Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

program. The idea is to keep you and your kids alive and safe from the criminal who wants to kill you.”

That explanation seemed to settle Ann, and she nodded and took a deep breath. Sidney could see the woman running everything through her mind.

“Ann?”

When Ann finally met her gaze, Sidney leaned in and placed a comforting hand on her arm.

“Are you sure you still want to do this?”

The woman bit her lip, and more tears began to swim in her eyes. But Sidney saw something else bloom there too. Determination and resolve.

“I have no choice. After our last fight, he told me that I had no power. I had begged him not to hit me in front of the children anymore. To at least send them to their rooms first. He said that he would kill the children to punish me if I tried to tell him what to do again. They were sitting right there; they heard every word. And we all knew that he meant it.”

Sidney’s stomach lurched, and she closed her eyes.

“When he went to work the next morning, I got myself together and I called Dr. Lyman. She’d treated me once in the ER and told me about this place. She said she could get me and my kids in here, and to call her if I ever changed my mind. So that’s what I did. I got my babies out of that house and away from him. And now I have to keep them safe. I’ll do anything.”

Sidney nodded and gave her arm a squeeze.

“Okay. Then I will do all I can to help you. Are you still gathering money?”

“Yes. My friend, Sheila, gave me a few thousand dollars. And I have some jewelry I can take to the pawn shop to sell.”

“Good. Set aside all the money you can, you’re going to need it. Now, your next assignment is to pick two places. One to run to, and one to say you’re from when others ask. And they will ask, so learn all you can about your fake hometown.”

Ann nodded, staring at her with intensity.

“Okay.”

“The next move is mine. I have some things to put in place before we do this. But that’ll also give you time to study your fake hometown, gather money, maybe visit your mom.”

Ann nodded again, and Sidney wasn’t certain she was processing everything.

“I’ve thrown a lot at you. Do you have any questions?”

“No, I’ve got it. Pick two places and learn all I can about one of them. I understand. It makes so much sense, I never would’ve thought of these things on my own. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We’ve got a long way to go.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Zoe stuck her head in.

“Everything all right in here?”

Sidney smiled at her and then glanced back at Ann.

“Yes. Everything’s good.”

Ann stood. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kick you out of your office. I just wanted to ask Sidney’s advice.”

“No, it’s perfectly all right. I hope I gave you enough time to talk.”

“Yes, just enough. Thanks. And thank you, Sidney. For everything.”

“You’re more than welcome, Ann. I’m sure everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

They watched her leave the office and then Zoe turned to her with a curious expression.

“What was that all about?”

Sidney hesitated. “She just wanted to talk about her issues with Donald. She feels really bad about what happened. I think the bruise on my face makes her feel guilty every time she sees it.”

“Well, that’s understandable.”

“I keep telling her that what happened wasn’t her fault, but she feels responsible.”

“The poor thing. It’s good of you to spend some time easing her mind.” Zoe went back to her desk and got to work.

Sidney turned back to the checklists on her desk and thought again about everything they were planning. She needed to know where to get her hands on believable fake IDs and other papers, because Ann was going to need them.

It was the most important piece of this puzzle, and Sidney was determined to figure it out.

Her mind stayed focused on it the rest of the day as she went about her normal routine and made time to sit down with Beth’s daughter, Kylee, to work on the child’s math skills.

By the time her day came to an end, she was tired and not much in the mood for dinner with friends. But she’d promised Jada, so there was no way she was going to back out.

She straightened her desk and gathered her things.

“Well, I’m out of here.”

Zoe looked at her from across the room.

“Oh, that’s right. You have dinner plans to get ready for tonight.”

“Yes. So I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have a good evening!”

“You, too.”

Sidney left the office and headed out, saying goodbye to a couple of the residents she passed on her way to the front door.

Outside she pulled her keys from her purse and headed for her car, parked on the street. As she neared it, something about its appearance was off somehow. It wasn’t until she got right next to it that she understood why.

Both tires on the passenger side were flat.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said out loud to no one.

Had she run over some nails on the way to work?

She had no idea how to change one tire, let alone two of them. She walked around to the driver’s side to put her things in the car and stopped short.

All four of her tires were flat.

“Son of a bitch!”

It was an aggravated groan, but the second the words floated out of her mouth, fear barreled down on her like a charging bull, the sharp horns of it stabbing at her stomach.

The tire she was looking at had a long gash.

Her tires weren’t just flat, they had been slashed.

Someone had done this deliberately.

She glanced up and down the street and her heart began to race.

Retracing her steps, she walked back to the sidewalk and pulled out her cellphone to call the one person she