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  Dane was looking at her a bit strangely. “Sorry,” Ryan said, wishing the ground would swallow her.

  Then Dane’s eyes drifted to Liv, and recognition lit in them.

  Dane had known Ryan since she was in high school, when she had shadowed him as part of her senior project. He knew their history. In her time on the force, he’d become a mentor to her, eventually helping her work her way up to detective.

  “So what do we know about the victim?” Ryan asked Dane, redirecting him.

  “Given her ID and the fact she lives here, the victim’s probably Cairo Levitt.” Dane showed her the driver’s license. “She’s engaged to Steven Blackstone, and has family that lives on Reardon Lane.”

  “Have they been notified?” Ryan asked. Next of kin got tricky when a fiancé was involved, since Cairo’s family was legally her next of kin until they were officially married.

  “Yes, and agreed to be questioned when we’re available.” Dane nodded.

  That was a mostly good sign. But it wouldn’t be the first time she had seen cooperation vanish in a hurry.

  “We’ll talk to the family first,” Ryan decided. “Once we’re done here.”

  Dane grinned.

  4

  Wednesday 28th September; 9:00pm

  Ryan stood there, her hands on her hips as she surveyed the crime scene. It looked like a suicide, but something made her uneasy.

  “Looks like a suicide to me,” Elliot said as she zipped up the body bag. “I’ll know for sure when I get her autopsy done.”

  Ryan nodded to Elliot, distracted. She saw a piece of paper flutter to the floor, as if it had been on Cairo’s body but had fallen off. Uneasiness churned in her middle as she walked over to it, slipping latex gloves on before picking it up.

  It was a Joker card.

  “Did anyone see a card anywhere on Cairo’s body?” Ryan asked, her voice loud as she slipped the card into an evidence bag so it could be tested for prints.

  A chorus of “no”s responded.

  Ryan swore under her breath. If she could have proved the card was on top of Cairo, it made suicide a lot less likely. Maybe the photos would, but the tech that had taken the photographs was still there and among the nos. It wasn’t the first suicide that had been staged so carefully. People did all sorts of things when they knew they were about to die.

  “I found something.” Dane was in the kitchen, so Ryan headed his way.

  On the counter was a carefully unfolded piece of paper. “Suicide note?” Ryan asked, skepticism in her voice.

  “Looks like it.” He gently pressed his fingers to the paper, laying it flat out so that Ryan could read it.

  I couldn’t stand the pain anymore. Please forgive me.

  Cairo

  “How unreassuringly generic,” Ryan muttered.

  “There have been notes like this before,” Dane pointed out.

  Ryan huffed. She knew that, and the fact that Dane was the more experienced homicide investigator, but she had long learned to trust her instincts and something was off.

  Whether or not she could convince the rest of the department was another story. “Make sure you take proper measurements,” she said, pitching her voice loud enough that it carried.

  “They know how to do their work,” Dane said, his voice low enough to be a reprimand.

  “You can’t say that work doesn’t get shirked when it’s a probable suicide,” Ryan pushed back.

  Dane made a noncommittal noise, his attention distracted by bagging and tagging the suicide note. “At least none of them got stuck in their own handcuffs.”

  Ryan put her hands on her hips in exasperation. “That was once! When I was in training!” She paused. “I did get out of them.” She tucked her bangs back behind her ears, wishing she had the time to dig a bobby pin out of her purse. “Are you ever going to let me forget that?”

  “Nope,” Dane retorted.

  Ryan huffed. “Does she have an office or anything?” Maybe they could find more paper there, or a computer. Something to prove Cairo had written the note.

  “The far corner.” One of the evidence techs, a woman named Elly, walked Ryan there. It was probably the cleanest office that Ryan had seen in a long time.

  The thin-screen computer sat on the desk, a tower on the bottom side. Cords were neatly folded and secured by elastic bands. A printer and paper were on the filing cabinet next to it, the cords plugged into an outlet under the desk. Maybe she had typed it on this computer.

  “We should probably take the computer,” Ryan murmured, thinking to herself. They’d have to send it out to the state police, since no one in their small department was qualified for computer forensics. She wasn’t really fond of the thought - the larger departments were often backed up, and it took forever to get to all of the cases. But they didn’t have a choice.

  “It’s almost too clean,” Ryan mused, her gaze sweeping the house. She was going to make enemies if she had to, but she was going to make sure that it was a suicide and not something else in a disguise.

  “We’re meeting the family next,” Dane said.

  Ryan looked at him and nodded. “Let’s get ready, then.”

  Wednesday 28th September; 9:30pm

  Liv’s grip on Mocha’s leash was probably tighter than it needed to be, but she could barely stand, much less process what had just happened. It wasn’t just the body, or just Ryan’s reappearance (she had always known Ryan had wanted to join the local police force), but the hit of everything at once.

  She swallowed thickly, but she kept her feet moving. Her car was back at the coffee shop, and from there she could head home. It was easy enough that she could do it on autopilot.

  The image of Cairo hanging there, eyes wide open and empty, would haunt her dreams for months to come. Mocha was good, but she didn’t know if Mocha was good enough to chase off dreams of that caliber.

  Still, Mocha trotted faithfully by her side, as if they had just gone on a jaunty walk and nothing more. She wasn’t the world’s most social beagle, preferring Liv or her Gram over any sort of stranger.

  Not that Ryan really was a stranger. To Mocha she was, but to Liv she was the opposite.

  The travel time passed in a daze, which probably wasn’t safe driving, but Liv had to get home. She was the only one her Gram had, and it was already dark outside.

  It was a relief when she pulled onto the dirt road that led to their large, old-style Victorian house. It wasn’t anything over-the-top fancy, but it was isolated, and that was Liv’s favorite part. It was close enough to the town that they were considered local, but far enough away that few had been there.

  The fact that Liv had never been comfortable inviting her friends over had been a whole different subject entirely. She shook the thoughts away, and the picture of Ryan that leaped into her mind, and got out of her car. The windows were closed, the front door just as she had left it. Some of the tension that had been building in her chest released, and she forced herself to take a deep breath.

  “Don’t go crazy,” she told herself, shutting the car door behind her. She went to the front door and unlocked it, letting Mocha in first. Mocha headed straight inside. Liv closed the door and followed, listening for any sort of noise.

  She could hear the radio playing softly, the classical sort of tunes that her Gram adored. There was noise in the kitchen, so that was probably where she was. Liv took a sharp right turn, ducking through an open gap in the wall to find her grandmother at the stove. Nothing on fire. That was a good start.

  “Hi, Gram.” Liv smiled in an attempt to hide the shaking her body wanted to do.

  “Olivia!” She was one of the few people that used Liv’s real name. She swept her into a hug, one that Liv let herself sink into. Her Gram was in her late 70s now, frail but strong at the same time.

  “What are you making?” Liv looked around, distracting herself. Was she baking? The kitchen wasn’t messy, not yet. Besides, Liv could do the dishes easily enough.

  �
�A cake,” Gram said, turning back to what she was doing.

  Liv smiled at her. Gram was the only person she opened up to, really, because Gram was all she had left. “I’ll be right back.” She kissed Gram on the cheek and headed towards the bathroom.

  She closed the door behind her and sank onto the covered toilet, her head in her hands. What was she going to do with Ryan in town, knowing she was back? How much did Ryan know? And then there was Cairo. God – Cairo was gone, and she was never coming back. The girl who had been Liv’s best friend in high school flashed through her mind, and the image threatened to choke her up.

  What had happened to her while Liv was gone? What had driven her to suicide? There was so much Liv didn’t know, and so much she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. But she didn’t need to burden Gram with her thoughts.

  She stood, flushing the toilet and washing her hands to continue the charade. The half bathroom was small, but it wasn’t used very often. Both she and Gram had their own. Still, it bore the same labels as Gram’s did - toothbrush, toothpaste. Comb, brush. Gram didn’t always forget, but when she did, it helped her find the word she needed.

  There was a knock on the door, and Liv straightened up. “Yes?” Her voice was tentative.

  “Are you okay, darling?” Gram’s voice was worried.

  Liv exhaled slowly. She was normally so good at hiding her emotions, but seeing Ryan had undone her. She pulled the door open and closed it behind her, the standard precaution with a mischievous beagle in the house. “I saw Ryan today.”

  Gram’s eyebrow furrowed slightly, thinking. “Who?”

  “A friend from high school.” Liv smiled at her. If Gram was having a day that she didn’t remember things, there was no point in stressing her out. “Let’s go check on your baking.” Liv led the way back to the kitchen, her Gram right behind her. Gram was dressed in a frilly, rose-covered apron, with her poofy white hair going this way and that. She was the Grandma that everyone dreamed of having, one who surprised Liv with pastries or cakes when she was down.

  The timer went off as Liv entered the kitchen, so she grabbed the oven mitts and opened the oven, pulling out the cake pan. It smelled amazing. “What type?” It smelled like chocolate, but there was something else she couldn’t quite place.

  “Peanut butter and banana.” Gram sounded proud of herself.

  Liv grinned. Just like her grandmother to experiment with flavors. “It’s going to taste amazing.” She leaned in and kissed her Gram on the cheek again. She was all Liv had left.

  Gram’s eyes shifted towards the window and went a bit distant. Liv’s stomach flipped uneasily. Was she going to get out of it, go into one of the phases where she wasn’t sure who she was or what was going on? Or was it something else?

  “I miss your mother,” Gram said finally.

  Liv swallowed thickly. Her mom had died of cancer when Liv was in high school, and had left Liv the house. It had been Liv’s first closely-kept secret. Her mom had been agoraphobic, confined to her home, and she would only trust Liv and Gram to care for her.

  It hurt her heart to think of that. Not just because of her mother’s death, but of what it had torn apart.

  She shoved the thought out of her mind. She could think of Ryan later, when it was more convenient. “Me, too.”

  5

  Thurs 29th September; 7am

  Armed with a pair of casseroles, Liv headed out of the house. Today she was going to leave Mocha behind, providing much-needed company for Gram. The fact that Mocha could keep an eye on her was a minor detail. For all she was a dog, she was one of the smartest Liv had ever met. If Gram got into trouble, Mocha would get her out of it.

  “I shouldn’t be doing this,” Liv muttered, even as her traitorous feet continued forward. She was heading towards Steven’s house. Cairo’s fiancé. Casseroles were a traditional post-grieving gift, weren’t they? And Gram had taught her how to bake and cook. It was one of the reasons her coffee shop was blossoming into a strong business just one month out.

  Oh, what the fuck was she doing? She wasn’t there just as a grieving friend. What she really wanted to know was what had been found out about Cairo’s death.

  Did that make her selfish? Probably. But there was something off about it. For all that it looked like a suicide, there was something about it that made her uneasy. Abby and River were working the morning shift at the coffee shop, so she was able to take the extra time to go across town.

  Steven lived closer to the central part of town, one of the branch streets that delved off from the Main Street. It was easy to get to, which suited him as one of the busier businesspeople in town. He owned half of the businesses in Amaranth, including the largest (and only) business plaza that looked so out of place.

  Liv had never really liked him, but she never really knew him, either. Obviously, Cairo had liked him. Had they set a wedding date? Liv didn’t know. Then again, she had only been back a month. And their relationship wasn’t something that had come up in Liv’s texts with Cairo.

  Steven’s house came into view, its tall, grey body looking out of place compared to the other, brighter houses. She walked up the cobblestone walkway up to the front door and rang the doorbell. His shiny black sedan was parked in the driveway, so he was obviously home. Or someone was, anyway.

  She heard the click of the door being unlocked, then it swung open. Steven stood there, dressed like a businessman in a slick dark suit. Looking at him, Liv never would have guessed that his fiancé had been found dead the day before.

  “Yes?” Steven asked, his voice more gravelly than she had expected.

  “I brought some casseroles.” Liv held them out, feeling more awkward than she had anticipated. “I’m sorry about Cairo.”

  A hint of sorrow flickered across his face before it disappeared. “You are?”

  “Liv. Olivia,” she added hastily. “I went to high school with her.”

  He nodded once, taking the dishes from her. “She mentioned you. Thanks.” He took a half-step back into the house, not in an inviting way but as if waiting to see if there was anything else she wanted from him.

  “How are you faring?” Liv asked. It couldn’t hurt.

  The way Steven looked at her reminded her that it was sort of a stupid question. How else would he be faring? “I miss her very much.” Then he stepped back again, and closed the door, leaving Liv standing there.

  The avid mystery fan in Liv’s head was screeching at that point. How many times had she watched true crime where the husband or boyfriend had done it? Uneasiness prickled across her skin, and she wished she had brought Mocha for at least some protection. She was all alone there, and no one knew where she was.

  Liv turned and started the walk to her coffee shop, her arms wrapped around herself. She stepped inside the gas station on the way to work, enjoying a brief respite from the cold outdoors as she browsed the walls for nothing in particular. The lady who worked at the front smiled up at her, then turned back to the newspaper she was reading.

  Another customer stepped up to the counter, so Liv picked up a soda and slid in line behind them. That way she wasn’t just taking advantage of the heat. “Did you hear?” The male customer asked the lady behind the counter.

  “It’s a tragedy,” the woman said, shaking her head.

  Liv’s curiosity was piqued. Were they talking about Cairo’s death, or something else? Certainly, the news of her death had gotten around. It was a small town, after all, and gossip spread in approximately 0.2 seconds.

  “I’ve heard it’s the third one this month.” The male sounded grim.

  Newspaper woman tsked. “Young people these days, getting involved in drugs.” Her voice was clearly disapproving.

  Part of Liv wanted to roll her eyes. She was in her late twenties, almost thirty, and still considered a ‘young person’ by people like her. The man paid and left, leaving Liv standing there. “Hi,” she said, feeling awkward for her eavesdropping.

  “This’ll be all?�
�� The woman asked pleasantly, taking and scanning her soda. Liv nodded.

  Then her gaze drifted to the newspaper that she had been reading.

  Third drug overdose victim found in a month. Does Boren have a drug problem?

  A chill washed over her. Boren was the closest town. It was about twice the size of Amaranth, which provided double the gossip. But only those who went between the cities brought gossip back.

  “That’s crazy,” Liv said, pointing to the newspaper article.

  The woman behind the counter nodded her agreement. “They’re saying there’s an epidemic. Hope it hasn’t spread here.” She grimaced. “The last thing we need is drugs.”

  Liv nodded her agreement, picking up her soda and change before heading out the door. “Have a good day,” she said as if she was functioning on autopilot.

  How had she not heard about the drugs before? That was a stupid question, and she knew it. She spent most of her time heavily isolated for a reason. She cracked open the soda and took a drink, walking the ten minutes to her shop in the frigid chill. Maybe soda had been a stupid option, but she sure as hell wasn’t thinking clearly after the events of yesterday. Was Cairo’s death related to drugs?

  It didn’t seem likely, but she wasn’t going to rule anything out. Then there was Steven and his weird reaction. Everyone grieved their own way, that was true, but it was still suspicious.

  There she was, talking like a detective. That was Ryan’s job. What right did Liv have to poke around in Cairo’s case? But Cairo had helped her out of a rough spot in high school, provided the shoulder to cry on when Liv had lost Ryan and her mother in the same year. She owed it to Cairo to figure out what had happened, even if the police couldn’t.

  Liv nodded decisively. She was going to figure it out. And no one was going to stop her.