Alex is tapping buttons on the phone, and I look over his shoulder to see what he’s doing. He opens a folder, and there’s another message—one that I missed.

“You shouldn’t have warned her.”

Short and simple. But an ominous warning.

I feel sick to my stomach. “What was Rita involved in?”

Alex is silent as he searches the phone for other messages. Unfortunately, these two are the only ones we find.

“What number did she call you from tonight?” Alex asks me.

“Her house phone. ...