“And what’s that?”
He sighed. “I still don’t have a fucking clue. I’m trying, Mack, but I’m no closer to finding out who’s behind it than I was years ago. All the physical evidence still points–”
“To my father.”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe he is behind it all,” I offered. As much as I didn’t want to think my father could be capable of committing such a heinous crime, I couldn’t disregard what years of investigations had concluded. “I have no idea what evidence there is either way, but I can’t help but want to put faith in our criminal justice system.”
“Well, you shouldn’t, Mack. The decisions made in law enforcement offices across the country…fuck, the world…are nothing but power plays done for political gain. It’s all about public appearance in the press, making the concerned citizens believe that something’s actually being done to put a stop to rampant criminal behavior. So they find someone to pin crimes on…”
“You expect me to believe everyone who is arrested is innocent?” I asked, my voice heavy with disbelief. “I highly doubt that, Charlie.”
“I’m not saying that, Mack. I’m just saying that, in high profile cases, ones with a lot of public attention, you have to take everything you learn from the media with a grain of salt. Hell, they think I’m responsible for killing over a dozen people. Their only evidence? A web blog and some phony visitation records. Anyone with decent computer skills could have faked that.”
“But why?”
“Maybe because I was getting too close. Maybe because someone figured out I knew who you were and wanted to try to protect you. Until I know the answer, please promise me you’ll be safe and will stick close to Tyler.”
My breath hitched and I debated how much I should tell Charlie.
“I can’t,” I whispered. “We… We’re not together anymore.”
“What? Why? What happened?” His voice was panicked.
I considered telling him everything. How Tyler had only dated me to find my father, just like Charlie had, but it made me seem simple-minded and gullible.
“It just didn’t work out between us, Charlie, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.”
“Shit, Kenzie,” he muttered. “If I had known…” There was a heavy pause and I could picture Charlie’s strong face, his vibrant blue eyes illuminating his dark features.
“I’ve been fine, Charlie. It’s been over for months now.”
“Months? And you didn’t tell me?”
“How could I?” I shot back. “I have no way of getting in touch with you!”
“It’s a necessity. I’m sorry. I have to do everything I can to make my movements untraceable.”
“I’m being careful,” I offered in consolation, able to sense his unease. “I’m–”
The sound of sirens blared through the phone, growing louder and louder, and my heart sank in my chest.
“I’ve got to go,” he whispered.
“Wait! Charlie?”
The line went dead.
Mackenzie
THE CLOCK ON THE far wall of my bedroom struck eight as the alarm on my phone sounded, but I continued staring at the ceiling. I was at the point of exhaustion where I was wide awake. I wasn’t sure if I had actually slept or not. All night long, my eyes were glued to the national news, waiting for a breaking report that Charlie had been apprehended. Since he hung up on me, an unsettled feeling had grown more and more intense, leaving me with more questions than answers, and I needed to do something to ease my restless thoughts. There was only one thing that would give me the peace I needed. My routine.
Swinging my legs to the side of the bed, I padded to my dresser and pulled out some running shorts and a loose-fitting tank top that was no longer quite as loose-fitting. After lacing up my sneakers and eating a banana, I headed out of my condo to get to the gym.
“Have a nice workout, Miss Delano,” a formal voice said as I exited the elevator.
I looked over my shoulder to see the new security guard, who started a few months ago, sitting at the desk. He was easily in his early sixties and, from his tone and stature, I could only assume he was retired military. I expected him to start saluting the tenants of the building at any time now.
“Thanks, Wyatt.”
As I approached my car and was about to duck into the driver’s seat, I saw the same black sedan as the day before idling on the street, the sole occupant keeping his eyes trained forward. I wondered if it had some connection to Charlie. Or maybe it was it someone looking for my father. I immediately grew suspicious and recalled Charlie’s words from months ago, urging me to stray from my routine because it made me a predictable and easy target. As much as I cringed at the thought, I knew he was right.
Pulling my iPod out of my bag, I clipped it to my tank top and put in my earbuds, lowering the volume so I could hear the traffic around me. Feeling surprisingly composed with the break in my routine, I threw my bag in my car, locked it, then stored my keys in my pocket.
As I trotted through the parking lot and ran south along the beach, I noticed the dark sedan driving along the main drag of the island in the same direction I was heading. Trying to shake off my paranoia, I took several calming breaths, running through dozens of possible scenarios as to why the sedan that had mysteriously appeared in front of my building had left at the same time I did. I was on alert, perhaps more than necessary. It could have all been a coincidence, but I was beginning to learn there was no such thing.
Running at an easy pace, thanks to my doctor’s admonition that I not overexert myself and keep my body temperature low, I basked in the morning sun, the humidity causing sweat to drench my tank top after a mere five minutes. The beach was relatively empty, apart from a few people enjoying a morning walk or jog. A few dogs were chasing balls their owners threw and seagulls were flying overhead, looking for their next meal.
A smile crossed my face and my usually tense shoulders relaxed. It was invigorating to be outside and not in some stuffy gym. After everything with Tyler, I had become diligent to never stray from the safety of my routine, as I had with him. But perhaps a new, better routine was exactly what I needed to give myself a renewed outlook on life. Everywhere else on the island had been tainted with Tyler’s presence. My condo. The gym. The tapas bar. The restaurant. They all held memories of him. But the beach held none of that. Out here, I could have the new start I needed and deserved. Out here, I could sever the chains binding me to the lies he fed me to get what he wanted.
What was that anyway? I thought, slowing to a stop as a golden retriever darted past me, chasing after a ball his owner had thrown into the ocean. I closed my eyes, the ghost of Tyler dancing in my mind, replaying a scene I had suppressed the past few months.
“Hurt me! Hate me! I want you to! I deserve it! I deserve everything you can do to me, Mackenzie, but you need to know something… I didn’t say anything. When you found me last night at the dedication dinner and I was distant, that’s because my brother asked about your father. He asked me if I knew where he was, if you had told me. And you want to know what I said? I said nothing, even after he warned me I could face potential prison time, or worse, if I withheld that information. So you can hate me all you want. You can bleed me dry and I will still bleed for you.”