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)
Her mother came twice a year to visit her. She didn’t go home for holidays but spent them with the other women and Shabina. Shabina didn’t go home for the holidays either. Her mother didn’t ever celebrate them, so it was a good excuse to stay home and be with her friends. It just seemed odd that Harlow never wanted to go home. Her father was very active in politics, and yet she never went to see him. If anything, she avoided all contact with him.
“If I get arrested, Harlow, you’ll have to make sure my father knows. He’ll come roaring to the rescue, as much as I’d hate that.”
“Raine isn’t going to allow that to happen,” Harlow assured. “She’s brilliant. Far more intelligent than anyone gives her credit for. She’s always three steps ahead of everyone else. If Bale, the FBI or Rafferty think they’re going to pin this on you, they’re in for a shock.”
Shabina rubbed at her thigh again. “One of the biggest problems I have right now isn’t Bale or the FBI. It’s me. I’m really heading straight for a breakdown. That would help Bale and the sheriff and his friends do whatever they wanted. Pin the murder on the woman suffering flashbacks. She doesn’t know reality from illusion.”
Harlow smiled at her. “You have friends, Shabina. We’ll keep you grounded.”
Shabina was just grateful that they would try. She didn’t know if it was possible. “I’d better start back to Knightly. I have to run the boys before we call it a night.”
Her vehicle was parked beside Harlow’s. She opened the back door and gave the signal for the dogs to load up. As she walked around the front of the car, she noticed a small package sitting on the hood.
A chill went down her spine and she looked around her carefully, searching the parking lot and then the surrounding brush. Was someone watching her? All of a sudden it felt like it. There was a tingling between her shoulder blades. She froze and glanced over at Harlow, who had already slid behind the wheel of her car.
Harlow pushed open her door and immediately hurried over to her. “What is it?”
“On the hood.” Shabina didn’t know why she whispered it. There was no one else in the parking lot. They were the last two to leave. That didn’t mean they were really alone though. Scorpion could have his spies watching her. Or it could be the murderer. Maybe he was out there watching.
“Don’t touch it. Let me,” Harlow said. She strode right up to the hood, leaned over, and keeping her hands in her pockets, nudged the lid from the box with the edge of her jacket. The lid slid right off revealing several frayed twigs, each packed in a single bag of cellophane.
Harlow frowned. “Do you know what it is?”
Shabina nodded slowly. “Yes. Those are miswak sticks. They’re made from the Salvadora persica tree, or arak trees. They’re used several times a day on the teeth like a toothbrush and flosser before prayers. They have antibacterial properties.”
“I take it these are used in Saudi Arabia,” Harlow said.
“Yes.” Shabina was back to whispering. One hand went to her throat. Her heart was beating too fast. Her skin was clammy. She couldn’t quite catch her breath.
“I’m going to take a guess, Shabina, and say if anyone else turns up dead, these sticks will be on the little altar dedicated to their sacrifice. You can’t touch them. I’m going to take them in my car and give them to Raine if it’s all right with you. I’d prefer that you aren’t anywhere near them.”
Shabina didn’t want to touch them. “Maybe we should just leave them here, Harlow.” Her voice sounded faint. Tinny. She had to pull it together.
“I know you’ve had a problem in the past with PTSD,” Harlow ventured. “I’m wondering if Bale found that out and is doing everything he can to trigger another episode. Did you end up going back to Houston after the last one? Maybe that’s his endgame, to drive you away.”
“Murder someone just to get me out of town?” That sounded too farfetched, even for Bale.
“Who knows what motive a murderer has? Just remember, these sticks can be bought on the internet, just as the other items can be.” Harlow sounded practical, as was her way.
“Do you have the eerie feeling that someone is watching us right now?” Shabina asked because that ominous shadow refused to fade. It was easy to slip into paranoia in the midst of a PTSD episode. She was already having trouble distinguishing reality from illusion.
Harlow again waited before answering. She nodded once. “I don’t know if it’s real or not, Shabina. We’re both a little spooked by this, but I don’t like being so exposed out here. I’m grateful for the dogs. Are you armed?”