Officer Collins: Can you think of any other detail that you’ve left out? No? Okay, so we will be investigating every tip or evidence we collect. If I need to ask you more, I know where to find you. Thank you Kresley for helping us with details. I know that wasn’t easy.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it, Kres?”, Boomer asked, with a small smile on his face. He had turned off the recording app on his phone and put it back in his pocket. “Cade, I’ll be seeing you first thing in the morning. I hate to say it, but you’ll probably need to call that detective in Atlanta, Detective Shelton. This fits the bastard’s MO. But in the daytime? At a public store? I don’t get it. He’s changing up his actions a lot lately. Anyway…..just get with me in the morning and we’ll start processing. I’ve got to wrap up stuff here, then go talk to her family, break the news.”
“Thanks man. I need to get Kresley home right now. She’s traumatized and not dealing.”
One thing that was sure to make her mad was for two or more people to talk about her like she didn’t even exist. Kresley wrapped her arms around herself and held herself tightly, trying to wobble to her feet and leave.
“Cade, will you take me home to your house please? I honestly don’t think I can drive myself. Maybe someone can help get my car later?”, Kresley anxiously asked her boyfriend, who was very quiet standing beside her.
“Sure, baby. It’s where I planned to take you as soon as you were done”, Cade walked Kresley over to his truck and helped boost her up on to the seat. He shut her door and came around to the driver’s side. Cade got in without comment and was soon driving Kresley back to his house.
Kresley counted the seconds, the minutes that Cade hadn’t talked to her since leaving Fiona’s. “Cade, talk. What’s going on honey?” Kresley reached out to push her fingers through the side of his hair, but Cade dodged her hand and didn’t look at her.
“Just, don’t…not right now. Wait until we get home, then we can...talk”, Cade stated tersely.
Kresley’s mind began to race, nervous about the tone of voice Cade used. He’d never sounded like that before with her. What in the world? Kresley began ringing her hands lightly, twisting her fingers.
Cade pulled in to his garage and parked the truck, lowering the door back before getting out on his side. Kresley didn’t wait for him to come around to help her. She hopped out on her own and waited for him to open the house door. Kresley immediately took off towards the stairs, hoping to make it to the master bath before Cade could stop her. Maybe she could get in there, close and lock the door and take a nice, hot bath. It would help her thoughts and let Cade have some space. That thought hurt. Cade had never needed space before. Was he getting tired of her? Of the things that had been going on with her? Before her thoughts could take her further down the rabbit hole, Kresley was abruptly hauled to a stop by Cade. She looked back at his hand that was wrapped around her upper arm. He wasn’t hurting her. But Kresley could see a controlled emotion going on in his eyes that told her that he could detain her without much thought or exertion.
Cade stood there, holding on to Kresley by her arm, not touching her anywhere else. Inside, he was seething. And the more time lapsed, the angrier he became. He didn’t know truly what he was angry at. Himself? For not being there for her? Mad at Kresley for making less than intelligent choices that could have gotten her killed? Cade couldn’t hold it in any longer and hauled Kresley to their bed, pushing her down to sit. He stood over her and he knew he did it on purpose to try to intimidate her. He’d used the tactic many times before and it seemed to always work on women.
“Honest to God, Kres, what the hell were you thinking? Why did you walk in that store after seeing how quiet it was, the hairs on your neck standing up? You’re smarter than that Kres! I mean, how could you be so reckless, so selfish. It was unsafe for sure. But it was just plain stupid. I just don’t understand. I’m right here. I’m right freakin’ here! All you had to do was call me immediately. I would have been there like that”, Cade snapped his fingers at the last sentence. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath and try to calm down. He needed to be calmer when he listened to her, when she apologized to him. Cade looked down at Kresley, whose head was bent down, hands in her lap, breaths even. “Well, Kresley?”
Kresley slowly raised her head up and the moment she did, Cade knew that he had gone too far. He had never spoken to her like that before. He had let his anger take over without thought. At first, he thought he was going see heavy tears and emotions. But what he hadn’t counted on was the intense fire that leapt out of her eyes at him. Kresley Anderson was
