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“Do you have anything in your chest pocket?” Mia asked, pointing to the very obvious bulge in my pocket.

“Yeah, just my pens, my phone and my keys.” Reaching into my pocket, my fingertips grazed the flash drive I’d swiped from Amara’s computer monitor.

I’m sure the hidden camera we had set up captured everything. But, for some reason, I decided I needed to keep it to myself… It would show quite a few spicy moments we shared on her desk; not that I minded a little audience, but this burning feeling began to build in my core. I needed to watch this and see who was responsible for Amara’s death, so I could end them myself…

Carefully avoiding the flash drive, I pulled out my small key ring and two ballpoint pens from my shirt’s pocket, placing them on the hospital bed. I also unclipped my hospital ID from the collar of my top, adding it to the pile on the bed.

How am I going to hide this flash drive so they don’t see it…?

“Okay, let’s start with this,” Mia said, approaching me with a swab kit. “Can you hold your hands out, palm-side down, please?”

I obeyed, holding my bloodied hands out towards Mia. She took a swab of the blood on the tops of both my hands and scraped under my fingernails.

“I’m going to swab your cheek to sample your DNA so we can differentiate yours from hers. I’m assuming you two were sexually intimate?” Mia asked. It was strange to be asked so outright, but her tone remained calm and empathetic.

“Yes, she is… she was my fiancée. We had a healthy, um… sexual relationship.”

I stood there, numb, allowing them to swab and sample anything they needed. All I could think about was how I’d get that flash drive home with me without two professional crime scene and law enforcement people noticing.

“Okay, Alexis, time for your scrubs. Please pull off the top and hand over to Mia,” Detective Wallace instructed gently.

Slipping my arms first into my shirt, I held onto the flash drive through the fabric as I pulled it up and over my head. Before pulling both hands free, I managed to slip it out of the pocket and close my hand around it.

Handing over my top to Mia, she placed it in a plastic evidence bag and scribbled out some information on the bag. While Detective Wallace and Mia had their attention on the bag, I slipped the flash drive into my bra.

“Alright, go ahead and kick off your shoes, and we’ll collect those and your pants, then you will be all done,” Detective Wallace said, keeping her eyes soft and gentle.

“Sure…”

Once they had everything they needed, I pulled on the fresh pair of scrubs and sandals with a sigh.

“All I need are my ID, phone, and my keys,” I said, motioning to the bed.

“Yes, of course. You can take those with you,” Mia said with a smile. “I’m so sorry to have met you this way; my deepest condolences for your loss.”

“Thanks…”

Mia gathered everything and slipped herself out of the room, leaving me alone with Detective Wallace.

“Here’s mine and my partner’s card. We’ll both be on your fiancée’s case, and we’ll contact you with updates as soon as we have them.” She flipped open her notebook and handed me her pen. “Would you mind writing your best contact phone number here?”

I scribbled my information on her notepad with a sniffle.

“The coroner is bringing Amara down now, if you’d like to come with me and accompany her to the van?” Detective Wallace placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and I nodded, following her to the elevators to the lobby.

Every employee of Hope Center stood in the lobby, leaving an aisle for us to walk through. With one of my hands, I held onto the gurney; Amara’s blood now dried on my skin as we pushed her through the crowd.

I couldn’t look at anyone. All I could do was keep my gaze locked on the body bag as we pushed her towards the entrance and out to the van.

4

ALEXIS

TWO YEARS LATER

It was a crisp fifteen degrees Fahrenheit, with an even crisper breeze in Denver, Colorado, as I climbed into my rented SUV in a shitty motel parking lot, that I of course, rented under a false name with a false ID. This is definitely the type of weather I’m not used to, being from Southern California, but I finally found them. Well, two of them; the Davis brothers… the men that killed my Amara.

It’s been two years since the Davis brothers killed my fiancée, and about a year and a half since Amara’s case went cold.