Smoky Mountain Investigation by Annslee Urban Read Free Book Online

untouched. And it showed.
    The high-intensity beams of flashlights cast distorted shadows across the area, adding to the oppressive climate of the evening, which made staying close to Nick a necessity.
    “There’s nothing up here,” Dave grumbled under his breath.
    Nick didn’t stop his investigation. He pushed aside dangling cobwebs and flashed his light into every nook and cranny. Kylie moved along beside him, although quickly coming to the same conclusion as Dave.
    “Look at this.” Nick knelt down and directed his light on the side of a small box. Big Sky Fireworks Company. Sumter, SC.
    He slipped on the latex gloves Dave had given him and looked over at Kylie, his eyes narrowing. “Start taking notes, Reporter Harper. I think we’ve just hit pay dirt.”
    Emotion lumped in Kylie’s throat. She gave a short nod.
    With expert precision, Nick carefully peeled back each flap of the box.
    The rush of blood pounding in Kylie’s ears merged with the roar of distant thunder. She tried not to jump, tried not to breathe.
    Dave came up beside her and glanced over her shoulder. “Looks like nothing more than a bunch of old papers.”
    Nick picked through the loose pages and pulled a bundle from underneath. “Shine your light over here, Dave.”
    Dave targeted his flashlight on the bound file in Nick’s hands.
    Nibbling her lip, Kylie watched carefully as Nick slipped off a rubber band and the bulging folder popped open. Dozens of rough-cut newspaper articles and photos flew into the air before scattering onto the uneven loft floor at Nick’s feet.
    Setting the empty folder aside, Nick started collecting the documents on the floor.
    Kylie gasped and her body went rigid when she realized she was looking at articles she’d written, along with four-by-eight black-and-white prints—of her.

FIVE
    B ack at the precinct, Nick and Kylie were holed up in the same stuffy room as before, insulated from the rumbling environment outside the door and the local media hounds. Nick sifted through an assortment of photos and clipped newspaper articles. A visual display of Kylie’s life over the past ten years.
    In one picture, he recognized Kylie’s parents and sister, huddled around her at her college graduation. Another caught Kylie handing out drinks at some sort of church event. Other random shots showed her mingling with friends in various settings, some dating back to their high-school years and all taken in public places.
    The guy had quite a collection. Nick shook his head and tossed the prints onto the table, the pile beneath it steadily growing. He grabbed the last few from the folder. And as he shuffled through them, surprise kicked his pulse up. One of the pictures was of him and Kylie at their senior prom.
    Nick glanced over at Kylie sitting beside him, grateful to find her propped back in her chair reading through the preliminary police report. He doubted she was up for reminiscing.
    He added the rest of the photos to the stack, save one. Sitting back, he indulged himself in a second look at the senior picture.
    It was a typical scripted pose, his arm around Kylie’s waist, holding her close, their smiles beaming for the camera. She’d looked beautiful that night in her black evening gown. He’d bought her a yellow rose corsage, and she’d given him a matching boutonniere. He’d borrowed his parents’ old Cadillac and they ate dinner at Spencer’s Steak House, the nicest restaurant in town.
    He smiled nostalgically, remembering their first dance. The salsa. A far cry from the country swing they had practiced. He never could figure our who was leading whom. In truth, they’d both worked hard trying to keep from tripping the other.
    They’d laughed about it later. He’d promised Kylie that after graduation he’d take ballroom-dance lessons with her.
    A bitter sigh caught in his throat. Another promise he hadn’t kept.
    Nick swallowed twice, dismissing the regret.
    Sending Kylie a sidelong glance, he noted how