A Long Night Cry 28-30

---

Chapter 28

The gut feeling he was late was the first thing that struck Eli as he woke. He checked his phone and confirmed that it had run out of battery and his alarm had never sounded. Eli noticed a halo-shaped oil outline on his pillow. It convinced him a shower was the first priority. Everything else could wait. He plugged his phone in, started a pod of coffee and raced for the shower.

Layers of thought built and washed away as he lathered his body with soap. His mind went to Havana, the memory of her drifting off to sleep made him smile. He thought of the Cronins, the oddity of their missing daughter and the missing link between the powerful family and Mia Perez.

Wrapped in a towel, he prepared his coffee then went to his phone. It had come back to life, displaying missed calls and voice message notifications. He played a message from Preck.

“Tried to call but it went straight to voicemail. Liz Cronin has agreed to answer a few questions but says she wants to do the interview at her house, so I need you to meet me over there at shortly after nine. We can go over a few things before our appointment with her at nine-thirty. Let me know you got this message as soon as you receive it.”

He tapped a message from Lieutenant Whyte next.