Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas Read Free Book Online Page B

claimed she was there to meet her boyfriend, but was unwilling to give his name. She waited for him in the rooftop bar, but according to victim he canceled their plans at 11:15; she stayed on and ordered more drinks. Victim says she remembers entering the stairwell, which she “always uses.” Victim remembers receiving blows to her face, head, and torso, but cannot describe her attacker. She also remembers having her air cut off by someone or something crushing her throat. She is unsure where the attack took place, and doesn’t remember leaving the hotel. At this time, victim is still disoriented and confused—the medical examiner’s official report is pending but according to the ICU doctor, memory loss and confusion are normal in cases of strangulation.
    Veronica read on and stray words registered—
blonde
,
shock
,
evidence
. Then her eyes fell on the victim’s name.
Grace Elizabeth Manning
. Age nineteen.
    It took a moment for the name to register.
    Grace Elizabeth Manning.
    It couldn’t be the same Grace Manning. It just couldn’t.

CHAPTER EIGHT
    Even as Veronica fought the idea, she knew in her gut that it was true. The girl in the photos, beaten to the brink of death, was the same Grace Manning she’d last seen ten years ago, when she’d still been in high school. Their paths had crossed because of Veronica’s friendship with Grace’s older sister, Meg.
    Meg had been an anomaly among the ’09ers; she was pretty and popular but also genuinely kind. She’d been one of the few friends who stuck with Veronica after Lilly Kane’s murder. The friendship lasted even after Meg started to date Veronica’s ex-boyfriend, Duncan Kane, but hit the rocks hard when he got back with Veronica.
    The intensity of Meg’s spite had surprised even Veronica, who knew bitterness all too well. Then came the bus crash that killed eight of their classmates and severely injured Meg. Veronica soon learned the real reason for her hostility to Veronica and Duncan: She was pregnant with Duncan’s child.
    Meg died from her injuries, but her baby survived and the Mannings got sole custody. A few weeks later, Veronica broke into the Manning house to investigate hints of child abuse. There she found Grace Manning, nine years old and terrified, crouched in a tiny compartment behind the wall in her closet. She’d been shut in by her parents, religious fanatics who didn’t believe in sparing the rod. Veronica and Duncan’s next move was the only viable one they could see: Duncan had kidnapped the baby, and Veronica had masterminded an escape to a safe home far away from Neptune. She hadn’t heard one word from Duncan since.
    Veronica didn’t know what had happened in Grace’s life since that night. She didn’t know what triumphs she might have celebrated, what hopes and dreams she’d pursued. All she knew was that it wasn’t fucking fair. Sometimes lightning struck twice; sometimes, one person got more than their share of suffering.
    But none of that mattered now. There were still boxes and boxes of information to comb through, and a hundred unanswered questions about the attack. Veronica picked up the file and continued reading. Deputies Bundrick and Foss kept going back to the girl’s bedside and asking the same questions, over and over.
They’re trying to catch her in a lie,
Veronica realized, staring down at the fourth such interview.
She’s lying there in a hospital bed, unable to speak, barely able to move, and they’re trying to figure out how to get this case off their desk.
Their frustration was palpable. So was Grace’s.
BUNDRICK: So you remember going into the stairwell. Do you remember going into one of the rooms on the way down?
    VICTIM: No. I remember walking to the stairwell and starting down, but nothing’s clear from there on. I don’t know what happened.
    BUNDRICK: But last time we were here you claimed to remember someone hitting you in the face.
    VICTIM: I remember the sensation of someone hitting me in