Once Gone (Riley Paige, #1)

by Blake Pierce

Even routine tasks will take a lot of conscious effort, at least for a while.

Riley found herself close to tears as she drove. She couldn’t think of anything to say. She was simply too exhausted. She was always too exhausted.

She tried to read his face. It wasn’t easy. Like all true sociopaths, he masked his feelings with amazing skill.

“He’s a great liar. He can make people believe he’s telling the truth about anything. And he just loves to lie. He does it whenever he gets a chance—and the bigger the lies, the better.”

The truth always sounds like a lie when he tries to tell it.

I’m not saying he’s not capable of murder. He probably is. But he didn’t do these murders.”

She ran toward the door. But time slowed down, and it didn’t feel like running at all. It felt like moving through thick, clear gelatin.

But it was too late. Marie’s neck was broken. She was dead.