Chapter 5
It’d be a lot easier if Amazon just sent me one of everything they have.
—Hollis’ secret thoughts
HOLLIS
“Hey, Denita!” I sang as I answered the phone. “How’s our girl?”
Therewas a long pause, and then, “Sorry, honey, but this isn’t Denita. This is DetectiveQuincyCarter with DallasPoliceDepartment. Denita asked me to call you.”
Mystomach sank.
Noteven the deep, rumbly, beautiful sounding voice on the other end of the line could control the panic that started to roll through my heart.
“IsKeda okay?” I rasped, terror leeching into my voice.
“I’m sorry, honey, but no. She’s not okay.”
She’snot okay.
She’snot okay.
She’snot okay.
“Is she…” I hesitated.
Icouldn’t finish the sentence. Couldn’t say it.
“Sorry, honey. It’s not good,” OfficerCarter murmured, using that endearment again that had a way of warming my heart while simultaneously breaking it.
Isank to my knees in the middle of my bedroom.
Nothingcould take the heartache that passed through me at the news of my best friend being gone.
“What happened?” I asked.
Insteadof answering, though, he said, “Can you come over to Keda’s place?”
Whichled me to now, standing in front of the man who’d called me earlier, giving me the warm fuzzies while also scaring the shit out of me.
“What happened?” I asked again.
Hestared at me for a long time, then jerked his head at his brother. “Can you go find out where… never mind. There he is.”
‘He’ obviously meant the man with the police cruiser.
Theman driving pulled the cruiser right up to the curb, then got out, handing the officer in front of me the keys.
Istudied the man who got the keys from the other officer.
Hewas obviously this man’s superior in some way.
OfficerQuincyCarter was tall, well built, and intense.
Icouldn’t see much of his face due to the darkness surrounding us, but it didn’t take a genius to match him up to the man who’d come into the ER wanting me to move my car in the middle of an emergency.
Ialso knew his name from the ticket that’d been tacked to my windshield earlier.
Evenslightly wet from the misting rain, it’d been blatant and bold enough for me to see.
“Come over here, please,” the officer urged, leaving his brother and the inferior officer behind.
Ifollowed behind, nervous.
Whichobviously was when I started blurting out my words.
“You’re the one who issued me that parking violation earlier,” I muttered darkly.
“I am?” he asked in surprise.
“You are,” I confirmed.
“How do you know it was me?” OfficerQuincyCarter asked.
Igave him a narrow-eyed look. “I know it’s you because how many Q. Carters can there be on the DallasPoliceDepartment?”
Hisgrin flashed. “Two more, actually. I’m a triplet. There’s also a QuaidCarter and a QuinnCarter.”
Iblinked at him stupidly.
Therewere three of them?
Wasthis world so unfair?
ThenI had it confirmed that yes, the world was very unfair.
Becausethe moment I was in the open passenger door of his cruiser, he urged me to sit.
Thenhe broke my heart.
“I’m sorry to inform you of this, but your best friend, Keda, took her own life tonight,” OfficerCarter murmured.
Iswallowed hard, hoping that I hadn’t heard him correctly.
Butit was true.
Herepeated his words four more times for me without hesitation.
AndI knew, right then and there, I was dead set on making TaiteDeRosa’s life a living hell.
Nota day would pass that I wouldn’t make sure he felt the amplitude of my rage.
Iwould spend my every waking hour making sure that ‘comedian’ never had a great day ever again.