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"Many people, especially, ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct, or for being years ahead of your time. If you're right and you know it, speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth." - Gandhi
Boss Man strode into my hospital room, "I figure you'd end up in the hospital at some point," he explained. "You never had the greatest luck."
"Hey, this wasn't my fault," I said firmly.
I've kept my hands clean.
I'm going to school every day so I can graduate by June.
I'm working and I'm staying away from the party scene.
Boss man walked toward Lyle patting him on the shoulder. "What's the latest on Miss Maisie Brooks?" He half smiled, genuinely concerned, "How you feeling?"
I'm hurting a lot but I wasn't going to tell him that. I plastered a fake smile on my face, "I'm just great. And I'd be even better if I knew what the fuck was going on. Care to explain, Boss Man?"
Someone's after me and they are dragging my friends into it and that was not okay.
I wasn't safe.
They weren't safe.
"Listen-" I swallowed hard, "Lyle refused to tell me what's going on but I have to know. I got jumped today, Boss Man. I could have died and I have no idea why."
"I'll tell you what I know but first I need to know if you recognize these two guys." The Chief pulled out something from his pocket and brought it over to me. He held it out and I took it in my hands. It was a paper with two faces on it. The Chief tapped the photos, "Do you know them?"
I looked at both pictures, taking a few moments to examine both faces. One was of a young man, red hair, with a beard. He had sunken eyes and definitely looked like someone who had a drug problem. The other photo was a guy with a bald head, piercing blue eyes and sunken in cheeks.
I didn't recognize them.
I don't think I've ever come across two guys who look like that.
Ever.
"Well?" The Chief inquired, urging gently. "Do you know them?"
"No idea, sorry," I handed him back the paper.
Sighing, the Chief tucked the paper back in his pocket.
"Was that them?" I asked shifting my gaze from Lyle to the Chief.
"That's them." The Chief explained. "When we ran their names in the database, we couldn't find any records of previous offences. They're both clean."
"How? They look like they're on drugs," I said flatly. They had to have gotten caught for something.
Lyle yawned through his words, "Tell her what you think is going on, Chief."
The Chief let out a long sigh, "We hired Lyle here to go undercover as a student at your school because we think whoever killed Levi is coming after you."
Shit.
"What?"
"After Levi's death, I had a few of my guys go on patrol, watching you primarily. A few of the officers reported seeing some suspicious person, dressed in black. It got us thinking that whoever killed Levi is after you too so that's when we got Lyle to go undercover. We were about to call off the operation when this happened."
My stomach tightened. None of this made sense. "So what, this suspicious person was on hiatus until recently?" I huffed. "Yea right."
No wonder Levi's murder hasn't been solved....
Their a bunch of bloody idiots.
Lyle interrupted, "This person is watching you around town but has never come anywhere near the school."
"Until now," I snapped, "And there's not just one, but two of them."
While they fail to do their job in solving Levi's murder, a posy is slowly increasing in size and they want me dead.
"We're doing the best we can Maisie with what we know." The chief's voice was gentle.
I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my neck. "What if I talk to them?"
The Chief raised a brow, "Talk to who?"
"My attackers," I gritted out.
"That's not a good idea, Maisie." Lyle says.
"I think they'll talk to me," I explained. After all, they did say a few things during the attack so why wouldn't they?
They know about Levi.
They know that he's dead and I know their responsible.
"You're not talking to them," Boss Man agreed with Lyle.
I open my mouth to object, "Not like you two have a better plan."
"Actually I do," Lyle straightened in his seat, and then let his arms fall to his sides.
"--Well what is it?"
"Keep you out of harm's way," his dark eyes lifted to mine, "even if that means locking you in a closet."
"---Will there at least be pillows and blankets?"
**
"Did you like my little note?" one of the guy says with a chuckle. "Course you did. You haven't got many of those since Levi died."
"The police know who did it?" the guy asked.
I was being baited. tested by those creeps.
They wanted to know what I knew and they wanted to know what the police knew too.
If there is one inch, one smidge of a possibility that they could tell me something I need to move forward, I'd do anything.
If they're not Levi's killers, I want to know who is.
**
"Maisie," I heard a voice calling me. "Maisie."
My eyes fluttered open and sitting to my right was Melody.
Melody flashed a small smile, "Hey you."
---A funny feeling entered my stomach.
I knew the Chief and Lyle were behind Melody's little visit. We saw each other, don't get me wrong, but she never would show up unannounced. That's why this little visit is out of character.
"I swear, if you're here to tell me to listen to Chief and Lyle, just go." I said.
"Not exactly," she laughed. "I sure wish you'd listen to them but that's not the only reason why I'm here."
"Okay then what is it?"
"I didn't want to show you this," she started off, "but I wanted to know if this meant anything to you." Melody placed her purse on the bed and unzipped the zipper. She rummaged through her purse then pulled out an envelope.
"What is that?"
Melody opened the envelope and pulled something out. She held it up front of me, a picture.
I bolted up right into sitting position then took the photo in my hands. It was a picture of my dad standing next to a guy, in what looks to be like a casino. "Where'd you find this?" I asked, looking away from the photo to her.
"The janitor was cleaning out Levi's office and found that picture underneath the plant pot."
Underneath a plant pot?
---- An unusual place to hide a picture.
My forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"I know," Melody gave a short laugh, "never heard of someone hiding a photo underneath a plant pot either."
"Did you tell them yet?"
"Lyle and Chief? No, I wanted to talk to you first and see if you'd know anything."
I shook my head. --Just another thing I had no clue about. "The tall guy is my dad but I don't know who he's standing with him."
"I know this is the last thing you want to hear but what if the attack and Levi's death has something to do with your dad?" The tension in her features worried me. "What if Levi knew something he shouldn't have."
"He would have told me." I raised both brows.
Of course he would have.
We had no secrets.
"I don't think he would," Melody replied. "Not if what he knew could and would hurt you."
She had a point.
How can I know that he was completely honest with me?
What if he sparred certain details thinking it would do more harm for me to know?
"I'm not going to tell the Chief anything about the photo for now," Melody promised, "but you need to talk to your dad. Use the tickets Levi left you."
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