Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Shabina couldn’t help laughing. Zahra was always hungry, ate an impressive amount of food but didn’t seem to gain weight. She wasn’t in the same category as Raine, who could put away food impressively, but Zahra was no slouch.
“Do you need me to speed your order up?”
“No, they’ve got it under control. I just wanted to make sure you got the package I left you. I put it on the bench by your gate last night. I was going to text you, but I forgot. I found your bracelet. You left it at my house, so I wrapped it up and put it in a little box, but you weren’t home and I was in a hurry. Then I got worried because it was outside the gate.”
Shabina nearly slumped over the table in relief. “You left that package? It didn’t have a label on it, and I couldn’t tell who it was from. I didn’t open it.”
“Oh no.” Zahra put her hand briefly on Shabina’s shoulder. “Did I scare you? I should have texted you right away, but I got distracted playing with Misty and forgot everything.”
“No, everything is fine,” Shabina lied to reassure her friend. “Vaughn is waving like mad. I think your order is ready. We can’t have you fainting on the floor for lack of food.”
Zahra laughed. “I doubt it would happen. I used to want to faint like a heroine in a movie, but I never could manage it.” She waved cheerfully and rushed over to the counter, gathering up several carryout bags.
“She’s like a little tornado,” Shabina said.
“She is,” Raine agreed.
“I’m so relieved she came in when she did. You don’t have to go to all the trouble of anyone looking at the package.” Shabina was very grateful there was no chance Rainier would be informed.
“I’m glad Zahra had an explanation for the box, Shabina,” Raine said. “But what about the fragrance on the outside of the packaging? Someone else had to have tampered with the wrapping. I don’t want you to dismiss this incident so lightly.”
“I could have been mistaken.” But Shabina knew she wasn’t. She snuck a quick look at the four men from the university sitting at the table near the windows. They didn’t appear to be paying the least bit of attention to her. Neither was Charlie Gainer. He was laughing and joking with his friends, his accent very heavy.
“It’s easy enough to check through the feed to see who else went near that parcel. They didn’t have a big window of opportunity between the time Zahra dropped the package after her work and when you arrived home. Bale was already there. If he didn’t do it, someone had to have done it just before he arrived.”
“Raine, is there a way to tell if someone else can tap into my security cameras? Could someone be watching me through my own cameras?”
Raine glanced around the café. “Here? With Lawyer’s system? I do it, so any really good hacker could. Your home is covered by an entirely different system, Shabina, so it isn’t likely. I’m not saying it would be impossible. Nothing is ever impossible, at least not in the tech world. There’s always something more to learn. There’s always someone better.”
That didn’t answer the question. In fact, Raine made the idea sound entirely possible. Shabina sank back in the chair. Suddenly, after the elation of finding out Zahra had been the one to give her the small package, she felt a dark shadow creeping back in.
“Why don’t I drop by tonight after you get off work, Shabina?” Raine offered. “We can talk things out. Daisy can run in the gardens with your boys and get more exercise that way. I’ll be grateful. Even with Zahra taking her out, little Misty can’t possibly keep up with the running Daisy needs.”
Shabina knew that was true. Jack Russell terriers had all kinds of energy. Raine had always taken Daisy backpacking for miles. They ran together. The dog was used to a tremendous amount of exercise. With Raine unable to take her, the little Jack Russell had to be getting restless, even agitated.
“I’d like that, thank you, Raine.”
Shabina pushed up from the table and went back to ensuring her customers had a good experience at her café.
* * *
—
Raine brought the news that Deacon Mulberry’s body had been found on an overgrown trail that hadn’t been used in years. Clearly, the killer had taken time with him after the brutal murder. It appeared as if he’d been ambushed, his skull smashed in with a rock—or rocks. A ritual of some sort had been performed. The sheriff had no idea what kind of ritual it was supposed to be. There were feathers, candles, sticks, stones, flowers and gourds filled with water, all on a flat rock altar. The area around the body had been cleared of vegetation, scraped away by small branches that had been left behind at the scene. The cleared area was extremely small, no more than a few inches surrounding the body.