Free Blood Dahlia - A Thriller (Sarah King Mysteries) by Victor Methos Page A

was too thin and wouldn’t keep her warm.”
    Sarah didn’t say anything. She thought back to the last time she saw her mother. The shame and guilt on her face as she turned her back on Sarah.
    “How long have you had this gift?”
    “Gift?” she scoffed.
    “It’s a gift, Sarah. Don’t let anybody tell you different.”
    She sipped her bee r and looked out of the alley at the cars passing by. “You see those shows on TV, and they show the dead as full of light and love. That they’re there to tell us things and let us know they love us.” She looked him in the eyes. “Do you know what the dead actually are? They’re angry. They’re angry, and they’re jealous that we’re still alive. And they take it out on anybody who  can see them. Murder victims are terrified and lash out because they don’t know what else to do. This isn’t a gift. My life has been a nightmare since the day I was born…” She trailed off, leaning her head back against the wall. “A waking nightmare. I can’t wake up.”
    Rosen was quiet a long while. He finally said, “My grandmother taught me that just because you don’t believe in things doesn’t mean they aren’t real. She lived in a world filled with ghosts and demons. With possibility. But she wasn’t bitter. She said every day she looked for a way to help people. On this side or the next.”
    She was silent a moment before finishing off her beer and throwing the bottle into the dumpster. “What do you want from me?”
    “I want your help. The person who did this, I think, will keep doing this for a long time. He’s smart, and completely detached from any human emotion. He won’t stop, Sarah.”
    “Do you know how many people die every day? I can’t help all of them.”
    “No, but you can help the ones that are being killed by him.” He took out his card and slipped it into her hand. “Please call me if you change your mind.”
    Sarah watched Rosen walk out of the alley and go around the corner. She was alone again, in the dark.
    She sighed and went back inside the bar.

14
     
     
     
     
    As the crowds began leaving the bar around two in the morning, Sarah finished her side work and wiped everything down. Bottles were replaced, the tills were counted, and she helped some of the other staff make sure the tables were clean before the maintenance crew came in the morning to clean the floors.
    “You doin’ okay?” Trevor asked from behind the bar, where he was filling in a spreadsheet.
    “I’m fine.” Sarah used a fresh rag to wipe down a table. “Why?”
    “I know you visited Jeannie. Do they know what happened?”
    She stopped what she was doing and sat down, moving the rag aside. “She was raped.”
    “Shit.” He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and brought it over to the table with two tumblers. He poured a couple of fingers in each and pushed one toward her. They clinked glasses and downed the drinks.
    “Do they know who?”
    “This guy she’d been seeing for a couple weeks. She’s pretty beat up, Trevor.”
    “Did they find the guy?”
    “I don’t know.”
    He shook his head. “I don’t understand that urge, man. To beat up on a woman. I mean, how could you feel good about yourself doing something like that? I just don’t get it.”
    “That’s because you’re a good person. It’s hard for good people to understand how bad people think. ” She exhaled loudly. “I’m gonna go if you don’t need anything else.”
    “I’m good. Thanks for covering.”
    “Yup. See ya tomorrow.”
    Sarah left the bar and sat in her car for a few moments. She debated going home but then started her car and did a U-turn, heading toward the hospital.
    When she got there, parking was wide open . She stopped in front of the building and stared at it. There was no telling how Jeannie would react this time. But Sarah didn’t care. This was what friends did.
    The hospital wasn’t busy , and the quiet was the most unnerving thing. Sarah could hear the televisions