Particles of Obsession (A Shadow of Death Romantic Suspense Book 2) by Charlotte Raine Read Free Book Online

College has disappeared with a weapon. The college has shut down, likely until she’s found. It’s such a complex event that I’m not exactly certain how to express everything that I want to say.
    If she chooses to commit violence against any person—innocent or not—it will be devastating and tragic. She will absolutely deserve to serve whatever sentence a jury gives her.
    Yet, at the same time, I cannot help but feel that there is more to this story. This woman has a history—maybe a history of pain, of mental illness, of something that triggered her to disappear with a gun. I’m not pleading for sympathy; I’m just confused. I didn’t know her personally, but I knew one of her close friends, who seemed quite affectionate of her and considered her a moral person. I’ve heard from other people that she was a good person. I had also talked to her once after that friend died, and she seemed to completely understand the sanctity of life.
    Now, she is gone with a weapon and an angry e-mail to the school.
    Kiona is Native American—I’m not certain what tribe—but I saw a raven at the college and my first thought was that this was a message from some higher power about her because ravens are an important symbol to many Native American tribes. While many cultures consider ravens a symbol of evil or bad luck, as in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, some Native American tribes consider it a Creator or a trickster deity.
    Let us hope that this is the beginning of something new or a simple trick because if it is something evil, then we must fathom that idea of evil in all people. If she could pretend to be good with such perfect replication, then anybody could pretend to be good, and safety in numbers is a joke.
    I hope it’s not because everyone needs each other more than ever. Lean on each other and show Kiona that she has a place to return to when she’s tired of running.
    “I still don’t see the connection,” I say.
    “Ravens. I mention ravens in this blog post, as well as Poe’s poem, and the ear is in a box covered with lines from The Raven .”
    “And what’s this about showing her that she has a place when she’s tired of running?” I ask, handing him back the laptop. “She shot a person.”
    “I wrote it before she shot that girl,” he says. “You don’t know if she was the one who killed Alex. That could have been someone who wanted vengeance for him killing Victoria, Iris, or Everett.”
    “How would they have figured it out before us?” I ask.
    “They could have had a different clue,” he says.
    I shake my head. “So…this person who sent you the ear reads your blog. Kiona’s accomplice or the person who Kiona is helping out is reading your blog.”
    “We can’t be sure she’s involved,” he says. “Nobody saw her leave. She could have been kidnapped. And the killer took her gun because he or she wanted everyone to think Kiona left on her own volition and had plans to commit violence.”
    “That is the craziest conspiracy theory you’ve spun yet,” I say. “Sometimes, things are exactly the way they seem.”
    “How else do you explain Kiona’s ear being sent to me?” he asks.
    “Clearly, Kiona is crazy,” I say. “Her murder rap sheet already proves that. It’s not that much further of a step to cut off her own ear.”
    “People murder each other all of the time and some of their motives are at least understandable,” he says. “Nobody would understand why anybody would cut off their ear and send it to a professor in the mail.”
    I want to accuse him of inventing more conspiracy theories, but it actually makes sense. The killer has already tried to frame me for a murder. The killer is smart, but they don’t seem overly adaptable. They would see how effective it was to frame me for murder and continue with that pattern. Maybe they realized I wasn’t a good enough patsy because I would continue to search for clues.
    “This killer is obsessed with you,” I say.
    “I think