CHAPTER TEN
Samantha finally had to turn her phone off as the text messages poured in from classmates and friends with their sympathies. As they sat in the cafeteria, others approached, offering their condolences and support of any kind.
“Samantha, my name is Dr. Shepherd Wilde but just call me Shep.”
“Hello,” she said nodding at him. “I’m okay. I’m not physically sick.”
“I know,” he smiled. “I’m a psychiatrist and part of our medical team here. Not right this minute, but within a few days, I’d love for us to sit down and talk about your sister. I want to help you manage your grief.”
“Thank you,” she nodded. “It’s strange that I was hoping to specialize in psychiatric care.”
“Then we’re kindred spirits,” smiled Shep. “I’ll connect with you at breakfast in the morning to see how you’re doing but if you need anything at all, just let one of the guys know and they’ll get to me.”
“Thank you, Shep,” she nodded wiping her tears again.
“Samantha, I’m Gator. We were able to get in touch with your parents. We explained that you were okay, just very confused and grieving. They’re going to get the next flight out, which will most likely be in a few days due to a tropical storm.”
“I knew it,” she said shaking her head. “There’s always a storm there and it takes forever for them to get here.”
“Well, they’ll be here soon enough, honey,” said Gator. She nodded again with a pained smile.
“We know this is difficult and the timing sucks, Samantha, but we’d like to ask you some questions about Ara,” said Ham. The woman nodded, looking around the table. Willa was still seated beside her, holding her hand.
“Did your sister have a boyfriend or any male friends she was close to?” asked Ham.
“No. No boyfriend for sure. We had the same circle of friends but most of them live in other cities now. Ara-Ara and I did everything together. We shopped, ate, and went to school together. It’s only been in the last few months that she got a car of her own because we knew we’d be going to work at a hospital or clinic and might be on different shifts. ”
“Was she nervous about anything? Did she act scared of anything or anyone?” he asked.
“No. No one. She was sweet. Friendly but not overly so. She never pushed the limits on things like that and was very careful. Our father is a former U.S. Marshal.”
“That’s good to know. Your father might have connections that can help us with all of this.”
“Her phone,” whispered Samantha. “I didn’t see her phone anywhere. Did someone pick it up?”
“I’m not sure. I would guess the police picked it up. Why?” asked Ham.
“Everything was in that phone. Her entire life. She recorded every lecture, every minute of her day, every appointment, even phone calls that were scheduled. If she was going this morning to meet someone for coffee and didn’t want to tell me, it would have been in her phone.”
“Find the phone,” said Ham turning to Jak and AJ. He turned back to Samantha. “Don’t worry, honey. They’ll be able to track the phone based on its number and locator.”
“We didn’t have our locators on. Our father made sure to tell us to turn them off unless we were traveling.”
“We’ll find a way,” nodded Ham.
He didn’t plan on killing Arantha. He only wanted information about the girl. Why did she have to be so stubborn? He was nice about it. Asked her for help and offered favors in return. Yet she still refused and threatened him. She. Threatened him.
“Absurd!” he said out loud. He caught himself and looked around at others seated in the restaurant. No one looked his way but he shook his head, disappointed in himself.
These young women were all the same. They pretended to be your friend, to like you and yet when you asked them out or tried to get close to them, they played you. He was sick of it. He’d seen it too many times to count and the entire thing was pissing him off.
“I won’t be played,” he whispered to himself.
“I’m sorry, sir. Did you say something?” asked the waiter.
“Oh, no. Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Dangerous game,” he smiled. The waiter nodded, too busy to care or to engage in the conversation.
Crowds of Mardi Gras participants passed by the windows of the restaurant. He’d have to find a way to get through those crowds without losing his cool. He hated crowds. He hated New Orleans and he was slowly learning to despise women.
Was there not one woman out there that would obey? That would do exactly as her man told her? Arantha was the third, no fourth that refused his advances and requirements of a wife.
If he couldn’t get his hands on Willa, he’s simply move on to one of the others. Easy pickings.