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2024-10-29 19:42:56Mack woke up, and he was still feeling the relaxation in his body from the night before. It was still in his muscles as well. He didn’t want to move. He found himself grinning even more as he nuzzled into her neck. Knowing he could spend the next few days with her and not have to think about the case even though in the back of his mind, he was still working on it, and he knew that. He was finally able to show her everything he meant almost every time they were together. He wasn’t going to go anywhere. He knew that was her biggest fear though she would never admit that.
She was so strong-willed, and that was because she had so much to prove to everyone around her except for him. He didn’t need to have anything proven. He knew she was the best at everything except reading people. He could and would help her with that. It would be forever if he had h
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The Friend Trap 17
“Why are you always here?” Henni asked one day after he walked into the house. It had been about two weeks since their relationship had changed. He looked at her as he took off his jacket coat and placed it on the table chair. He smiled at her.“Haven’t you figured that out yet?” he asked as he walked over and bent down to give her a quick kiss hello.“If I had figured it out, do you think I would be asking you about it?” Henni asked, and he chuckled.“That much is true.” He said as he sat down next to her and saw her working on a review for some of her records for work. She had taken to doing more work from home in the past month or so because she knew he would be there sometime through the night, or he would call her on those very rare nights he didn’t spend time with her. “I guess I found my person is the best answer I
The Friend Trap 18
“You said you wanted to marry me earlier.” She said as she looked at him the day later. She knew he would talk about everything with her, and she was willing to listen to him. He never got angry with her questions. He simply would chuckle and then break down the answers in a way she understood. She had no way of really understanding how relationships work. He knew that. He also was always willing to bridge the gap between them. She was too because of this one small thing that he did without thinking too much about it. Mack was one of the few people in her life that had taken the time to do this. He just accepted her as she was and found a way to work with it instead of trying to change her in any way.“I did,” he said as he looked up to her. “Are we really going to talk about this now?”“I just don’t understand why you would think that.” She said as she tilted her head
The Friend Trap 19
“That’s love.” He said as he looked at her and cupped her face. “I wanted to be better because of you. You would have accepted me either way.” He smiled and then kissed her nose. “That right there is love at its best form.”“I still don’t really understand.” She said as she looked at him. She heard everything that he said, but it almost seemed he was talking in circles. The simple fact was she really had no idea how love worked. The things that she felt for him were not easy to understand. She knew she liked him more than anyone else. He made her feel good even with her questions. He was just good to be around.“Love is something you feel you never really understand it, sweetheart.” He chuckled. “Here is a better question. When it comes to me, do you feel something different when I am around, then let's say one of the guys you work with?”“Yes.” She said
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“I still don’t really get it.” She said. “But let’s move on to why you think you want to marry me.”“That is even easier to explain.” He laughed. “But I really don’t want to get into that right now. It isn’t the right time.”“What is the right time?” She asked as she looked at him in the sunlight. He looked at her and knew that she was going to push this. He really didn’t want this to go on, though, at least at the moment. “I mean, I think we should talk about it so I can understand and know what to look for so I can make the right decisions.”The wind started to pick up as they were sitting on the patio, and he looked around to see if there were any storms on the horizon. There were no clouds in the sky, so he thought it would die down soon enough. He knew
The Friend Trap 21
“What?” he asked as she looked at her, clearly shocked. That was not what he expected at all. He was trying to clear the shock from his face and voice as he heard it when he heard himself speak. He nearly choked when he had processed her words even though they were clear.“I asked you if you would marry me?” she asked. She was straight-faced. She looked at him and saw that he was shocked. It was amusing in some ways, but she was also slightly confused because he said it was what he wanted.“That isn’t a question you joke about, honey.” He said as he swallowed. “Even when we are talking about it for the future.”“I know that.” She said as she looked at him. She was still clear-faced and was waiting for him to answer her. “Mack, I know it isn’t a joke, and I am being serious.&rdq
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Henni was content with his answer though she knew nothing about weddings or anything associated with them. She didn’t know if he did either. He looked at her though and stood up, “Well, we need to go to the store.”“We do?” she asked. “We didn’t have plans to go out today?”“Two weeks isn’t a long time.” He laughed. “There are things we can do today that will make everything else go easier.”“Good, so you know how to do this.” She said as she looked at him.“Not really.” He laughed. “But I do know a wedding is easy enough. The reception is just a party. I know a place we can have the ceremony. We will drive out there tomorrow, and you can see it. If you like it, I know that I can rent it out, and we have the setting for everything. I think you
The Friend Trap 23
As they entered the next store, it was for parties. He looked at her as she looked around with wide eyes. “Did you never have a party?” he asked softly. He knew a lot about her right then. She had been the one to be“Not really.” She said. “I mean, I have gone to them, but I didn’t realize there was so much you could get that was all in one place. This is good to know for the future. It could also be a help since I didn’t know about any of this stuff was here.”“Well, look around. You are going to need balloons and other things as well. The area is open, so we can set it up outside or under a cabin area if the weather decides to go against us. But everything that we need is right here for it to be a great day.”“Balloons?” she asked.“You know to go around as decorations. I figured you really aren’
The Friend Trap 24
He helped her bring in all the bags of the things they had bought at the store. They had left them in the front of her house, and then he brought out his phone and made the first of the phone calls he wanted to do for the night. He disappeared into the house somewhere as he was pacing around, and she was looking at all the bags and everything that was in front of her.He was trying to keep quiet, but the first call seemed to be him reassuring someone that this was something he wanted to do. Then he finally was quiet again. When he came down the stairs, she knew he had gone upstairs to tell whomever he was on the phone. He looked at her, “My parents are a pain, but they are looking forward to meeting you.” He said with a grin. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”“Really because that seemed like they argued with you.” She said as she looked up.
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The Friend Trap 64
As the group, all headed to the small ceremony for Matt in the church. They all knew this was the real end to the situation. They thought it had ended years before, but now there was no one left but them. They were now sitting as a group behind Matt’s parents, and the children all hugged them as well. They turned to Mack, “He is gone now. I hope you don’t mind if we adopt them as our grandchildren. We have known you and your cousin since you were born.” “Ma’am, if that is what you want to do, my wife and I would love you share them with you,” Mack replied, and Henni nodded. The kids all stood with their parents. “Matt was their godfather. It would honor him to have you a part of their lives.” Mack moved into the pew, and the kids sandwiched between them. “Daddy?” his daughter asked as he whispered. “What, sweetheart?” Mack asked quietly as the service was going to start in a moment. “Why are we here?” she asked and
The Friend Trap 63
Max couldn’t listen to her anymore. He got what he needed from her. He turned his back and walked out without another word. He shut the door, and the Captain clapped him on the back as he walked out into the air of the main room, and then he went to his car. He opened his glove compartment and took out the box of cigarettes. He hated the fact he still carried them, and he would debate on tossing them, knowing they were stale by now.He pulled one out and lit it as he took a deep drag. He was surprised he didn’t start coughing. It had been months since his last one. The captain walked out and spotted him. “Didn’t take you for a smoker.” He said as he walked up to the younger man.“I’m not. I quit when I got out of the army.” Max said as he looked at the cigarette in his hand. “Today, I really need this.”
The Friend Trap 62
At the station, he was waiting for Beth to be processed. He knew he had to make the phone call he was dreading. He picked up, knowing that he was going to make the in-person notification to Matt’s parents, but he was going to make this phone call first. It wasn’t normal, but Max needed to get it off his chest. “Hello?” Mack answered. “Mack,” Max said, and he found the words getting caught in his throat. “You found him, didn’t you?” Mack said softly. “Yes,” Max said as he hung his head down. “How long?” Mack asked. “Looks like the day of the murders,” Max said as he thought of his friend. He also had gone over the thought that Max had after he used Deanna’s paper as a clue itself. He thought he knew everything, but Mack was the one who had thought for weeks his friend was gone. “I see,” Mack said. “Well, I know the next
The Friend Trap 61
Max was standing in the building that was in the middle of nowhere. He had a team in the back of him that was going to breach the doors first. The two people inside were considered armed and dangerous after the break in the case that had come from his students. After that, everything fell into place just like Mack had said it would. It had been easy to locate the building after he was able to see everything more clearly. The woods were wet and chilly for the season. The smell of the forest was dank and deep. As the team was breathing deeply to make the breach a bit easier, they could feel the heaviness in the air. It was almost ominous for everyone. Walking into the unknown was never easy. This was a bit harder. They were waiting for the teams to get to all the exits covered. Max didn’t think they would run. He had to wonder if it was even them in the building. The team was moving around as they used the heat sensor to see
The Friend Trap 60
Max Anderson stood in front of his class the next day. It was an intro to criminal science, but these kids were the next possible generation of the police force. He looked around to the fifty or so students, and though his eyes lingered on one for a few seconds longer, she wasn’t looking at him. She hadn’t since the day she got tongue-tied and almost ran out of the room. That was a few months ago. She had shown up to class, but he could see she was having trouble with some of the concepts. She would not come to get help, though. She wouldn’t put herself in a position to be alone with him again. At least he thought that was the reason. The lecture hall was full. He was hoping to use their brains. They would be the new set of eyes they needed to get through this case and sifting the big things from the small things. If Matt knew the procedures, it was time to throw th
The Friend Trap 59
The Days passed. The more they knew about everything, the more they knew it wasn’t as it was supposed to be. It was a planned event to look like something else. Mack walked into the other police station to deliver a few things. He looked at Max’s office and saw him there. “I thought you would be at the university,” Mack said as he knocked at the doorframe of the small office. “I normally do,” Max said. “However, my basement office there is full of papers that I don’t want to deal with today.” “Makes sense,” Mack said as he took a step in. “What are you doing here?” Max asked as he looked at the man. “Dropping off a folder on another case,” Mack said as he sat down. “Any news?” “A thousand small pieces of information. Now just trying to make sense of it.” Max said as he looked at Mack, knowing he knew exactly what he meant without any more explaining. “The in
The Friend Trap 58
“Why would that matter?” Henni asked as she looked at the two men. “A crime of passion often has lesser charges,” Mack said as he looked at his wife. “Because passion can blind you from the way you normally would act. It is like a temporary, momentary insanity. You can do many things if you have that extra bit.” “I see,” Henni said as she looked at the two. “We need to go over what he does know and what he doesn’t,” Max said as he looked at the two. “This is going to take a while.” “Then we should get started,” Henni said as she sat down and then started to thinking. She was filtering the conversations with Matt that she had and the ones she overheard Mack have with him. Soon she was listing the questions and the information that the two had given him. She was rather quick about it, and Max was even more impressed with the woman. He had recorded the whole thing as he knew he would need to go back and list
The Friend Trap 57
“I don’t think the people are all the people we are supposed to think they are.” Max said, “as bad as that sounds.” “Henni is having the same issue.” Mack replied as he sighed, “I would say we need to wait on the DNA results before moving on.” “With that one, I agree. Your missing person, though. There are so many things not right I don’t know if I should keep it a missing person or move it up the food chain a bit.” Max said. “I think I have to move it. I am sorry because I know he was your friend, but I don’t think he is alive any longer.” “I know,” Mack said as he shook his head. “The only hope I had has already gone. Our second youngest’s birthday was a few days ago. Matt never forgot her birthday. He was there in the hospital with us right after she was born. He is her godfather. No matter what, even if he was hiding, he would have found a way to get her a message or something to h
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“I see,” Henni said. Henni dreaded the reports being brought to her via her work email. She was grateful they did not call her to do the actual autopsies. She did the video observation, though. So she still had those imagines in her mind. Though right now, she was trying to be clinical about everything. She had worked on cases where she had known the person on the table before. This was different. “Are you holding up?” Mack asked as he walked into the house, knowing that she had been there to observe everything in the past three days. She hadn’t said much. She was still having a difficult time with processing everything to do with this. It was bringing up the past she had worked really hard to forget. “I am here,” Henni said. “They had to do DNA to identify Beth and Alisha. Their parents wouldn’t look at them.” “Why?” Mack asked, a little angry that someone could do this to their children
