “I did. But I got rid of it. After I talked to Trick last night, I tossed it in a dumpster.”

Mikey wrapped her fingers around her coffee. “You need to tell your attorney everything. He doesn’t need any secret affairs coming out at trial. For all we know, those detectives may already be aware of it.” She paused. “It’s obvious Trick cares for you and is hell bent on proving your innocence. But after learning about you two, Mason and I, we had to question Trick’s involvement in all of this…”

Cissy’s face tightened. “Trick would have never hurt Chad. I don’t care how he felt about me.”

“You two talked a lot during the summer. Did you do anything else?”

Cissy squeezed her cup. “No. We did not. I hadn’t even seen him since moving until the day before the funeral.”

“Do you know where he is now?”

“No. I have no idea. Said he was going to figure this out, no matter what he had to do, and then he hung up.”

Mikey held eye contact with Cissy, using her empathic gifts to gauge Cissy’s truth telling. Nothing negative sparked, and Mikey sat back. “So, if you didn’t kill Chad, and neither did Trick, then who did?”

“I don’t know.” Cissy held her head. “I just don’t know. But whoever it was, knew exactly what they were doing, didn’t they?”

Chapter Nineteen

Valerie Vain sat outside in her car, watching the diner. After leaving Redstone’s, she’d followed Trick to a bar. Before entering, though, he’d sat behind his wheel and talked on the phone. Valerie had seen him through her binoculars and the conversation appeared intense. She suspected he was talking to Cissy Howard. Disappointed that he hadn’t gone to see her in person, she pulled out her camera and snapped a few photos. She’d bide her time, knowing he’d eventually crack and meet her.

After the conversation, he’d sat for a while, looking lost, and she’d snapped a few more photos before he’d finally exited and walked into the bar, where he’d remained for several hours. It wasn’t until midnight that he’d emerged, crossed the street, and rented a room at a crappy motel.

Val had stayed and half-slept, leaving only to use the bathroom and grab some snacks from a vending machine in the hotel’s crappy lobby. She didn’t want to miss it if Trick left to go see Cissy, or if Cissy showed to see him, but neither had happened, and Trick hadn’t emerged until mid-morning, when he’d left the motel, jumped in his car and drove off. She’d followed him to an apartment complex, where he’d parked. Valerie had parked, too, and watched as Trick left his car, approached an apartment and knocked. A man had answered and Valerie had snapped a few photos. Trick had disappeared inside for about twenty minutes, reemerged and returned to his car. Valerie followed him back to the motel where Trick parked in the same spot as before, but instead of going back to his room, he’d crossed the street and entered a small diner.

A while later, still sitting and waiting, she wondered what Trick was doing. The lunch crowd, what there was of one, had come and gone and Val had the sinking feeling that he’d left out the back and she’d missed him, although his car remained in the parking lot.

Tapping at the steering wheel as more time passed, her worry got the best of her, and she popped the door open and got out. Checking the traffic, she crossed the street and approached the diner. Glancing inside the windows, she didn’t see much, and she walked inside. Spying a lunch counter and a few empty tables and booths, she looked for Trick, but didn’t see him.

“Can I help you?” An older woman emerged from the back, her gray bun covered by a hairnet. “Get you something to eat? You can sit wherever.”

“I’m looking for a man. Tall, with a cowboy hat?”

“Yeah. He was here,” said the woman. She shot out a thumb. “There’s a small room in the back. He sat there to eat. I think he left though.”

Val cursed, and she ran back to the back. There were only a few tables and chairs, but they were cleaned and the room vacant. “Damn it.” She kicked at the back of a chair.

“You must be Valerie Vain,” said a male voice.

Valerie whirled to see Trick Monroe standing behind her, leaning against the wall, holding his hat and smiling.

The woman with the hairnet peeked out from a door to the kitchen. “How’d I do?”

Trick grinned. “Just fine, Miss Charlotte. You’re a pro.”

The woman blushed. “I’ll get you some of that pie you like.”

“Thank you, Charlotte. You’re a peach, too.”

Charlotte laughed and went back into the kitchen. Trick straightened and waved his hat. “Have a seat, Miss Vain. Let’s talk.”

**

Mason sat on the sofa in his office with a grunt. After the upsetting confrontation with Trick, and his restless sleep, his body protested.  He took off his hat and dropped it on the cushions, hearing his stomach growl and wishing that he’d at least taken the time for breakfast.

Hearing the outer door open and close, he waited as the inner door opened and Mikey walked in, carrying a bag and two drinks. She dropped her stuff in a chair and held out the bag. “Here. It’s lunch.”

Mason stared at it. “How’d you─”

“Because I know you, Mason. You don’t eat well when you’re stressed.”

Mason took the bag. “Thanks.” He opened it and pulled out two sandwiches. “How’d your meeting with Cissy go?”

“It was interesting. How’d your meeting with Kyle go?”

Mason opened a sandwich. “It was interesting.”

Mikey placed the drinks on the coffee table. “You first.” She sat on the sofa beside Mason, and grabbed the other sandwich.

Mason took a bite and almost sighed.