Free Dark Illusion: A Psychological Thriller Novel by Dana V. Moison

already had gone through her midlife crisis, which in her case, of course,
had started at the age of twenty-five.
    Gloria ordered herself to pick up
her hand and execute the elementary action of knocking on the door, an action
she never had trouble executing before. So why was it so difficult right now?
    Her hand already had risen up.
Her heart started pounding. An oppressive heat took over her entire body. Her
clenched fingers made their way to the door but never got a chance to reach
their destination.
    Andy opened the door before she
ever knocked.
    “I was just on my way to see
you,” Andy explained. He looked just as confused as Gloria was, as if he, too,
had been sitting in his room for the past hour, running all kinds of scenarios
through his head. A smile of relief spread across Gloria’s face, which made
Andy feel even more confused. But then, as he was processing the image before
his eyes, he began to smile.
    Andy realized he wasn't the only
fool in love.
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER 14
     
     
    E ven if she’d
had a hundred opportunities, Sharon would have never guessed who was on the
other end of the line.
    “Hello,” she answered nonchalantly,
not really paying attention, as she was tied up with the case.
    “Hello, Detective Davis, this is
Kelly Danes speaking.”
    Sharon almost dropped the
receiver. There was no doubt Kelly had managed to get her full attention.
    “Hello, Miss Danes.” Sharon,
still completely surprised, was trying to choose her words carefully so she
wouldn’t get in trouble again. “I hadn’t expected to hear from you.”
    And I was forbidden from ever
contacting you again.
    “Indeed, I know our last
conversation did not end on a positive note . . .” Kelly said.
    Sharon was already intrigued.
    “. . . And yet, I’ve decided that
if you believe that I can somehow help with finding the person who murdered all
those poor girls, then it is my duty to do so.”
    Sharon had not expected this. She
was very good at reading others, and the last time they’d talked she hadn’t
noticed that Kelly was eager to help.
    Can the leopard change its
spots?
    “Miss Danes, you’ve managed to
surprise me.” Sharon decided not to disclose her reservations or the questions
building up inside of her. She had to figure out what was going on here. “We
would be happy to have your assistance about anything you can remember
regarding the case.”
    Kelly was smiling from the other
side of the line. Detective Davis had just let the fox guard the henhouse.
    “I’ll do my best to answer your
questions, Detective Davis, but I honestly don’t think I remember much.”
    No worries, there’s plenty of
information between the lines , Sharon thought. “Great. Let’s schedule a
meeting as soon as possible.”
    “My schedule is free tomorrow
afternoon. You can stop by my office if you’d like.” Kelly preferred to stay on
home turf.
    Ordinarily, Sharon would have
never agreed to meet with a potential witness – let alone a possible suspect –
outside the police station, especially when she was still questioning their
motives. But this time it worked perfectly. That way no one, not even Rob,
would find out about her renewed contact with Kelly.
    “Done. What’s the address?“
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER 15
     
     
    T he very next
day, Sharon left the office early, saying she had a dental appointment. Rob had
no choice but to assent in a silent frown, if only because Sharon had never
missed a day of work. In fact, she used to stay at work long hours after
punching her card. This was exactly why he was wondering if she really was on
her way to the dentist, or maybe the state of her pearly whites wasn’t really
that bad.
    The roads of Manhattan were
swamped with cars, the yellow taxis the city was known for standing out among
them. Traffic was heavier than usual, and Sharon was relieved that she wasn’t
driving. The address Kelly had given her was only a couple of blocks away from
the subway station