Red Leather (Book 2)

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

JESS:

Jessabel placed the hot pink laptop and equally pink diary in front of Peter Stephanovic's desk.

He turned away from his laptop, sounding mildly curious. Though not curious enough, according to Jess. "Another clue?"

"No," she shook her head. "Not just a clue. This is solid evidence."

That caught his attention. "Explain."

Jessabel opened the diary and spread its spine wide open, pointing to the first page. "This was the diary of Tamara Lilley. Do you remember her? The Lilley's were completely robbed a couple of months ago, and the entire town planned a fundraising auction to help them recover. But the auction never happened."

And she knew why. Tamara had committed suicide long before any sort of fundraising could happen. "See these?" she pointed, flipping the worn-out pages. She had spend all night reading and rereading the contents of the dead girl's diary, first trying to find a hidden address that might have led them to Nathan, then trying to decipher Rhea's friends and the sorts of things she had done to hurt them. "These are all bank account numbers and pin codes. Rhea hacked into the Lilley's bank accounts and drained the life out of them."

He took the diary from her hands, and Jess was rewarded with a rare look of pleasant surprise. "Very good, Jessabel. I'll have Clyde hack through the laptop and have its history checked. This will all be strong evidence for the trial. It also fits in well with what I've acquired overnight. This is a list of all of Renee's closest friends, and this is the list of those that are either dead or in prison. I've searched countless hospital records and police reports and ended up with the same conclusion – all the deaths are highly suspicious."

Jess's eyes widened as she took the computer screen in. "That's basically all of them!" Along with the names, Peter had also made annotations as to how and why they had ended up in such a predicament. Cora Grey (August 11th, 1994). Perished on the twelfth in Alistair General Hospital, shattered spinal cord and collapsed lung. Suffered from an eating disorder.

Shanelle Fraser (April 5th, 1994). Sentencing five years in prison for Third Degree Assault, under the First Degree of Misdemeanour (M1). The assault had been the product of a leaked sex tape.

Georgia May (July 9th, 1994). Found dead at the home of Rhea Griffin. Cause of death was mutilation. A suspect has yet to be found.

Tamara Lilley (September 22nd, 1995). Committed suicide in family home. The causes are unknown.

Trevor Dakota (July 23rd, 1994). Found dismembered at the back of the Alistair Stadium. The attacker remains unidentified.

Jess felt as if she were about to vomit. "Rhea couldn't be the cause of all of these things, could she?" But it was the only explanation that made sense. Alistair had always been a peaceful place, despite the occasional drug busts and political schemes. Yet, all hell had broken loose the minute Rhea Griffin and her father stepped inside those gates. Within a span of two months, four deaths had already occurred. The paparazzi now swarmed the place like flies attracted to dead flesh, and people were moving in and out of their homes faster than Jess could blink.

It was utter chaos. Alistair had resulted in chaos.

Peter's mouth tightened, his thoughts along the same line as mine. "She could very well be. The only thing we lack is evidence. The girl has hidden her tracks so carefully that finding anything solid will be a challenge. That will be your next task."

"You want me to find evidence?"

"No." He leaned against his elbows and looked me straight in the eye. "I want you to find the mother of all evidences."