Redemption (Colorado Crimes Book 4)

Chapter 14

Asher felt awful asking those questions, but he needed answers. He would face Damon's wrath later.

Raelyn narrowed her eyes. Then she sighed, "I assume they'll come by and ask for my statement anyways so I might as well tell you now before I forget."

Asher relaxed against the wall. Summer stayed quiet next to him. Raelyn was right. As soon as the local cops could, they would be all over Raelyn, asking for her statement and more complicated things. Her being a private detective wouldn't complicate too many things except for that her life was going to be busy. Not to mention her home was currently a crime scene. "Whenever you're ready."

Damon's glare was ice cold and directed at Asher. "She doesn't have to tell."

"Damon." Raelyn sounded slightly irritated. "I'm fine." She turned her focus to Asher. "I was making a very late dinner for myself. It had been a long day so I was heating up some leftovers in my microwave. I was just standing in my kitchen waiting for them to heat up. My back was to my living room. I heard a faint beep, it was my home alarm. When something worth noting passes the back window of my duplex, the alarm goes off. It's a cheap alarm system, and it was already there when I moved in. So occasionally, the alarm will go off when there's a large shadow or when my neighbor's dog accidentally runs into my yard. I was going to wait until my stuff was out of the microwave before I went to check it." Raelyn paused to think, then continued. "Just as I had pulled my food out of the microwave I heard a noise behind me. As I was turning to see what it was, I heard a voice. They said, 'I know you know. As much as I'll regret this, it has to be done. You were a good person Raelyn Mitchells.'"

Asher searched Raelyn's face for emotion, but she was pretty much devoid of it. Damon, on the other hand, was a hot mess. "Go on." The little emotion Raelyn did show was grabbing Damon's hand before continuing. 

"At that moment I knew who it was. I had a few suspicions during the day when we were at the Broadmoor, but I was still putting the pieces together. My plan was to go over them during my dinner. As soon as the words left their mouth, they stabbed me. Right in the side. I went down and they disappeared. I'm pretty sure they planned on killing me, but it obviously was an impulse thing because they stabbed and ran, leaving the back door open. "

Asher nodded, taking in everything she said. "Anything else? We know what happened. And that it's related to Summer's missing art and the drug case because you obviously figured it out. And now you're killing me here. Who?" He had tried to be patient about it as she spoke, but now he wanted to know. "Raelyn, I need to know."

Raelyn cast an uneasy glance at Summer, then Damon, then Asher. "It was-"

"Honestly Asher, she's said enough." Damon interjected.

"What's it gonna change? She's told me everything else." Asher retorted.

Raelyn cleared her throat. "It's fine." She gave Summer one long, almost empathetic look before saying a name, very, very quietly.

Summer ran out of the room when Raelyn whispered the name. Asher felt the blood drain from his face too. "Summer!" He shot an apologetic look at Raelyn and Damon before running out after her.

Looking both ways down the busy halls, Asher spotted Summer turning a corner towards the restrooms and ran after her. What on earth, Lord?

Asher made it to the corner just as he saw Summer disappear into the family restroom. He knocked on the door. "Summer? Summer?"

She flung open the door and grabbed his shirt, yanking him into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and locking it. They were standing in the ten by ten foot bathroom staring at each other, breathing heavily. Summer looked like she might cry. She was also still holding onto his shirt.