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2024-10-29 19:42:56“I can do that. “she said with a slight smile. “It might be hard at times, but you know I am willing to try things. If they can give me the same time to find my feet like you do, I will be fine.”
“Yes. I do.” He said as he pulled her close. “Now that I made that call, I am going to call Gabe. Word travels fast in the family. I want to ask him to come before it is seen as an afterthought.”
“Okay. “she said. “I am just looking at all of this stuff.”
He went and picked up his phone again and then she heard him. “Hey, so I have something to talk to you about,” Mack said. Then he sighed, “Yeah, sure later.”
Then he made another call. “So hey, I have something I would like to tell you.” He paused and then looked at her sitting on the edge of the other room. “Yeah, sure later.” He hung up the phone, and then he repeated the proces
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The Friend Trap 26
“What?” she asked as she took a breath. She had enough of this already, and she didn’t want to be talking anymore. She could feel herself beginning to shut herself off again. The wall was being built with the one person she thought she would never have to build one to get away from.“I am so sorry, baby, but I don’t want to leave.” He said, “I really don’t mind if you want to be alone. But I need to be with you.”“Mack, what the hell? “she asked as she looked at him.“I let it get to me, and I didn’t do what I should have.” He said as he hung his head down. “That is my mistake.”“What is this thing you should have done?” she asked. Her words were strained. She could barely keep her e
The Friend Trap 27
Waking up in the morning, Mack was ready to make the day a good one and better than the one before though knowing that he almost lost her was enough to make him show her throughout the night how much he did love her. He was taking her to the place he thought would be perfect for them to have the ceremony. He knew that he had a few surprises for her left yet. He would talk to the captain of the department he worked for. Mack knew that he was an ordained minister. That would be one thing taken care of.Basically, the only thing they would have to do was get the license. He really hoped she would like the place he was thinking of. The only way to actually was for her to see it. He could do a lot with the area as well. She was the one who might not really like the ideas he was having, though. He really didn’t think she would care, but he was never going to underestimat
The Friend Trap 28
Within the week, everything was in place. They had the space rented out. They had the things they wanted to decorate the area. She had gone to a few places to look at dresses. Though she still was making up her mind, she had narrowed the field a lot. She had called her brother and her father. Her brother Christian the only one she was still talking to, and he had the same reaction as Mack’s other friends. He was too busy to talk to her. She sighed when she put down the phone.Her father had tried to talk her out of it. She didn’t understand why he would do that since he really didn’t seem to care ninety percent of the time. Though he raised a few good points, he was shot down every time and finally accepted this was going to happen next weekend. He said he would be there. He also said he would walk down the aisle with her. When she told him he would be the only family there for her,
The Friend Trap 29
Henni went out the next day to the place she had two dresses picked out. She was looking around and then she thought she saw some people that she knew. She looked over and then saw them closer, and it was exactly who she thought it was. It was the women she had met a few months ago. It was the ones who were with the guys that had hurt Mack. This was not going to be good if they saw her.As she went on to look at the dresses, it was hard not to overhear the group as they thought they were the only people in there even though there were quite a few other people there. Every time they started, she had to roll her eyes. She looked at the dress she had narrowed it down to. She smiled as she took it off the hanger. It had fit like a glove when she had tried it on last time.The style was perfect for everything, including the area. That was when she heard the comments to the woman who had caused Mack to see
The Friend Trap 30
Henni’s father was standing before her in the little reception area. He was looking around and then at her. “This is not what I would have expected for you.” He said as he looked around. The place had been cleaned up a little since they had been there the two weeks before. It was even more green and more like a fairy tale. Everything looked so beautiful, she had heard people say as they all made their way to the chapel. This must have been in the works for months, most people said. She smiled at that. The two weeks went by quickly as they had worked on everything together. It was her day to shine.“Did you ever expect this situation at all for me?” she asked as she looked at him as she straightened her dress.“To be honest, no,” he replied. “You were the l
The Friend Trap 31
As Mack held her on the dance floor, they had for dancing in the reception area, so very close to his body. He was nothing but smiles, as was she. This day had gone so perfectly. They had already cut the cake to her surprise everyone had thought the cake topper was perfect for him and her after seeing them together. They all knew why he had lost the extra weight and became healthier as well. He looked down at her, and she up to him. It seemed like the rest of the world disappeared when they looked at each other.They had not had a moment without people around since the ceremony. This was the most private they had been since they spoke their vows to each other. Right after the ceremony, when they walked out of the building, it was into the open field where they were getting photographs done. They had one with her father. Then another w
The Friend Trap 32
The young couple sent the next two weeks emptying the boxes that Mack had from moving in and just really getting used to the idea that they were married and nothing was going to get in between that fact. The day after the wedding, he had called his mother and asked her not to tell the extended family. Though he knew most of them would be happy that he had found his someone, he didn’t want to hear the drama from the other half. As it was, he had invited more than they had planned on for the day to help make up for the fact his family wasn’t there. Everything had worked out, though, and they had a wonderful day.The pictures were rolling in from the day as well. So far, there were well over a thousand for them to choose from, and he smiled every time he was reminded of the perfect day and how well everything had turned out. It was a hundred times better than he had planned. She had just rolled wit
The Friend Trap 33
It seemed the time had gone in the blink of an eye. Three months from their wedding and they still hadn’t really heard from any of the people who considered him a friend. He knew he had made more since the wedding that was in the same place as him in life whereas his other friends were not. He had settled into the married life rather well, he thought.“So when are you two going to have kids?” his sergeant asked as he was down with his workout at the gym. Mack looked up to the slightly older man and smiled at the question.“I really don’t know,” Mack said. “My wife is a bit younger than me. We really haven’t discussed it. She comes from a big family, and I don’t.”“Well, that is something that you two should kind of talk about.” the other man laughed. “My wife and I didn’t, a
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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
The Friend Trap 56
“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
