All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [12]
Kennedy jerked on her jacket and tried to ignore her nosy friend.
“You know, you’d feel better if you talked about it.”
I wouldn’t even tell the pope about this one.
“There’s nothing to tell.” She met Tyne’s bold stare with one of her own. “I’m just tired.”
Their gazes remained locked for an awkward moment before Tyne relented and tossed up her hands in surrender.
“All right. Suit yourself. I guess we all have our little secrets.” She laughed. “Frankly, I’ve never liked that uppity reporter anyway.”
“Reporter?”
Tyne’s expression turned incredulous. “Girl, where have you been, under a rock or something? Everyone knows Aaliyah Hunter is from Channel Eight.”
Glancing at the door, Kennedy suddenly remembered the reporter’s reference to the A.D.A.’s murder. In retrospect, she wondered how she’d forgotten it.
“Hello?” Tyne stepped into her line of vision and frowned. “Maybe you do need to go home and get some rest. You’re acting strange.”
Bennie poked his head around the door. “Anytime you two feel like working, just let me know.”
Tyne sighed. “Here I come.”
Kennedy shook her head. “I’m out of here, Bennie.”
He stared at his watch for a moment, then moved farther into the room. At a robust six foot three, Bennie often made Kennedy think of a club bouncer. “You still have another hour left on your shift.” His broad face reddened.
“I know, but I have to go. I’m sorry.” She moved around him.
“What kind of business do you think I’m running here? Who’s supposed to cover your station?”
“Look, Bennie. I’ve never done this before, I just need to get away for a while and think.”
“Well, I’m doing some thinking myself. Like whether your services are needed here anymore.”
Teeth clenched, she called his bluff. “You do what you have to do.” She stepped around him.
He mumbled under his breath, but spoke up as she touched the door handle. “I expect you to come in here tomorrow with a better attitude.”
With her back still turned to him, she smiled. “Deal.”
It was dark when Max returned to the crime scene. Again he questioned what person in their right mind would perceive these eerie, desolate woods as a romantic hideaway. But carrying a high-beam flashlight, he hoped to see or find something that they’d overlooked—something that might only be revealed in conditions similar to the time of the murder.
He reviewed his notes and considered several possible scenarios. The case was definitely a puzzle. He didn’t mind that, since he loved challenges, but this one was missing a few pieces.
A quick glance at his watch confirmed that it was getting late and his frustration increased. At the rate things were progressing, the case could easily remain unsolved.
Max turned on his heel and had started to make his way back to his car when the beam of his flashlight illuminated an object nearly buried in the fallen leaves.
He walked over and knelt to extract a long silver chain. The first word that came to mind was dainty. Maybe it belonged to some brave teenage girl who had ventured out here with her Romeo.
Max’s curiosity heightened as he examined the uniquely designed locket that dangled from the chain. He turned it over to read the inscription:
To my loving daughter
and best friend.
P.K.S.
As he admired the piece, he suddenly wondered if he’d stumbled onto the first break in the A.D.A. murder case.
Chapter 6
Kennedy tore through her bedroom, overturning clothes baskets, crates—anything she could get her hands on. All to no avail. “Where the heck is it?” She grumbled angrily. She stopped to touch her neck, halfway hoping that her locket would reappear.
It didn’t.
Discouraged, she plopped down onto the edge of the bed and racked her memory, but she drew a blank. Her frustration rushed out in a long sigh. Nothing had gone right since…
She froze at the thought. “Since the night of the murder.” She propped her forehead against the palms of her hands and tried to concentrate, but details of that night danced just outside the realm of memory. Then, suddenly, she remembered twirling