Page 25 of Ruin Me
At that moment, Glass barged into the room and made his way toward Omar. Salinas rushed to join his partner.
“Omar, are you certain the person you saw was a man?” Glass demanded.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Did you notice any women in the area? Maybe before you entered the garage?”
Omar frowned as he concentrated, but shook his head. “No, I wasn’t paying close attention.”
“Why are you asking about a woman?” Madison asked.
“Because before she was hit in the head, Elsie heard a woman’s voice say, ‘Kent belongs to me, bitch.’”
“So, how does the man factor in all this?” I looked at everyone but could find no answers in their responding stares.
CHAPTER 11
Kent
My apartment was too quiet. Even the heater ran on silent as if tiptoeing around me like everyone else since the news of Elsie’s attack. Throughout the company, I was on the receiving end of suspicious glances. Again.
My innocence in question. Again.
And I had to walk around pretending the shit didn’t affect me. I wasn’t made of steel. Women had lost their lives, and this recent attack on Elsie hit harder.
Because it touched Madison. Although her relationship with Elsie on the outside seemed professional, the warmth and personal touch she used while handling Elsie’s career spoke to a deeper connection. So, it was no surprise to me when Madison started skipping meals and working late to do what the police hadn’t done since the first body appeared.
I wanted to admire her for her dedication, but I the dark circles under her eyes and those unappetizing protein drinks she used as meal replacements pissed me off. I didn’t demand myemployees to work long hours, and I didn’t expect them from her.
I rolled onto my back, frustrated by my sleeplessness and the worry keeping my rest at bay. The clock on my nightstand read 2:33 AM.
Fed up and too tense to relax, I flung the sheets from my body and put on a robe. With my mind too wired, and a sneaking suspicion I hoped to debunk, I took the elevator to my office.
The doors slid open to a darkened office. I sighed in relief until I glanced in the corner where Madison spent most of her day. An eerie blue glow sparked my curiosity. As I approached, an eerie outline from the light took shape, causing my tense muscles to tighten even more.
I turned on the light but Madison’s concentration never shifted from her screen. On her desk, two empty protein drinks lay on their sides next to her empty coffee cup and crumpled snack bar wrappers. Surrounding her bent body, discarded trash, papers, and photos covered the available surface on her desk.
“Have you moved since I left?”
“Eek!” She screamed and jumped in her chair. She swiveled her chair and clutched her hand to her chest while glaring at me. “You scared me.”
“Answer me.”
Her eyes widened and she lurched from her chair, sending it spinning toward the wall. She sprinted past me. “Oh, shit.”
The wind from her speed blew my robe open. Momentarily speechless, I watched as she slammed the bathroom door. While waiting for her to come out, I got a closer look at her desk.
Madison was building family histories and connections of the victims for people to investigate that the police haven’t questioned. A Post-it note caught my eye. A man’s name, address, and time for later today stared at me.
She couldn’t be thinking of meeting a stranger on her own. Not after what the police said about Elsie’s attacker. I closed my eyes and repeated all the reasons she wouldn’t endanger herself. I needed the time to calm myself or the minute she returned I would unleash my temper on her.
“Sorry about that. Whew, I was holding that in for… I don’t even know how long.” Madison laughs, her voice full of relief.
Before she sat again, I grabbed her elbow to stop her. “You didn’t answer me.”
The tension in her body wasn’t typical. Feeling her arm flexing under my hold reminded me of another time I took her in hand when she refused to admit she was hurting. Her body was so tightly held, the wrong move could have snapped her. Only by a miracle did I stumble upon a solution she needed. But this situation was different. Wasn’t it?
She shrugged my hand off. “Don’t worry about it.” She retrieved her chair, sat, and flipped through a few papers, already engrossed in whatever I walked in on earlier. “I think I’ve found someone who can?—”