C O M P L E T E - first draft.
7x featured story.
Undiscovered Gem, Romance Ambassadors, January 2025.
Ambys 2024 Favourite - Mystery & Thriller
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I don't register what comes first--Mum's screams and curses, or the searing pain that perforates...
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September 27th
C A R M E N
I hear the regular blip of a heart monitor as I regain consciousness. From my position, I can tell I'm on a bed of some kind, but my body still throbs with pain.
Where the hell am I?
I pry my eyes open, the bright white walls of my surrounding environment causing a temporary strain. Once I adjust to the light, I survey my surroundings and quickly piece together my location.
I'm in the hospital.
I have a cast on my left leg, and it's being lifted by a hoist.
It's all coming back to me now.
The treehouse. Deidre's confession. The last words she spoke and the regretful look she wore before shoving me through the threshold.
Have the police caught her? Is she on the run? Are she and Jamie going to get away with what they did to my brother?
I refuse to entertain the last thought as a possibility. It makes me feel nauseous.
The door to my room clicks open, interrupting my thoughts. A woman, presumably a nurse judging by her dark blue uniform, enters the room and locks eyes with me.
"Miss Ellis, you're awake," she remarks. "That's great to see."
"What's going on?" I blurt out.
"You're in the hospital. You had nasty fall from height, which has—"
"I know where I am and how I got into this mess," I interrupt. "What I meant to ask is what's happening with... well, everything else?"
I'm guessing she's seen the news. I'm guessing she must know what I'm referring to, because who in town doesn't?
She shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but I do not know. However, the police said they wanted to speak to you once you were awake and coherent. How would you feel about that?"
My chest pulsates as I let out a sigh, exhaling with greater force than usual. I feel tired just contemplating the idea of talking to the police, but I know it's necessary. "I feel fine about that... whatever needs to be done."
"Alright." The nurse nods. "Let me run a few checks on you and then I will make the call to the detective's office."
#
After checking me over and helping me into a wheelchair, the nurse—Rhia, she said her name was whilst taking my blood pressure—makes the call to the detective's office.
Thirty minutes later, a faint knock sounds at the door to my room and I'm suddenly face-to-face with the same grey-haired man who suspected I had a part in helping my brother escape at the start of this entire ordeal.
