For complete disclaimers see part 1.
If you’d like to tell me what a wonderful writer I am or that I royally suck, feel free at: XenaNut@hotmail.com. If you have suggestions or corrections, please don’t bother as that’s the job of my publisher’s editor.
The Collector
by
Kim Pritekel
Part 22
Chapter 44
Remmy blinked a few times, reality coming back to her. The white sound of TV snow filled the room, the black and white patterns throwing strange shadows on the walls and floor around her. She felt a weight against her, and looked down- she was lying stretched out on the couch, head resting against two stacked throw pillows, Julie using her as a pillow, the blonde’s body squeezed in between the back of the couch and Remmy’s own body. Julie’s head rested on Remmy’s upper chest, an arm thrown across Remmy’s stomach.
Her bladder screaming at her, Remmy figured she should probably wake Julie and get her into her own bed, or she’d have one hell of a cramp in her back the next morning. Remmy’s body was already screaming at her. She thought back to their night, remembering after Julie had eaten, they’d settled into the living room to watch TV. Remmy had known she was tired, exhausted, actually, from a long day at work, working a double shift to cover for the new guy, who hadn’t shown up, again. Also, the mental gymnastics she’d been putting into Grace’s new case was catching up to her, too.
She laid her head back down on the pillow, grabbing the remote control from the coffee table and muting the sound on the TV. She returned her attention back to the woman who slept against her, Julie’s body relaxed and warm. Remmy brought up a hand, lightly running her fingers through soft, blonde hair. Julie sighed and readjusted her body, but didn’t wake. Remmy smiled, hearing a soft snore as Julie fell back into a deep sleep, her fingers subconsciously gripping a handful of Remmy’s t-shirt.
A soft kiss was placed to Julie’s forehead, then the fingers that had been in her hair made their way across soft skin, outlining dark blonde brows, relaxed in sleep, down the slope of Julie’s nose, then back up again, running quickly from the softly parted lips.
She was absolutely loathe to move her, but Remmy had to pee desperately. Slowly, she moved out from underneath Julie, not sure what kind of a sleeper she was, and if she’d wake or not. A small bit of protest, but then Julie was right back into the Sandman’s realm.
Remmy hurried to the bathroom, sighing heavily as her body thanked her. She ran her hands through her hair, and tried to wake herself up fully. She should probably go home. Glancing at her cell phone she saw that it was after two in the morning, and the rain was still coming down, though not as fierce as it had been earlier. The idea of trudging home in the rain didn’t exactly appeal to her, so she decided to get Julie to her bed, then she’d crash on the couch again.
Julie was exactly where she’d left her, and Remmy was absolutely charmed, squatting in front of the couch, studying her friend. Her eyes trailed over Julie’s features, never realizing just how beautiful she truly was. Remmy knew she needed to get her mind out of the direction it was headed, as it was ridiculous. This was Julie, for Christ’s sake!
Even still, Remmy’s thoughts ran back through her history. She’d never had a girlfriend, never staying anywhere long enough to allow messy emotions to get in the way. She’d had a fling or two that had lasted longer than a night, but even that hadn’t been in a very long time. She hadn’t been with a woman in more than a year. She’d never cared for anyone the way she cared for Julie. She just felt so safe with her, so accepted and cared for. The closeness she shared with her was unheard of for her, even with Monica. She felt so many different things click into place every time she was around Julie. And when she touched her? Remmy sighed heavily, her heart saddened for a moment as she knew that as wonderful as her time with Julie was, it was all it would ever be. And, she realized, that was fine with her. After all, she didn’t stick around long enough, she reminded herself, so what did it matter?
Julie had become her best friend and the most important person in her life, and she wanted to protect her from anything that would put a frown on those beautiful lips, and to eradicate anything that would bring her the terror she had experienced tonight. She could feel the anger just under the surface when she thought about Ray. What the hell had he been thinking, attacking her like that? The man obviously had no heart and didn’t give a shit about Julie.
Later, when they’d been sitting quietly on the couch watching TV, Julie had told Remmy about her relationship with Ray, and how unhealthy it had been. He had tried to control and possess her, much like he’d been trying to do when Remmy and Grace had shown up. The sadness and confusion in Julie’s eyes had nearly broken Remmy’s heart. Her heart did break when Julie told her she planned to just live for herself, her brother and nephew, and her career, as soon as she got it back on track. She had no desire to allow another man in her life, and certainly not into her heart or her bed. Remmy thought it was tragic, someone so young and beautiful as Julie, who had so much to offer someone, was going to lock that part of herself up, and apparently throw away the key. A tremendous loss.
Remmy’s thoughts were cut short when green eyes slowly blinked open. Julie looked at her, trying to focus tired eyes. Finally she sighed, turning to her back and stretching, Remmy smiling at the cute little squeak that escaped.
“Why are you sitting there watching me?” Julie asked, raising herself to her elbows.
“I was contemplating on whether I wanted to wake you or not. You looked so comfortable. And, I don’t know, your little snores were just too cute.”
Julie’s eyes opened wide. “I do not snore.”
Remmy shrugged, a smirk curling her lips. “I beg to differ. You drool, too,” she lied, tugging at her t-shirt collar. “I think you might’ve farted a time or two, too.” Julie’s mouth opened, though nothing came out, her eyes still wide. Remmy couldn’t do it to her anymore. She burst out laughing. “I’m teasing. Come on. Let’s get you to bed so I can crash on the couch.”
Julie sat up fully, running her hands through her hair to get it out of her face. She glared at Remmy and swatted at her playfully as she stood. “Snoring, drooling and farting,” she muttered. “I don’t think so.” She grabbed Remmy’s hand, yanking her toward the stairs, catching the power button on the TV as she went. “And I also don’t think you’re sleeping on the couch. That’s ridiculous when I’ve got a whole bed upstairs for you.”
“Oh, Julie, that’s not necessary. I don’t want to make a mess for you, I can sleep anywhere-“
Julie stopped suddenly, Remmy nearly running right into her. Julie turned, looking up into Remmy’s eyes from the darkness in the upstairs hallway. “Stop,” she said softly. “You don’t make messes for me, and even if you did, you are always welcome here, and my house is truly your house.” A soft smile covered her lips. “After all, you did help me remodel it.”
Remmy smiled shyly, nodding. “Okay.”
“Good. Get some sleep,” Julie said, reaching up and cupping Remmy’s cheek for a moment before letting her hand slip away, and she headed to her own bedroom, the dogs following quickly behind.
***
The dishwasher roared to life, the smell of freshly scrubbed floors- Pine Sol. The dishrag in her hand, she finished wiping down the counters. Good thing lunch is finished. Taylor will be asleep soon. Maybe she can catch Oprah today. She reached for her juice, intending to finish it. Thirsty.
A crack. Break. Something falling to the floor. She turned and looked, surprised, unsure. She had questions in her head. Why is he here?
Remmy gasped, shooting up, her pillow falling to the floor with a material thud. “She knew him!” she yelled, chest heaving and breath yanked painfully from her chest. Her eyes were wide, unseeing as she could still feel the frightened familiarity of her dram. Her vision. She glanced over at the floor where her pants lay in a heap. She carried around a rattle taken from the crime scene by Grace, giving Remmy a tangible link to the victim.
The bedroom door pushed open, Julie hurrying to the bed. “Are you okay?” she asked, sleep-tousled, but very much awake.
Remmy still hadn’t gotten her breath back, her heart racing, fear still in her eyes. “She knew him,” she said again, looking up at Julie, pleading for her to understand.
“Who, Remmy?” Julie asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking both of Remmy’s trembling hands in her own.
“She did. She knew her killer. I gotta call Grace. I gotta tell her-“
“Shh. Remmy, sweetie, shh.” Julie brought a hand up, pushing dark hair away from terrified eyes. “You need sleep.”
Remmy shook her head, trying to bring some saliva back to her dry mouth. “No. I gotta tell her. She knew him.”
“Remmy? Remmy, honey, look at me. Focus on me.” Julie waited until blue eyes were trained on her, clear and awake. “Honey, telling Grace in the middle of the night isn’t going to do the case any good. She’s dead already, honey. She’s not going anywhere.”
Remmy blew out a breath, long and shaky. She could still the woman’s fear, and it scared her. She heard Julie pick up her pillow, placing it back on the bed, then she was being pushed back onto the soft mattress. She tried to fight the hand that rested on her upper chest.
“Shh,” Julie cooed, lying beside her. “Come here, Remmy,” Julie said, hand squirming under Remmy’s shoulders. Taking several deep breaths, the younger woman finally moved into her arms, resting her head against Julie’s shoulder. Julie lay there, wide awake, able to feel the fear rolling off Remmy like heat. She buried her hand in long hair, placing a kiss to Remmy’s forehead. “You’re trembling,” she whispered.
“She was so afraid, Julie,” Remmy whispered, eyes staring blankly at the wall, still seeing the kitchen, so neat and clean. “She knew him.”
“Who was he?”
Remmy shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Julie was quiet for a moment, a myriad of questions swarming through her brain. She was mixing memories of her own case with the few facts she knew of this one. “Did you see it? Or did you just feel it?”
“Both.” Remmy readjusted her head, finding the softness of Julie’s left breast, feeling the fullness under her cheek. Julie’s arms tightened around her.
“So, this is almost like a delayed reaction? I mean, this woman was murdered, so you’re experiencing what happened in the past.”
Remmy nodded. “Yes. That’s usually how it works.” She raised her head, resting it in the palm of her hand as she glanced past Julie and out the window that was above the headboard. “Except with you.”
Julie studied Remmy’s face, noting the way the moonlight shone into her eyes, making the color almost disappear. She felt the urge to reach up and trace the proud jaw, set and hard right now. She wished there was something she could do to ease her tension.
“Why was it different with me?” she asked softly, meeting Remmy’s gaze as the brunette looked down at her. Remmy shrugged.
“I really don’t know. With you, it was so strange. There was one time when you were in the basement, I guess it was. You were looking over at Pam.”
“How do you know?”
Remmy smiled, though it was somewhat sad. “Because I could see her, too, through your eyes. That was when I told Grace that there were more than just you there. She started to do a little investigating and digging in the nearby counties. She found out about Pam and Roxie’s cases.” She grinned. “I really think she thought I was completely nuts.”
“How many nights did you wake up from the dreams, when I was there?” Julie asked, her voice nearly a whisper. She wasn’t sure why she asked the question, or if she even wanted to know. She could see that haunted look returned to Remmy’s eyes, and it made her so sad. She wondered how much of herself did Remmy lose every time.
Remmy heard the question, but didn’t answer for a moment. Instead, she gazed down at Julie, memorizing her face and the look of unshielded concern and affection in her eyes. She didn’t want Julie to know the truth, to know that she nearly lost her mind during those very dark months. Instead, she smiled. “A few.”
Julie knew Remmy was holding out on her, but didn’t press. She was getting tired again, her adrenalin going, leaving her feeling exhausted. “Come here,” she said, bringing Remmy’s head back down to lie against her. “Get some sleep, Remmy.” She placed a kiss on top of her head. “Let me watch over you tonight.”
Chapter 45
Grace was getting frustrated, Remmy could tell. The dark woman kept her gaze on her, watching carefully for any change in her expression, a twitch of an eye, anything. Finally Remmy sighed, pushing the pictures away. “I don’t think he’s in here, Grace,” she said, leaning back in her chair.
Grace sighed, impatient. “We haven’t gone through all of them, Rem. There are still about three pages of pic-“
“He’s not in here,” Remmy said, tapping the photo book with her finger. She looked into dark eyes. “I’m telling you. He’s not.”
“Well, how do you know, dammit?” Grace asked, pushing away from the table and snatching her coffee, heading over to the maker and pouring herself more. It was her sixth cup since eight that morning, just two hours ago. So much for trying to curb her caffeine intake.
“How do you know the sky’s blue? How do you know you’re drinking liquid mud?” Remmy asked, indicating the cup in Grace’s hand.
The dark woman looked down into her cup, then met angry blue eyes. “I just know,” she aid, sheepish.
“Bingo!”
Grace sighed, walking back over to the table Remmy stood next to, their suspect photo book still lying face-open on top. She slammed it closed with finality. “You said she knew this guy. How do you know? Did she say his name?”
“Nope.” Remmy perched on the edge of the table, grabbing Grace’s mug from her hand and sniffing before taking a drink. “Jesus, that’s gross!” she exclaimed, handing it back to her.
“Yeah, well it keeps me awake. There’s a Coke machine in the hall, or a drinking fountain near the bathrooms.”
“Nah, that’s okay. I need to get back to work. Besides, I’ve got dinner over at Julie’s tonight.”
Grace studied her friend for a long moment, to the point of making Remmy uncomfortable.
“What?” Remmy asked, feeling like a bug in a lab.
Grace shook her head, a knowing smile on her lips. “Nothing. Okay, so tell me how you know she knew this guy.”
“He came into the house. Was the door locked?” At the shake of Grace’s head she continued. “I could tell she was afraid, but more curious of why he was there. Oh, and last night, while I was re-stocking the maxi-pads, something else came to me. If you can find the murder weapon, I really think it’ll lead you right to this guy.”
“Alright, and any ideas of what we’re looking for in said weapon?”
Remmy grinned pushing away from the table. “Now that, Grace, is why you’re paid the big bucks to be Perry Mason, and I’m the lowly convenience store clerk.” She grabbed her wallet and phone from where she’d set it on the table. “I gotta go. See you later.”
“That kid’s gonna be the death of me,” Grace muttered, heading back to her desk. This case was driving her mad.
Yvonne and Clive Bailey had been married for six years, seemingly happily so. Clive’s alibi had checked out, water-tight, as he’d been at work at the Post Office that entire day, seen by no less than fifty people during the hours the murder and abduction took place. They had no serious debt, no problems, and no enemies. A well-liked couple, Yvonne 28, Clive 34. Their son, Tyler, was 22 months old, and very loved and wanted by both parents.
Grace and Brian had thought that the crime was random, though the missing baby had put a chink in that theory, and now Remmy telling her that Yvonne knew her killer, well, that just blew the theory right out of the water They were back to square one. She knew better than to doubt what Remmy had to say.
Blowing out a loud breath, she tossed her reading glasses to her desk, rubbing at her eyes. It would be anther late night.
Chapter 46
“I think you’re lying,” Julie said, her tone matter-of-fact. She didn’t bother turning around to see Remmy’s expression. Instead, she stayed where she was, watering her flowers in the backyard with the hose. It was May, and a gorgeous day. Summer was upon them, that was no secret, but the heat hadn’t been turned up full-blast yet, so it was easy to enjoy a beautiful day outside, the temperature in the mid to upper seventies. Perfect weather.
“You think I’m lying?” Remmy asked, turning from where she crawled around on her knees, weeding the flowerbeds that lined the back fence. Julie was across the yard, dressed in a tank top and shorts. Her legs were already getting a nice bronze color from working tirelessly in the yard. It showed, as the grass was pristine, the flowers coming up beautifully. She figured there were two reasons for the gorgeous yard and tanned flesh. One: Julie was trying to enjoy her time at home before she had to start working again in late summer. Two: she was trying to keep herself from puling her hair out from boredom. Julie was a worker, and staying at home wasn’t her bag.
“Yes. I don’t believe for a minute that you have a tattoo of Woody Woodpecker on… well, on your body.”
Remmy smirked. “You mean on the inside of my thigh?”
“Well, the inside of your thigh is on your body, smart ass.” Julie glanced at her friend, brows drawing behind her sunglasses. She watched as Remmy set her left hand down to support her as she stretched her long, lean body out to reach a weed that was tucked back near the fence. Her breath caught for a moment, the image reminding her of a graceful panther or tiger.
“Why don’t you believe that?” Remmy asked, pausing mid-stretch. She glanced over at the blonde, surprised when Julie quickly looked away. Sitting back on her haunches, she rested her hands on her thighs, bare knees covered in dirt and mild scratches from crawling around on her knees all day.
“Because! Who in their right mind would get a damn tattoo in the inside of their thigh?” Julie released the trigger, the water stream cutting off. She faced Remmy. “That would hurt like crazy.”
“I’m sure it would’ve. If I’d been sober.” Remmy grinned, pushing to her feet and wiping her hands on the long legs of her cargo shorts. She began to walk over to her friend. Actually, walking isn’t entirely correct. Remmy sauntered over to her, hips swaying in exaggeration, making Julie laugh. As she made her way over to her, she began to unbutton her shorts, an evil grin on her face.
Julie watched her, slowly backing up, not sure what Remmy was doing. “Uh, Remmy…”
“Nah, I’ll show you.” Remmy was within three feet of Julie, slowly pulling the zipper down on her fly.
Julie felt a flush rise up her neck, realizing what Remmy was about to do. She felt a wave of heat rise through her, and became suddenly extremely uncomfortable. She did the only thing she could think to do.
“Ah! Julie!” Remmy ran away from the ice cold stream of water that hit her square in the stomach, tugging her shorts up as she ran.
“So, when do you go in and get your classroom and all that, ready?” Remmy asked, sitting at Julie’s kitchen table munching on a sandwich, a bath towel wrapped around her waist as her shorts tumbled in the dryer.
“Usually not till about a week before classes start.” Julie popped a chip into her mouth.
Remmy nodded, sipping from her iced tea. “I bet your boss is happy you’re returning. I bet the kids are, too.”
“Hell, I’m happy to be returning. God, this has driven me crazy, staying home like this. Talk about cabin fever.” Finished, she pushed her plate away, sighing with contentment.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll go in there and kick ass, Julie. You’ve got the parking lot knocked out, anyway.” Remmy’s grin was met with a sheepish look. “What?”
“I still can’t get out of the car,” Julie said, her voice little girl-shy. She had driven to the parking lot twice since she’d gone with Remmy, and both times she’d been able to pull in just fine, the second time even parking where her car had been parked last August. But when she tried to open her door and step out, she had begun to shake, then cry out of both frustration and feeling like a child.
“Why not?” Remmy asked, shoving her own plate away, sandwich forgotten.
“It’s stupid, Remmy. It’s really not worth talking about,” Julie said, waving the subject away. Conversation closed.
“Okay,” Remmy agreed. She could bide her time.
The ice cream was heaven on Julie’s tongue, the cool, early evening breeze playing with the tendrils of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. She had decided not to cut her hair after all. She hadn’t had it long in nearly ten years, so decided to try something different. Probably not wise though, right before summer, to grow it out. Either way, she enjoyed having more options with it- put it up, leave it down. It was nice. Remmy seemed to really like it, too. She often caught blue eyes watching the way the sun would gleam on it, making her hair turn to spun gold.
Remmy stretched her legs out, the cool grass tickling her bare calves, a few blades sneaking inside the opening of her shorts, making the backs of her knees itch. She rested back on one hand, the other holding her chocolate cone. She watched as Julie- sitting cross-legged next to her- dug into her sundae with a child-like excitement. She glanced out over the park, the sun still having a couple hours to play before it was time to relinquish another day and let the moon rule it’s nocturnal domain.
“When we were kids, Matt and I used to ride our bikes to this little ice cream stand that was about a mile from our house. I used to get bubblegum ice cream,” Julie said between spoonfuls of ice cream and gooey hot fudge.
“Bubblegum ice cream? That sounds disgusting,” Remmy said, licking around her cone until she had a very fine tip at the top, which inevitably fell over to a curl.
“Oh, no. It was so good! It was basically vanilla ice cream, but it had these tiny little square pieces of gum inside, about the size of a chicklet. Made the ice cream taste bubblegummy, too. I used to shove the pieces of bubblegum into my right cheek.” She laughed at the memory. “It would be bulging by time I was done.”
Remmy smiled, easily able to visualize Julie’s words. She took a bite of her ice cream, in thought as she allowed it to melt on her tongue. “What were you like as a kid?”
“Evil.” Julie grinned, her eyes twinkling and mischievous. “I used to get in all sorts of trouble, letting Matty take the fall for me.” She laughed outright at the memory.
Remmy studied her, so happy to see Julie excited and bright, her eyes alive and so filled with life. It was intoxicating and completely contagious. “Do you ever wish you would’ve had more siblings?”
Julie thought about it for a moment, licking fudge out of the corner of her mouth. “No. I don’t think so,” she finally said, meeting Remmy’s gaze. “I think the two of us got into enough trouble as it was. Anymore of us, and world beware! What about you? I know you had Monica, but do you wish you had more family?”
“Sometimes,” Remmy said honestly. “I have no idea what it’s like to have parents. I wish I did sometimes.”
“The holidays?”
Remmy shrugged. “I’ve never celebrated Christmas with anyone other than Monica, Julie, and this past year was the first time I’ve celebrated it in… wow, maybe seven years or so?”
“Oh, now that is a crime. I wish you had been in Woodland this past year, Rem. You would’ve joined us.” Julie met Remmy’s smile. “This year,” she said strongly.
“Yep. This year.”
“I absolutely love driving this car!” Remmy said, shifting the little car into another gear, the Miata purring over the streets of Woodland.
Julie chuckled. “This little car is the only thing I’ve ever truly spoiled myself with.”
“Why white?”
Julie shrugged. “I love white. It’s pure, it’s natural, and a sign of good things to come.”
“Yeah, but red!” Remmy said, low and dramatic. “Now that’s a color.”
“Well, that may be, but how many friggin’ red sports cars do you see on the streets? Too many,” Julie said, waving away the idea. She looked around, realizing where Remmy was headed. “Why are you going to the school?” she asked, voice slightly nervous.
“Who said I’m going to the school?” Remmy asked innocently.
“Well, maybe the School Zone sign we just passed?”
Remmy grinned, not saying another word until she had pulled into the parking lot. “Which one?” she asked, indicating the spaces before them. Without a word, Julie pointed. Remmy eased the little car into the space it had been parked in the previous August. She cut the engine, glancing over at her passenger who was looking out over the lot, the setting sun sending out an intense golden red to the day.
“Why are we here?” she said quietly.
Remmy turned the key, allowing the radio to be turned on. The Drifters’ Under the Boardwalk was playing. “Perfect.” Remmy opened her car door, stepping out into the beautiful night. Julie watched, her heart pounding, eyes wide with fear.
“Remmy!” she hissed. “Get back in here!”
Remmy ignored her, beginning to move to the wonderful classic. She backed up enough so she could see Julie in the low car, her lips moving as she sang along with the words.
“Remmy, please,” Julie whispered, trying desperately to fight back her tears. She watched Remmy as she danced her way in front of the car, the headlights shining doubt spotlights on her for just a moment before she made her way to Julie’s door, puling it open. Julie pulled her hand away, out of Remmy’s reach.
“’Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah…’” Remmy sang, reaching in again until she had a firm grip on Julie’s hand, gently tugging. Julie took a deep breath, but allowed herself to be pulled from the car. She was trembling as Remmy placed a hand on her waist, the other clasping Julie’s shaking hand.
Remmy began to move, pulling Julie along with her as she danced back in front of the car, knowing that the van had been parked two spots to the left of Julie’s Miata. She got them over by her still-open door, the music filling the night.
We’ll be falling in love
Under the boardwalk
Boardwalk
She pulled Julie close to her, expertly dancing across the parking spaces, singing as finally Julie looked up, meeting her gaze. A ghost of a smile found its way to her lips. She was safe she knew, especially in Remmy’s arms. She allowed herself to hear the song, allowed her body to move with Remmy’s. She felt herself being led back, across the spaces, her eyes squeezing shut as they danced in the space where the van had been.
“Shh,” Remmy whispered in her ear. “Just dance with me.”
Julie took a deep breath, nodding, her hand sliding out of Remmy’s, both arms snaking up around her neck. She felt Remmy’s hands on her waist as the music began to wind down.
Remmy held her close, no longer singing as she concentrated on the feel of Julie’s body against her own, the smell of her hair and skin, the music and the feel of the breeze as it washed over them. It was magical as she felt Julie’s eyes on her. She met her gaze, and couldn’t look away.
Julie felt herself becoming lost in the blue eyes that bored so intensely into her own. She could see a storm swirling in their oceanic depths, a myriad of emotions. Her heart began to pound again, though this time fear had nothing to do with it. Before she could react, Remmy was leaning toward her.
Remmy’s eyes closed at the feel of Julie’s lips, so very soft against her own. She stopped the movement of their bodies, instead allowing the new sensations to fill her. She felt the barest bit of give in Julie’s lips, almost inperceptively moving with hers.
Julie felt a streak of emotion slice through her: surprise, confusion and fear. Gasping, she pushed away, staring up at Remmy with wide eyes. Her hands fell away from Remmy’s neck. She felt flustered and deeply hurt. “Why did you do that?” she whispered, stepping back toward the car.
Remmy brought a hand up to the back of her neck, feeling foolish and stung. “I...” she stopped herself. She did that because she’d wanted to kiss Julie, plain and simple. But it wasn’t that simple. Not for Julie.
“I think I need to get home,” Julie said when Remmy said nothing, offering no explanation. She was desperate to be alone, to get away from Remmy. Her heart was pounding, and her lips tingled.
Remmy nodded. “Okay.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her cargo shorts, backing away from the car.
“Get in, Remmy. I’ll drop you off at your apartment,” Julie said, unable to meet Remmy’s eyes.
“No. I’m going to walk. Nice night, and all.”
Julie watched as Remmy turned around, hurrying across the parking lot, disappearing into the increasing shadows. Julie forgot that she was standing on the very spot, in the very position she’d been in the night Sergio had taken her, as she continued to stare at the spot where Remmy had vanished into the night.