The Killings (An Olivia Miller Mystery Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

enemies?”
    Colleen shook her head. “No.” Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. Why would anyone do this?”
    “Did either of the guys mention trouble with someone? A run-in with anybody? Online harassment?” Olivia pressed, trying to think of any little thing that could lead to finding the person who killed Gary and Christian.
    “No,” Colleen said. “I never heard about any trouble.”
    “How about at work?” Olivia asked. “What about Gary? Did he have any trouble with a student? A parent? Did either of the guys ever mention a clash with a co-worker?”
    “No,” Colleen said. Her eyes filled with tears. “Christian got along with the people he worked with. He was moving out of our apartment on the first of November. He wanted to be closer to work, wanted to be able to walk to work. He was moving in with a friend of his from MIT. Luke Smithson. And Gary loved his job. He loved the kids he worked with. He never complained about anything.”
    “You said your bedroom door was shut when you heard the commotion, when you hid in the closet,” Olivia said. “You heard your bedroom door open when you were hiding?”
    Colleen nodded.
    “The killer must have opened the door,” Melissa said.
    Colleen winced.
    “Did you hear any voices when you heard the bedroom door open?” Olivia asked.
    “No. I didn’t hear any talking.” Colleen’s face scrunched up trying to hold back her tears. “Why would someone do this?” she whispered. “Why?”
    ***
    Melissa and Olivia decided to walk back to their Somerville apartment thinking that maybe the crisp fall air would help to clear their heads.
    “I’m exhausted,” Melissa said. “I barely slept. All night I kept listening for noises in the apartment.”
    “Me, too. Every little squeak or branch blowing in the wind had me jumping.”
    “What are you thinking about the murders, Liv?”
    “I don’t know what to think. Maybe it was random, some crazy person, maybe somebody high on something. Gets in, goes nuts.” She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. “Or maybe it was planned.”
    “I just can’t stand thinking about it anymore. The police will figure it out.”
    “Maybe we should talk to the guy Christian was planning to move in with. Luke Smith?” Olivia said.
    “Smithson,” Melissa told her.
    “Maybe he knows if Christian had an enemy or had a fight with someone.”
    “That’s a good idea. We should wait a few days to try to contact him though. He must be pretty upset,” Melissa said. “Are you sure you don’t want to come home with me for a couple of days? Get away from here?”
    “I’ll be okay. I have a lot of work to do. I’ll be busy, but, thanks.” Olivia wasn’t looking forward to being in the apartment alone while Melissa went home, but she had so much to catch up on that she hoped that work would distract her from the horror of the previous night.

Chapter 4
    Olivia sat hunched over her laptop reading and editing the essay she had been working on for over three hours. The words swam on the screen and she leaned back and blinked several times trying to clear her vision. She rubbed her temples where an achy tingle pulsed under the skin. Checking the clock, Olivia was surprised at the late hour and that the time had flown by so fast. She hadn’t intended to stay that long in the library.
    She leaned back trying to stretch her shoulder and neck muscles and a gnawing sensation in her stomach made her realize she hadn’t eaten anything for hours. Olivia shut down her laptop, closed up her notebooks, and pushed everything into her backpack.
    Melissa had gone back to her parents’ home for two nights to be with her family. Some of Olivia’s friends had texted inviting her to dinner or to meet for drinks later but she was looking forward to relaxing in her apartment and maybe watching a movie in her pajamas. Images of last night’s murder victims had unexpectedly flashed into her head throughout the day, and she didn’t