Rising Darkness by T.S. Worthington Page B

give themselves away. That is the idea,” Alex said.
    “I know, but it’s getting too dangerous. I can’t’ let you continue to put your life on the line for me,” Joe said.
    “Joe, you are my best friend. I would do this in a heartbeat no matter what. I am not going to let you rot in jail the rest of your life for a crime that I know you did not commit.”
    Joe smiled weakly. He was touched by Alex’s loyalty. The man was a great friend and Joe considered him to be the brother he had never had.
    “I know how you feel. I appreciate it, but I can’t let you continue to risk your life to save mine. If something happens to you then I would never be able to live with myself.”
    “Joe, I am doing this with or without your blessing. I’m not going to just let it lie. You will lose this case if it goes to trial. You know that right?”
    “I do, yes.”
    Joe sat back down on the couch and tried to relax.
    “So, you really think that Robin Lydell attacked you in the parking garage?”
    “If not him then it was someone who works for Jess Lydell,” Alex said.
    “Ok, so we need to tail them both?”
    “I was thinking of that, but I’m sure they will pick up on it. They have the resources available to stay a few steps ahead of us at all times,” Alex said.
    Just then Alex’s phone rang. He saw that it was the PI Dyer calling him.
    “Speak of the devil,” Alex said as he answered the phone. Joe was looking forward to the updates to find out what new info Dyer had uncovered.
    “What? What is it?” Joe asked. He could see the color fading from Alex’s face. His skin was ashen now. Alex looked as if he might puke all over the floor. There was something bad happening on that phone call and all Joe could do was wait until Alex regained his bearings enough to tell him what was wrong.
    Alex disconnected the call a few minutes later and he looked right at Joe. He looked like he was about to pass out and Joe felt the sickness echoing inside of his own body right then.
    “What? What happened?” Joe asked.
    “Jess and Robin Lydell are both dead,” Alex said.
    “What? How?”
    “Someone stabbed them both to death in different rooms of their home.”
    “Jesus, when?”
    “Just a bit ago. The maid found them when she came back from doing some shopping. She was gone only an hour. Whoever did it knew their schedule very well and waited for the perfect time to strike.”
    “This is getting serious. Why would someone kill them?” Joe asked.
    “Maybe I was getting too close and they thought that the Lydell’s were loose ends,” Alex said. His voice was echoing in the air as a stiff monotone. It was unnatural for him. Joe felt the fear trembling through him and it echoed his own concern.
    “Like I said, man. This is getting too hot. You got to let this go, or any one of us might be next.”
    “This is like some sort of a weird nightmare. It really is like a dream I can’t wake up from. I have to be thinking that I got those people killed. I jumped to conclusions and I somehow put them on the killer’s radar. This is all my fault,” Alex began.
    “You had no way of knowing this was going to happen. You can’t blame yourself that way, man.”
    Alex looked at him with emptiness in his eyes. He had lost it a little bit, and Joe knew it. He didn’t know what he could do for his friend, but just try to keep him level.
    “Wait, you said that Jess swore that Robin was using again right? Maybe this thing is drug related after all?” Joe asked.
    “What do you mean? Tracy never took any drugs; you said so yourself.”
    “That doesn’t mean she wasn’t dating a drug dealer and it doesn’t mean that she wasn’t in the wrong place at the wrong time. She might have been a message or she might have seen something that she was not supposed to see,” Joe said. The thoughts that were swirling around in his head about his wife were sickening. He wished to hell he had never even thought of these things but it was tough to