Break Free, pt. 8

When Tessa arrived at her old apartment, Rachel was waiting for her on the steps. The two carried Tessa’s bags inside and each began to talk about what the other had been missing. Rachel began with everything that had been happening in her classes. “Well, we started talking about epidurals yesterday, and then next week, we’re supposed to go to the local hospital to watch them induce labor.” Tessa didn’t really know how to respond. She had never found obstetrics very interesting, but she knew Rachel was excited. “That’s great, Rachel, you actually get to go watch a birth,” she said. “Give it up, Tess, I know you don’t really care.” So much for that. “Rach, I may not find it riveting, but I’m happy that you’re having such a good time.” Rachel smiled and walked to the kitchen to make lunch. “You still like my hot ham and cheese sandwiches, or has the real world warped your mind already?” she asked. Tessa smiled and replied, “The real world could never top those, Rach.” The two smiled at each other, and Tessa went to help Rachel in the kitchen. They were quiet for a few minutes, but Rachel broke the silence. “So, you decide what you’re going to do tomorrow? Because, if you wanted, we could forget the whole thing and stay here.” “What ‘we’?” asked Tessa. “You’re not coming to interrogate the guy.” “Oh, right,” said Rachel, “I’m really going to let you go to see someone involved in a murder, all by yourself. Get real, Tess.” Tessa liked the fact that her friend cared so much, but she insisted that she could not take her with her. It would be too risky, and either of them could get into a huge amount of trouble if she came. “Um, Tess, have you realized yet that you’ll already be in trouble if those agent guys find out about this?” “Yes, but this could add to the trouble. You just need to let me handle it.” Rachel handed Tessa a sandwich and took a bite out of her own. Tessa bit down hungrily and told Rachel with a full mouth how good it was.

This is so exciting! I finally gave it a title. It's kinda corny though, so I might change it. So, I just got to spend 4 days with my super awesome cousins from Michigan. But, Caitlin couldn't come, which was a bummer. That's like the first time ever that she's missed the Cummins family Worlds of Fun trip! And, my cousin, Nick, got married. But, we needed some CP guys there, cuz only two guys danced the entire time. But, all in all, fun family get-together!

Untitled still, pt. 7

After she had driven for awhile, Tessa stopped to phone Rachel. After only one ring, she picked up and said, “Tessa, you have no idea how great it is to see your name on the caller ID. What’s up?” Tessa laughed at her friend’s excitement. She said, “Well, I’ll be in town in a few hours.” “Oh, Tess, did it not work out? I told you it was a risk.” “Rachel, nothing’s wrong. I’m working on a case, and there’s someone in our town that I need to talk to.” “Oh,” said Rachel. She sounded relieved, yet sad at the same time. “Well, if you need a place to stay…” “Thanks, Rach. I’m actually not really supposed to be coming to interrogate this guy.” “What do you mean, Tess?” asked Rachel with a warning tone. “I kind of told them that I was visiting an aunt.” Rachel was silent for a minute, then said, “But, Tessa, you don’t have an aunt. Your mom was an only child.” “Yeah, well, they don’t know that, and you’d better not go telling them. They already think I’m going to fail as it is.” “Ah, the whole analyzing thing didn’t go over too smoothly, huh?” “Let’s just say, they were somewhat reluctant to take me on.” “Uh-huh,” said Rachel. “And so, what exactly are you going to do on this little vacation you’re taking?” “Well,” Tessa said, “I found a guy who’s related to a murder victim, and I need to ask him some things about her.” “So, they put you on a murder case. I thought you said they were reluctant.” “They wanted me to work on it before I explained the whole analyzing thing. Then, they wanted me to leave, but I told them to give me a chance. Now, I’m on thin ice already, I don’t need anymore trouble with them, so I’m going to handle this on my own.” “Whatever you say, I just hope you know what you’re doing. See you when you get here.” “Bye, Rachel,” said Tessa. She hung up the phone and said to herself, “I hope I know what I’m doing, too.”

And, sorry it took so long to post. I didn't realize so much time had passed. I've been racing through Ivanhoe, but I'm now thinking more clearly with the new Book 6 in my possession!

Untitled, part 6

When Tessa woke up the next morning, her clock read 7:35. She had last looked at it at 3:10. She was exhausted, but she had found that all the women had one more thing in common: they all had one child, and each child was under five years of age. It seemed vague, but Tessa was willing to bet it had something to do with the case. She just didn’t know what. The fourth woman to be killed was named Martha Harshore. She was a single mother who worked for her brother’s travel agency. Her brother’s name was Jack Harshore. Tessa decided she would talk to Jack to see if he knew anything about his sister that might be helpful. She almost called Clives, but decided to continue the case on her own. She knew this was a risk, but it was one she would have to take if she was going to find anything out. It would also be very easy to talk to Mr. Harshore discreetly because his agency was located in her home town. Tessa phoned Agent Roderick’s office to tell him she was going to visit her aunt. Roderick told her that was fine, but not to get distracted. Tessa assured him that she would continue to work on the case, and the two said good-bye. Tessa could not believe that Roderick had not even asked her why she was visiting. She had even been planning to tell him that her aunt was sick and needed care. But he had just let her go. She decided to dismiss his carelessness as simple trust, and then she started planning what she would ask Mr. Harshore. If he and his sister had been close it would be much easier to find things out. On the other hand, he might be more protective of her privacy. Tessa decided to be somewhat vague at first to see how he would handle her questions. Her first question would obviously be how well the two knew each other, and she would see where to go from there. She only hoped he would be willing to talk at all.

Well, chalk one up to novocaine. When I got home today, my mouth was completely numb. You all should have been there, I could barely talk. anyway, the left side of my mouth continued to be numb far longer than the right, and the tip of my tongue couldn't taste a thing. I can feel everything now, but my cheeks still are swollen, making me look like a squirrel impersonator. And, for those of you who were wondering, they pulled 5 of the 6 wisdom teeth. Figures that the first stitches I ever get would be in my mouth. As Yzma would say, "It's called a cruel irony."

untitled, pt. 5

Tessa spent her evening with the case file spread out in front of her on the table of her hotel room. She still had not found an apartment to live in, so she was living out of her suitcase for the time being. She sat, staring at all the papers in front of her. Photos, newspaper clippings, copies of death certificates. She could not believe that one person could cause so many lives to end. This person had to be stopped before another life was torn apart. Tessa decided to start with the first victim. She looked at the name. Clara Sievers. She typed the name into her internet search engine, and two websites were listed. They were newspaper sites. Clara had been mentioned twice in the paper; once for the birth of her child, a second time for her murder, the same clipping Tessa had in front of her on the table. It said she was survived by her husband, Mike. Tessa reached for her phone and looked at the card Clives had given her earlier. She dialed the number and got a machine. “Hi, Agent Clives, it’s Tessa. I was looking over the case file you gave me, and I was wondering if you had ever contacted a Mr. Mike Sievers about his late wife. If you could let me know, I want your permission before-“ Suddenly the phone was picked up. “Tessa,” said Clives, “we've talked with him before, and he seemed very uncomfortable. We don't want to trouble him any further.” “But, sir, I think he might be able to help me. I want to find out all I can about these people to see what they had in common. The only thing I can see so far is that they're all women, but the murderer could be any number of people if we stick to that.” “Tessa, I said no. You might be able to talk to a different family member, but Mr. Sievers was not a very open man. He probably wouldn't even talk to you at all.” Tessa sighed. “Thank you, sir. Goodnight.” “Goodnight, Tessa, and good luck.”

I have a prayer request for all my readers: a very good friend of my aunt has been undergoing chemo therapy, and she is about to go through the worst of it. So, she could use a lot of prayer right now.