Fatal Attraction (Love Kills Duet #2)

3. Three

Three

Charlotte

I waited impatiently at the table, my leg bouncing. I’d been sitting in this room surrounded by convicts for the last ten minutes and the longer I was forced to wait, the more worried I’d become.

Please, God, let Karl be okay.

At the sound of a buzzer, I looked up, and with a sigh of relief, jumped to my feet, scowling at the guard when he hastily reminded me that physical contact wasn’t allowed.

“I’m surprised you came back.” Karl sat down, smiling hopefully at me. He still looked like shit, but it appeared as if the nurses at the infirmary had been taking great care of his wounds. His busted lip was starting to scab, and some of the bruises on his face were yellowing. “Did you talk to Kate’s parents?”

“Not yet, no,” I replied. “That’s actually why I’m here. I can’t exactly talk to them when I don’t know their names or where they live.”

“Grace Seigler is her mom and Frank is her dad.”

I pulled the pad and pen I’d brought with me from my purse and jotted the names down as Karl blurted out the address. Once I had what I needed, I put the pad away and gingerly rose to my feet.

“Wait.” Karl’s brows crumpled. “You’re leaving?”

“Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

Karl frowned and shook his head. “No. I guess not.”

“Then yes, I’m leaving. You said you needed my help, and I can’t do that by sitting in here. ”

My phone started ringing then, and I sighed as I quickly fished it out of my purse, gawking down at it in confusion. It was a number I didn’t recognize, so I opted not to answer it and just dropped the device back in my bag.

“I’ll be back whenever I have more info. Have you talked to Ben?”

“I saw him yesterday. He said he’d be dropping back in today to let me know the DNA results on the masks they found in my apartment.”

“It’ll be okay, Karl.” I turned away from him, trying not to get emotional as tears began filling his battered eyes. “I’m going to do everything I can to help you. I promise.”

I told the guard I was ready to leave and when he escorted me out, I’d barely made it to the exit when my ringtone began echoing through the building.

It wasn’t until I was out the door when I’d retrieved it and was glaring dumbfoundedly at the unknown number.

“Uh, hello?”

“Is this Charlotte? Charlotte Greene?” asked an unfamiliar male voice.

“Yes, this is Charlotte. May I ask who this is?”

“It’s Carter. Blaire’s husband.”

I blinked, my lips parting in surprise. “Oh, of course. What can I do for you, Carter?” I began the trek back to my car, politely nodding at a few civilians as they passed by.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but Blaire gave me your number a while back and told me to call you if I couldn’t get ahold of her. Are you around her, by chance?”

“Sorry, no. I’m not. Have you tried calling the office?”

I made it to the car, having to balance the phone against my ear and shoulder so I could fetch my keys.

“Yeah,” he replied as I sat down in the seat, putting the call on speaker. “I just got off the phone with Harley, and she says Blaire isn’t there. She claims Blaire never showed up for work yesterday or today. ”

“Huh,” I said, my brows crumpling. I was with Blaire just a few nights ago, and she’d never mentioned anything about having to miss work. “That’s weird. Maybe something came up?”

“Yeah, maybe,” he muttered, but I could tell from the sound of his voice that he feared something may have been wrong. “It’s just… I’ve been trying to reach her since last night, and her phone keeps going to voicemail. I-I’m coming home early. I’m actually at the airport now getting ready to board a plane. I’m sorry to ask, but is there any way you could stop by our house and see if she’s there?”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me do it. “Yes, Carter, of course. That’s not a problem.”

“Thank you, Charlotte. Blaire usually keeps the spare house key under the giant flowerpot beside the front door. Trust me, you won’t miss it. And oh, I won’t be able to use my phone on the plane. It’s a 14-hour flight, so, if you would, just message me as soon as you know something, and I’ll reach out when I can. This is my personal cell.”

“You have my word. I’ll text you as soon as I find her. Have a safe flight and try not to stress about it, okay? I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Thank you, Charlotte. Thank you so much.”

I bid him farewell and ended the call, then scrolled through my contacts for Blaire’s number. After tapping the CALL button, it was exactly as Carter stated. The line went directly to her voicemail.

She’d probably gotten way too drunk these past few nights and had a massive hangover or something. It was the only thing I could think of that would explain why she hadn’t been at work and why her phone was dead. Blaire had been drinking a lot more since her husband left for Iraq, and the more I contemplated it—yeah, that was probably exactly what happened. So, I put the car in gear and then dashed across the street to a cheap burger joint to grab her some food before making the short drive to her place.

I pulled up minutes later, sighing with relief when I saw Blaire’s car parked in the driveway. After parking next to it, I shut off my Altima, grabbed her food, and then I was off, stalking up the porch steps and rapping on the front door three hard times with my fist.

“Blaire?” I called out, knocking again. “It’s Charlotte. Can you please open the door?”

When there was no response, I placed Blaire’s food down long enough to hunt for the spare key under the giant flowerpot beside me. Once I had it, I unlocked the door, just for my breath to be stolen by a massive heat wave blasting me in the face.

But that wasn’t all.

There was a horrible, stomach-curdling smell accompanying it.

“Blaire?” I yelled again, leaving the food behind and stepping inside, my heart dropping as the rancid smell had become more potent when I ambled into the living room.

Aside from the couch, loveseat, center table, the TV stand, and the television itself, the room was empty. The kitchen was clear—practically fucking spotless—and from what I could see, nothing had been vandalized. And given the front door was locked, it didn’t appear as if there had been a break-in either.

But why was it so fucking hot in here?

And where the hell was that smell coming from?

“Blaire,” I literally screamed as I dashed up the staircase next, tears burning my eyes as I coughed heavily, the smell getting worse and worse.

My body shook, and my breath trembled the closer I approached her bedroom. The door was slightly cracked open, and there was a slight draft of wind that had grazed my face, forcing the unbearable odor deeper up my nostrils.

I counted to three and pushed open the door, just to collapse on my knees, screaming her name at the top of my goddamn lungs .

She was naked, covered in blood and dangling from the ceiling fan with a noose tied around her neck. Insects swarmed her entire body, eating away at her decaying flesh.

“ BLAIRE! ”