Page 29 of Into The Rabbit Hole

Chapter 6

Chloe

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“Hi,we’re with the police department, doing further investigation of the crime scene next door,” Wes said confidently to Merissa’s neighbor on the right side of herhouse.

Chloe was standing next to him. She glanced at him quickly and felt proud of the way he handled himself. So far they’d already been able to fool the left-hand side neighbor. Well, not they, Wes. Chloe didn’t say anything. She wasn’t as good at this as him. Apart from being a terrible actress, she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do any ofthis.

Regina had told her about the head in the box and all but demanded that she move back into the beach house with Taylor and Kelly until Wade was released. Whenever thatwas.

She didn’t want to leave Wade’s house but the thought of an actual head in a box had terrified her, but what was more terrifying was the fact that Regina spoke to their psycho friend, who now had a name.Aaron.

She couldn’t attach the name to the person. In her mind they were still the psycho. Regina had come to the house last night looking terrible and so freaked out she started crying at intervals. The visit was to pick Chloe up, not warn her of what had happened. The only words she’d spoken were, “Pack a bag and come withme.”

Chloe knew if Regina found out what she and Wes were doing today she’d go mad. Right now, Chloe wasn’t sure if she could keep up the charade, but she saw this as a necessity. She had to do something; sitting around and waiting was liketorture.

Chloe observed the neighbor, a petite woman who looked to be in her late seventies. She had a neat ballerina bun placed at the back of herhead.

“Such a terrible thing to happen,” she replied, shaking her head withsadness.

“Yes. Did you know the victim?” Wesasked.

Chloe was so surprised at how well he was pulling thisoff.

“Oh yes. I’ve been in this house for ten years, and she was herelonger.”

“I know my colleagues probably already asked you a ton of questions, but we’re just going over everything to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Would you mind if we just go over a few things with you? It will help us a great deal,” Wes continued. That was the same thing he had told the other neighbor, and just like them, this lady instantly seemed willing tohelp.

“Of course, that’s no problem at all. Fireaway.”

“Thanks so much.” Wes offered a soft smile. “Can you just go over what you saw and heard on the night of themurder?”

“Sure, I didn’t see or hear an awful lot. I was just coming back from a music concert. I heard arguing and raised voices, but I don’t know what was said. I went inside and minutes later I heard glass being broken. When I didn’t hear anything else I thought that the argument was over.” She grimaced and pressed onto her thin, pinklips.

“Did you hear any noises outside?” Chloeasked.

The woman shook her head. “That’s it, I’m afraid. Literally all. I was also tired from being out most of the day. After the glass broke, the last thing I heard was the sound of police sirens about half an hour later. I presumed one of the other neighbors must havecalled.”

That was what the other neighbor had said. Chloe guessed their psycho friend must have called. Only he could have doneit.

“When I looked outside and saw the cops leading away that young man, I never dreamed that it was because he killedMerissa.”

Chloe had to hold her tongue, hold it right back. She nearly lost her temper with the other neighbor when they called Wade a murderingbastard.

Wes cut her a quick glance to check that she was okay. She was, she wasn’t going to lose her cool again. It wasn’t worth it. Losing her cool wouldn’t help them in any waywhatsoever.

“Thank you. We appreciate your help,” she told thewoman.

With that, they left, walking back down to the opposite side of the road where they previously were. From here they could see Merissa’s house in its entirety and the other twohouses.

Merissa’s house was one of those newer builds with a modern design, but it still kept the old-style porch and steps leading to the garden most of the other houses on the street featured. Her house had the door sealed off with the classic yellow crime scene police tape she’d always seen in films, and there was more tape going around the front lawn and garden. People had laid flowers just outside the tape on the lawn and across thedriveway.

The whole setting was morbid, and Chloe was trying not to think about it and what happened here too much. She tried not to think too much about Merissa, because when she did, she could see her face in hermind.

She could recall the pain in her eyes that night, the night she died, when she told her about Wade and their baby. It was difficult to think that just weeks ago she was alive and now she wasn’t. It was sad, so verysad.

Wes said he would have loved to take a look inside, but Chloe was okay not to. She didn’t think she could bear it. Outside felt tense enough as it was. Being inside, in the place where Merissa was murdered, was… Well, Chloe didn’t think she could go in. Though, if it would help Wade, she’d do it. She’d do it in aheartbeat.