CHAPTER TWENTY
March 3, 2015
Hollie shouldn't have gone home, but one of the patients at the nursing home had an accident and Hollie's clothes became soiled in the clean-up. Her scrub top was covered in excrement, so she drove home quickly to change tops. It wasn't the first time, and she doubted it would be the last time. Being a CNA was a dirty job but she got used to it after a few years.
She changed quickly, then made a turkey sandwich before she had to head back to work. She wasn't always capable of taking breaks at work, when the days got very busy, no matter how hard she tried. So, she took a few extra minutes to eat while she could.
As Hollie opened the front door to leave, she was surprised to see Captain Roark Williams at her doorstep, his hand raised ready to knock.
"Sir?" she asked, surprised to see him.
"Can I come in for a few minutes, Hollie?" Roark asked grimly. His partner, a younger dark haired man, was looking particularly glum as well.
"Am I in some kind of trouble?" Hollie asked, her heart racing.
"Please, let's just step inside," Roark said again.
Hollie let the men through, her heart falling to her stomach. There was no way this could be good news. She prayed silently to herself as she followed them to the living room, don't be about, Zacchya or Trevor. Please, God.
As she found a seat in the chair across from the couch where the men sat, she asked, "So what's this about? Am I in trouble?"
"Mrs. Packers, Hollie, there has been a break in Zacchya's case," Roark stated.
"Did you find her?" Hollie's heart raced, hoping for good news. "Is she alive?"
"I'm sorry ... no, she has not been found. Zac Reynolds committed suicide early this morning. He shot himself in the head. He ... left a note," Roark said quietly.
"Oh God ..." Hollie felt light headed.
Roark pulled out a folded piece of paper, "This is a copy of the note. Do you want to read it, or would you rather I read it?"
"You..." She said, her throat feeling extremely dry and tight. It was hard to swallow.
Roark unfolded the paper and cleared his throat, "To whom it may concern, I cannot express my how sorry I really am. I did something truly awful...that I can never take back.
"On Valentine's day, I proposed to Zacchya Packers. She turned me down and my heart was broken. She tried to break up with me and I couldn't do it. It was too hard. I needed her in my life. We fought and before I knew it, she was dead," Roark read, his voice flat, trying to hide his internal anger towards Zac.
Hollie burst into tears. Her baby girl was dead. Murdered. It was as if someone had kicked her in the chest. The oxygen seemed to depart from the air. She gasped deeply for air.
"Hollie! Breath for me, sweetie!" Roark placed his hands on her shoulder, kneeling beside her. Hollie collapsed into his arms.
"NO! God, NO!" Hollie couldn't comprehend a world without Zacchya. She felt her world collapsing down upon her. She couldn't understand how someone could ever hurt Zacchya. Zacchya was full of love and beauty, she was one of the easiest people in the world to love.
YOU ARE READING
The Life of Jacob Track (Book Two of the 33X Series)
Mystery / Thriller**Be sure and check out book 1!! ** Jacob Track was murdered and haunted his place of death for almost a year, when his ex-girlfriend, Zacchya, came to confess to the murder she was brainwashed to commit: his. However, the events turned out unexpect...
