Page 119 of Hard Evidence
“They might have just…I don’t know…made some kind of administrative mix-up?”
“Oh my goodness.Why can’t these people get it right?They said it was a family matter when Saige stole Amie’s money, and they didn’t care when she went missing, and now they can’t find her freaking body?I want a refund on my tax dollars.”
“Shh, keep your voice down.”
“Right.”Now Sophy was whispering again.“Saige came here with her parents, and she was eyeing up Amie’s jewellery, so I hid it in my room.I’m not trying to steal it or anything; I just didn’t want Saige to take it.But now Amie’s gone, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe hold on to it for now?”
“What about the rest of her stuff?I can’t afford to keep the apartment on my own, but I can’t throw out her belongings.I’m not sure I’ll even make the rent this month because I took unpaid sick days.”
“Could you speak with her parents?”
“Is it too soon?Like, would that be insensitive?”
“Are you able to wait a day or two?They might be tied up with the body issue at the moment.”I opened the back door and called Shiro.“And you have more than a week before the end of the month.”
“I guess.”
If Justin were here, he would offer to help with the rent.Perhaps I could speak with Brax?Or if Sophy set up a fundraiser…
“Have you tried starting a JustFundIt page?”
If I weren’t avoiding social media, I could have shared it.Saylor said the comments on my videos had turned into a war zone, true-crime fans versus cooking fans, and I’d considered deleting the whole damn channel.But Violet promised it would all blow over.She’d been there, done that, survived the shitstorm.Justin would get released, people would realise they’d been wrong about him, and I could carry on baking cookies.I called Shiro again.Where was he?Tell me he wasn’t pooping in the swimming pool…
“It just seems so…so insensitive.I mean, Amie’s dead, and I’m asking for rent money?”
“People won’t think that.”Dammit, I’d have to go outside and find him, and it was raining again.I borrowed one of Justin’s coats from the mudroom and put on a pair of sneakers.“Fundraisers are a part of life now, aren’t they?”
“Oh, hell.He just knocked again.”
“Stay still.He doesn’t know you’re there, and he’ll give up eventually.”
“What if he breaks in?”
A week ago, I would have told her to call the police right away, but would they help?They seemed too busy arresting the wrong man and ignoring evidence these days.
“Do you have pepper spray?Shiro!Sorry, my dog won’t come in from the yard.”
“In my purse.”
“Get it.But don’t spray Ari when she gets there.”
“I won’t, I swear.How long will she take?”
“Ten minutes?She already left, and— Oh, shit.”
“What?What happened?”
The back gate was open.Ari must not have closed it properly when she left, and now Shiro had gone on a doggie adventure.I heard barking in the distance.
“My dog got out of the yard.”I’d been holding it together, but this was the last freaking straw.My eyes began to prickle because did anything else want to go wrong this week?“The gate was left open, and he hasn’t been walked enough lately.He probably saw a squirrel.”
Crap, what if he chased a horse?Would folks be out riding in this weather?
“When I was eight, our cavadoodle escaped and got hit by a car.”
Gee, thanks, that made me feel so much better.
