Tuesday Tales: From the Word ANXIOUS

Good day and welcome to February. Here’s hoping there’s enough vaccine around this month for all of us!

This week’s Tuesday Tales ‘ prompt is the word ANXIOUS. I believe we’re all a little anxious these days. I’m continuing with The White Dahlia, Book Four of The Harvester Files.

“I do, and I hope to hell I’m wrong, but too much fits. You had to see it when you found her—white, single, in her twenties—”

“But not a pristine body dressed in white, tenderly wrapped in a pink or blue blanket.” Beth swallowed the anger and fear simmering inside. “This girl was carved up and then tossed away naked as if she were nothing more than garbage.”

“Which is why I have to try. The MO is way different, and I need to be sure. Amos used that test to prove that the child with hemophilia wasn’t one of James Colchester’s. I have copies of the DNA samples collected in Alaska as well as the ones Amos collected from James’s children. I begged him for them, and he brought them to me himself last night. Beth, it was never made public, but the Chosen autopsied in Alaska as well as the Prophet and Adam Colchester all have O negative blood.”

Beth swallowed the bile rising within her. “What about James Colchester? Did he?”

“No, and neither does Jacob Andrews although they are both O positive. Amos is staying in New York to help with the test. He’s almost as anxious as I am. He made me promise not to say anything until the results are in, but that test takes days. We have to start looking now. I don’t know what I’m hoping to find out here—maybe nothing will come of it, maybe it’ll open a proverbial can of worms. One thing is certain, depending on when she gave birth, and with the level of folic acid in her system I think it had to be within the last few months, we may have a missing baby, too.”

Beth licked her lips. “I pray to God you’re wrong. Give my best to Amos and call as soon as you have anything else.” She rattled off her cellphone number.

“I will. There’s a chance I’m way off base on this,” Mitch offered.

“Yeah, but you could also be right on. Take care.”

Beth ended the call. Keeping what Mitch had said from Al would be difficult if not impossible, but there was someone who had to know sooner rather than later. If Mitch was right … She needed to talk to Chad Markell now.

Pulling up her contacts, she dialed his number. Unfortunately, voice mail answered.

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.