A String of Secrets

Chapter 13

New characters :) Tysm for over 400 votes on this babes. ily <3 - Rae

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I had never felt so much terror in one night.

Each time I felt like I had gotten control over my breathing, panic would erupt all over again and it would get hard to stop my mind from jumping to awful, horrific conclusions.

A quiet library with high shelves filled with books. Mom's melodic humming as she watered her flowers. Dad and Keith laughing at each other's jokes. Waking up to the sound of rain. Cookies n' cream milkshakes with whipped cream. Watching the moon on a rooftop during a quiet night. Freshly fallen snow.

I tried to visualize and calm down, but all I could think of was the masked killer. Dana. Eli.

My grip tightened on the gun that he gave me. I take a few seconds to check it, only to see that it's fully loaded. I have no fucking idea what Dana and Eli are up to. But what I do know is that I have a gun, I know how to use it, and there's no way I can trust either of them.

But before I did anything, I needed to get as much information as I could in the next minute. I looked through the windshield of the car and pointed out the streetlamp where I saw the masked killer. Eli parked the car in a nearby parking lot. He and Dana had to be close.

Dana was chasing after the killer. It's possible that they could have run. If so, they took off in the other direction and not towards this lot. I thought. After most of the panic subsided, I sorted my thoughts out and made a plan.

Naomi said that I was on the right track. Dana and Eli have answers. That's for certain.

And I was going to get them tonight. No more wasting time.

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I silently crept through the lit alley leading back to the lot where Dana's car was. The gun was in my hands, but my finger wasn't on the trigger. Every few steps or so, I looked behind me to make sure no one was sneaking up on me.

When I reached the end of the alley that opened up towards the lot, I heard some footsteps and a couple of voices. Immediately, I crouched behind a dumpster and listened closely. I gently moved my head so I could peek at the scene in front of me without revealing myself.

I saw Eli first, then Dana walking close beside him. "They got away," Dana muttered angrily. "Who knows how long they were watching us through the window at the restaurant. I mean, we always sit towards the back, and since Mari was facing me, she wouldn't have known." The moment she said my name, she looked worried as she asked him, "Is she okay? Fuck, I don't know how I'm going to break this down to her."

"She's in the car. We should get back to her," Eli said, and he crossed his arms over his chest when they stopped walking. From the look on his face, I knew that he was calculating something in his mind. "You said she was suspicious of you, right?"

"Yes. Ever since that night she went to that dinner with you, she's been twice as guarded. You're sure nothing happened that night? Well, besides you revealing the fact that you saw Alex before he died. Still pissed about that, by the way." Dana said with an eye roll on the last part.

I thought about the other night where I had heard her arguing with someone over the phone. "It doesn't matter. I can't believe you'd even mention that shit anyway."

She had been on the phone with Eli, and if she was mad about him revealing to me that he saw Alex, then that meant that she knew so much more about his murder.

The mere thought had my blood boiling.

"I told you that I was sorry, for fuck's sake," Eli said through his teeth as he dragged a hand down his face, his silver rings glimmering in the faint lighting of the street lamps. "Naomi suggested giving her bread crumbs if this were to work."