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When Holly got closer, she saw it was her second true crime novel,Behind Closed Doors. She prayed he wouldn’t recognize her from her photo on the back and that he hadn’t yet read herauthor’s note, telling of her abusive ex-fiancé. If he had, he might not believe the story she was about to give him.
“Um. Hi. Yes. My boyfriend and I have been sharing unit #41, but it’s just in his name. Anyway.” She blinked as if she were fighting back tears. “We broke up, and he um.” She cleared her throat. “He took my key and said I couldn’t have it back.”
Holly’s gaze traveled to a framed photo on the desk of the man and a much younger woman, probably his daughter. They stood in front of a waterfall, both wearing hiking gear. Holly bit her lip and met the man’s gaze. “My dad’s ashes are inside that storage unit. When I asked my ex to let me have them, he told metough shit.” Holly blew a breath out of her mouth and looked up at the stained ceiling.
When she lowered her gaze, the man’s eyes widened with concern. He closed his book on the counter without saving his place.
“We were really close, my dad and I,” she continued. “And I promised him I would spread his ashes on Mount Rainier—on our favorite hiking trail.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “But now…I’m afraid my ex will just dump him in the trash or something.” She met the man’s concerned gaze. “I know it’s probably no use, but is there any way you could, you know, open it for me?”
He hesitated, seeming to think it over. Holly bit her lip. Maybe she hadn’t acted as well as she’d thought.
He opened a binder. “You said it was unit #41?”
“Yes.” Her pulse spiked. “That’s right.”
“Can you confirm your boyfriend, sorry, ex-boyfriend’s name that the unit is under?”
“Jared. Jared Peretti.”
“My Julie dated an asshole like that once.” The man shook his head. “But you’re right. It looks like the storage unit is solelyin his name. Unfortunately, I can’t give you access to the unit without his permission.”
The air deflated from her lungs.
“Sorry,” he added, seeming to read the disappointment on her face. “I wish I could be more helpful, but I can’t violate our security policy. If you can convince your ex to come in and give me permission, I’d be happy to let you in another time.”
“That will never happen.” She sighed in a final attempt to invoke his sympathy enough to break the rules.
“Again, I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”
Holly made no effort to hide her frustration. “Thanks anyway,” she said as an idea formed in her mind.
Twenty minutes later, Holly snipped the padlock to unit #41 with a pair of bolt cutters she’d purchased at a nearby Ace Hardware. She’d driven quickly past the storage facility’s front office when she returned from the hardware store, hoping the manager didn’t recognize her car.
Snapping the lock had been easier than she’d expected. She glanced over her shoulder before lifting the handle of the roll-up door, holding the bolt cutters in one hand. She’d parked behind a different row of units in case the manager came looking for her car.
Seeing Jared’s black sedan, she sucked in a breath and moved around to the passenger side.
Spotting the damage to the front bumper, the missing rearview mirror, and the dents and scratches along the passenger side door, she covered her mouth with her hand. Even though she’d expected it, seeing the damage still sent a ripple of shock through her.
Her chest tightened as she stared at the banged-up car door.He’d tried to kill me.Again.And he’d almost succeeded.
The rumble of a car’s engine pulling into the storage facility’s entrance tore her from her thoughts. She cocked her headtoward the sound. The engine noise grew louder as if it were about to turn down her row. She swore before pulling the unit’s door closed.
Standing still in the dark storage unit, she held her breath and willed the car to keep going as the hum of the engine grew closer. The motor stopped right outside. A deep thud pulsed through her ribs, tension building inside her.
What if it’s Andy?she thought.How am I going to explain my being here?Outside, a car door opened and shut.
“What’s the matter?” asked a male voice that she didn’t recognize.
“The lock’s been cut. Harris must’ve found it.”
A cold knot formed in Holly’s gut. It wasn’t Andy. It was Jared. She looked around for a place to hide, but there was less than a foot of room between the car and the walls.
“Shit.”
The door lifted. For lack of a better option, Holly dropped to the concrete floor and slid beneath the car. Daylight flooded the small space, and she spotted what must have been Jared’s Reeboks stepping toward the car. Dust rose off the floor, giving her the urge to sneeze. Holly covered her mouth and nose with her hand.
“Sonofabitch. I should’ve gotten it fixed,” Jared said. “If anyone asks, my car was damaged already. I’ll say it happened before I went to prison. There’s no way in hell Harris should’ve been able to get a search warrant after the alibi we gave them. Harris can’t prove my car got this damage the night she went over the bridge, especially if she’s not around to testify.”