Prologue
Jewel
The music loud the lights are down and the smell of sex lingers in the air, as I look around at all of the friends I’ve known for years I tear up. Socket standing at the bar with some floozy hanging off him and he loves it, they all do. The last five years have been fun, parties riding with Socket and the girls. My life up until this morning was going the way I wanted it, I had a man who I loved a club full of amazing people who had my back and I even liked my job. But one little word on a white stick changed everything.
The reason Socket and I worked so well was we both loved sex and lots of it, but there were rules with Socket and that was ‘NO KIDS EVER’ and I understood. There was no way I wanted kids and Socket was fun, but he just wasn’t ‘my one’. I knew there was no happily ever after with Socket. I stand up and walk to the door taking one last look, even though I never wanted kids, having one in me changed everything. “You leavin’ darlin’” Tiny asks and I nod
“Yeah, I’m a bit tired”
“You gettin’ Socket?”
“Nah, he’s having too much fun” Tiny looks over at Socket and the bitch
“You sure” I nod patting him on his large chest
“I’m all good Tiny, Night” I tell him taking a deep breath and walking to my car
I pack the things that mean anything to me and leave the rest, I write a simple goodbye note to Socket and head out the door not even looking back.
Goodbye Socket, I hope you find what you’re looking for in life.
Love always Jewel xoxo
No letter of sorrow, just a simple wish you well in life, because that’s what the little peanut and I are going to have a simple life…
***
Chapter One
Dove
“Order up” I look up at JT as he slides another plate on the counter
“JT, I said scrambled eggs” he looks at the plate and moans, he’s been getting orders wrong all day and it’s starting to piss me off. “You ok?” I ask him as the bell above the door rings and I look up seeing two Sheriffs’ deputies, they walk straight to the counter looking around “Can I help you officers?”
“Looking for a Dove Baker” I frown knowing I haven’t broken the law
“I’m Dove Baker” I tell them and they both look at each other
“May we have a private word Miss Baker” I look at Delores and she nods, but keeps her distance, she hates cops, something she’s said many a time. I follow the officer outside so we can have some privacy.
We walk closer to their cruiser and they both turn and look at me again and I get that bad feeling running up my spin. “Miss Baker where here in regards to your sister Simone” I look at both of them, I haven’t seen Simone in over two years and even before than we never really had a relationship that was friendly
“What about her?” I ask them
“She was killed yesterday evening” he tells me and I stare at them as I feel myself go a little numb, we never really got on but she was still my sister. “Miss Baker are you ok?” (am I ok) I shake my head
“No, I’m not ok, you just told me that my sister died, how do you think I feel?” I sarcastically tell them
“We understand ma’am”
“Is that all?” I ask them but one of them shakes their heads
“I am sorry ma’am, but we need you to come down to the morgue and identify her”
“What? no way, go and ask my useless mother”
“We already have and if she’s not claimed, then she goes to the paupers’ burial next month”
“Paupers’ burial?” I ask not sure what the hell that is
“It’s where all of the unclaimed bodies are all buried together in a mass grave or just cremated together and dumped”
“Oh god”
“Will you come and see if it’s your sister, this woman needs to be identified” I nod my head not wanting to but if it is Simone, I don’t want her to be buried with complete strangers or burned with complete strangers.
*
It’s the smell that hits you first, that weird chemical smell that you smell in hospitals but this is stronger. I’m led down a long corridor and through two rooms, the officer taps on the window and the door off to the side opens, a middle-aged man comes out with a white doctors’ coat and a clipboard
“Simone Baker” the officer says to him and the guy nods
“Ok give me a minute” he goes back into the room; the coldness of the room makes me shiver and the officer looks at me
“You ok?” he asks me concern in his look but I hold onto myself, just wanting to get this over with. A curtain is pulled back from the window and the man is standing in front of a body, a sheet covering it. My heart speeds up and I feel sick (please don’t be Simone) the officer turns to me as I step forward more