Free Mystery: The Card Counter: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense Thriller Mystery) by James Kipling Page A

vows.” I paused for a moment and thought about it. “I hated her. I didn’t want anything to do with her anymore. She made me feel bad about my job because of the long hours I worked. When I resisted her requests to make more time, she found someone else who would give her what she needed. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to give her what she wanted, but I was a very busy guy. I had responsibilities˗”
    “Dad,” Cassie interrupted. “You’re doing good work out there. I’ve never complained about you being away from the house to work. The work you do is hard and often unrewarding.”
    “That’s not true,” I corrected her. “What I do is easier when I know that it makes the city a safer place for you and your sisters. You girls are the drive that keeps me going when things get tough.”
    “Really?”
    “Well, that and the money.” We both laughed. While I wasn’t poor, I wasn’t exactly a rich man either. “I’m more dedicated now than ever because it’s your campus that’s being attacked. I need to find this person to make everyone safe, including you.”
    “The killer is attacking our students, specifically?” Cassie asked.
    “It seems that way, but there’s a specific pattern,” I replied. “He’s attacking a specific kind of student. Athletes.”
    “Should I be worried?” Cassie asked.
    “I said athletes. Your field hockey team doesn’t count.”
    “Dad,” Cassie said, soberly. It was a serious question and she expected a serious answer from her father.
    “You’ll be fine,” I replied. “I have the football team locked away at a hotel on the other side of town. They’re the targets. Right now, the student population should be safe tonight if my hunch is correct. That’s all confidential, by the way.”
    “Does that mean I can head back and meet some friends to study tonight?” Cassie asked.
    I could tell she didn’t want to hang out because of what had happened with her mother, and I couldn’t blame her. At the same time, I also knew she wasn’t going to be ‘studying’ on a Saturday night. “All right, but please stay together as a group. I don’t want any of you running off on your own. All right?”
    “All right, Dad,” Cassie said as she gave me a half hug. I didn’t mean to toss her mother under the bus by telling the truth, but at the same time, I wasn’t going to lie to my children.
    I never claimed to be perfect, but there was nothing I did that would warrant going out and looking for someone else behind my spouse’s back. I was out there working hard to support my family, keeping the city just a little bit safer at the same time, for the people and my children.
    I called her a cab, and gave her enough cash to get home. I watched her walk out to the cab and even waved as it pulled away. I’m not sure if she saw me, but I did it anyway just in case. Once Cassie was on her way back to campus, I wandered back into the kitchen and tidied up again before finally heading to bed.
    The other girls were already in bed, as things were quiet and the lights were off in their room, so I decided to do the same. There was no telling if my work would wake me up again, forcing me to leave early, so I decided to go to bed as early as possible so I could at least have a little energy if I got that call. Part of me wanted to check on the girls and even apologize if I got the chance, but good judgment got the best of me and I walked right by, and didn’t disturb them. I didn’t even bother to change, and instead just laid down in bed, and passed out in less than a few minutes.
    At first I wasn’t sure how long I was asleep, but I wasn’t woken up by my phone, which was a good sign. I’d gone to bed worrying if someone else would die and I’d have to go back in. That didn’t happen, which gave me the impression that moving the team and coaching staff to a secure location had seemed to help, for now at least. When I opened my eyes, it was a lot brighter, which, according to