What Happened to Lori Read online

  CONTENTS

  Begin reading WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI – BOOK 1: GENESIS

  Continue reading WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI – BOOK 2: REVELATIONS

  Copyright

  Other books featuring Bub and Mu

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  Three people.

  Each has a secret.

  Each has an agenda.

  All three are liars.

  One of them committed a terrible crime.

  One of them is on the run.

  More than one of them is a killer.

  These three people are about to find out what happened to Lori.

  And they’re going to wish they never did…

  WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI – BOOK 1: GENESIS

  Is she dead? Or is it much worse?

  CONTENTS

  Author Note 1

  Author Note 2

  Epigraph

 

  Author Note 3

  AUTHOR NOTE 1

  Storytelling isn’t static. It evolves.

  Movies have been enhancing their artform for over a century. Black and white films became color, which became Cinemascope and 3D and IMAX. Silent films became talkies, which became stereo and surround sound and Dolby Atmos with dozens of speakers.

  Are these just gimmicks? Maybe.

  But they also assist in immersing the viewer in the story.

  For the sake of immersion, WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI utilizes some unique punctuation.

  The diple. <

  The diple dates to ancient Greek writing. It has been a staple of computer language, and Internet communication, for over forty years.

  Quotation marks announce dialog to the reader. WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI uses the diple to announce characters’ thoughts.

 
 
 
 
 
 

  AUTHOR NOTE 2

  This is Book 1 of a gearshift thriller duology.

  It seems like one thing, but turns into something else.

  If you read closely, pay attention to details, and you’re really, really smart, you could figure out what happened to Lori before you reach Book 2. There are hints, clues, and even some cleverly concealed spoilers.

  It won’t be easy. You might even become impatient. Frustrated. Enraged.

 

  Remember… it’s only a story.

  C++102994098

  ~/user: date “%d-%m-%Y %H %M(GY+) %ET”

  CHAR STRING BEGIN

  ~/mu: 10-13-2098 11:33 4064038390

  ~/fabler: 06-23-2015 12:18 1435061923

  ~/the watcher: 05-11-2017 3:33+ 7442497494516803

  ~/pilgrim: 07-19-2017 11:33 1500464003

  ~/presley: 07-24-2017 17:22 1500916974

  ~/the experiment: 08-19-2017 4:56+ 7442497503118564

  ~/kadir: 08-25-2017 7:43 1503672907

  ~/lori: 08-28-2017 18:59+ 7442497503773950

  READY

  10 RUN “WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI: BOOK 1 GENESIS”

  20 GOTO 10

 

  August 13, 2014 ○ 11:33pm ○ 1407972798

  It happened.

  FABLER ○ June 23, 2015 ○ 12:18pm ○ 1435061903

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “Hi, babe. Just got here. I wanted to hear your voice. I’ll… I’ll call soon.”

  July 16, 2015 ○ 9:38am

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “I miss you. So much. This place… it’s pretty bad. Terrible food. The people are even worse. If I didn’t have you to think about, I’d go crazy. Sometimes I think I’m already crazy. That night… What happened, Lori? What the hell happened?”

  July 21, 2015 ○ 2:12pm

  (through the glass)

  “What happened?”

  “There was a… disagreement.”

  “I’ll make some calls, try to get you moved.”

  “No. I took care of it.”

  “It looks terrible. Is it… broken?”

  (fidgets with wedding band) “I don’t pay you to worry about my health.”

  “I see they let you keep your ring. Is that what happened? Someone tried to take it?”

  “They won’t try again. You got anything?”

  “We’re working hard. These things take time, Mr. Fabler. The papers are getting filed.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Come back when you have something else.”

  September 15, 2015 ○ 4:41pm

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “Happy anniversary, honey.”

  (sobbing)

  December 6, 2015 ○ 10:58am

  (through the glass)

  “You look… healthy.”

  “I finally have the excuse to catch up on my exercise.”

  “Yeah, well, we’re moving forward. I’m reconfirming with a second lab on the DNA evidence. If we can repeat the results, our appeal should be—”

  “The shoes.”

  “The shoes?”

  “Look closer at the shoes.”

  “You keep saying that. Closer? I’m not sure what you want us to look for.”

  “They aren’t mine.”

  “Whose are they?”

  “His.”

  “His? You mean the broth—eh—Officer Pilgrim. They intentionally left him out of the investigation, Mr. Fabler. He wasn’t assigned to your case.”

  “Not officially. But he was there. The whole time.”

  “I understand your anger, but—”

  “You have no concept of my anger.”

  “Fair enough. But I don’t see how blaming Officer—”

  “Look closer at the shoes.”

  December 20, 2015 ○ 2:29pm

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “I know we don’t believe in Christmas. But there were a lot of things we didn’t believe in, right?”

  (chuckle)

  “I think I’ve got this figured out. I think… I hope… ah… Hell. After all this time, I still mess up my words when I talk to you. Merry Christmas, babe.”

  February 14, 2016 ○ 1:19pm

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “Me, again. Happy Valentine’s Day. I was thinking how w
e started dating. Remember? You were always a kid in my eyes, then I came back from Iraq, and it was like you all of a sudden morphed into this twenty-five year old woman. So smart. So beautiful.”

  (laugh)

  “Your brother thought we were nuts, remember? You know, you can spend all of your life preparing for something, but the planning doesn’t matter. It’s… (pause for thinking) it’s the stuff that comes out of nowhere. The coincidences. The spur-of-the-moment stuff. The things that get you are the things you never expect.”

  March 29, 2016 ○ 10:43am

  (through the glass)

  “I don’t even know if I should be telling you this, Mr. Fabler. But I think someone… someone was in my house.”

  “Officer Pilgrim.”

  “I don’t know who it was. The only thing missing was the lab report. It makes no sense. That wasn’t the only copy.”

  “He wants you to know he can get into your house anytime he wants.”

  “That’s… unsettling.”

  (fidgets with wedding band) “He’s not a bad man, counselor.”

  “Not bad? You’re insisting he falsified evidence.”

  “He’s driven.”

  “He’s a police officer. Breaking and entering—”

  “What if it was your sister? What would you do?”

  June 20, 2016 ○ 2:55pm

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “I can’t get that night out of my head. I screwed up, Lori. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry. I’m so, so, so, so, sorry…”

  (sobbing)

  July 11, 2016 ○ 10:13am

  (through the glass)

  “The second lab confirmed it. The blood on the hammer, and on the shoes, doesn’t match the DNA sample taken from Lori’s tampon in your bathroom trash can, or her toothbrush. Either the lab made a mistake—”

  “The lab didn’t make a mistake. He switched the results.”

  “You mean Officer Pilgrim.”

  “He and Lori grew up in that house. He still has a key. Did you check the shoes?”

  “I did. I just said the DNA doesn’t match.”

  “They aren’t my size.”

  “We brought that up in court. They were new. The prosecutor convinced the jury you bought the wrong size. You tried them on. They still fit.”

  “You checked my closet, counselor. How many pairs of running shoes did you see?”

  “Uh, I don’t—”

  “Zero. I never owned a pair of running shoes in my life. And green and purple? Do I strike you as the green and purple type?”

  “The evidence—”

  “Is bullshit. I know my damn shoe size. I wouldn’t buy a size too small.”

  “The receipt for the shoes was found in your desk.”

  “A cash receipt. No credit card. No trace.”

  “The store surveillance video—”

  “Showed a man my height, his face hidden by a ball cap. Officer Pilgrim is my height.”

  “You’re suggesting your brother-in-law broke into your house, and planted the shoes and the hammer and the receipt, and then switched the DNA lab results?”

  “You said the DNA doesn’t match. Explain that.”

  “We got the lab results during disclosure.”

  “So how did it suddenly change? He had access. He made sure the results matched. Did you find the ball cap?”

  “The ball cap?”

  “Guy in the video, the guy the jury thought was me, he wore a ball cap. You think I threw the cap away so I wouldn’t be identified, but I kept the bloody pair of shoes and the murder weapon in my closet without even washing them off?”

  “You don’t have an alibi for that day.”

  “Does Officer Pilgrim?”

  August 30, 2016 ○ 3:38pm

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I don’t blame your brother. Of course, I can’t ever tell him the truth.”

  (nervous giggling)

  “I can’t tell anyone the truth. Not my lawyer. Not the prison chaplain. No one. You’re the only one that knows what really happened. Lori… if I had another chance, if I could relive that night… things would have been different. I made mistakes. You paid for those mistakes. All I can do… if I could fix…”

  (sobbing)

  “Ah, shit, Lori. I miss you so much.”

  September 15, 2016 ○ 3:26pm

  The voicemail you have called has been disconnected.

  September 16, 2016 ○ 10:11am

  (through the glass)

  “What’s the emergency, Mr. Fabler? Are you having trouble with another inmate?”

  “You were supposed to pay my utilities while I’m in here.”

  “What? I’ve been doing that. Gas, electric, phone, it’s all up to date.”

  “You forgot to pay Lori’s cell phone bill.”

  “Her cell phone?”

  “I told you, specifically, to pay her bill. Her voicemail is disconnected.”

  “You’re calling her voicemail? Why are you calling her voicemail?”

  “It’s our anniversary.”

  “Mr. Fabler—”

  “You’re fired.”

  “Fired? We’re making progress. We’re going to get you out of here.”

  “Get her phone turned back on or I’m getting another lawyer.”

  September 20, 2016 ○ 11:32am

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “Sorry I missed our anniversary, babe. Eight years. I know I shouldn’t, but I’ve been thinking about the trial. I should have testified. I should have told the truth. The guilt… it’s killing me. You weren’t the only one. And there will be more. And no one will be able to stop it.”

  December 22, 2016 ○ 2:51pm

  Hi, it’s Lori. Can’t come to the phone, but your call is important to me, unless you’re a telemarketer, then it’s not, and you need to remove my number from your list. But if you’re someone I like, such as my adoring husband, leave me a message at the beep.

  “It’s been so long since you’ve been gone. But this is all coming together. Things are falling into place. I haven’t really talked to you about your brother, about what happened. I should, I guess. It all got pretty effed up, and this isn’t going to end well for him. That’s his fault. Maybe mine, too. Hard to place blame when so much betrayal went down. Anyway, merry Christmas. Things are going to work out. I can feel it.”

  February 7, 2017 ○ 10:17am

  (through the glass)

  “We got it. Mr. Fabler, we got it. A gas station, a mile away from the sporting goods store, ten minutes after Officer Pilgrim bought the running shoes. Surveillance camera on one of the pumps. Your brother-in-law, filling up his truck. And get this… he threw away the ball cap. Same cap.”

  “Did the camera show his face?”

  “No, but it got his plates. And his hands.”

  “Why do hands matter?”

  “It proves it wasn’t you.”

  “How? Were there fingerprints?”

  “No. He didn’t have a wedding ring on.”

  (lifts hand, stares at gold ring) “I’ll be damned. Good work, counselor.”

  “It gets even better, Mr. Fabler. Police officers in this county have their DNA on file. To rule it out in case they contaminate a crime scene. The blood on the shoes, and the hammer—it b
elongs to Officer Pilgrim. He set you up. This is big, Mr. Fabler. I mean, in all my years as a defense attorney, I never… this just doesn’t happen. Miscarriage of justice. Wrongful conviction. Falsifying evidence. You were actually framed. It’s like a Grisham novel.” (embarrassed) “Sorry, I don’t mean to be flippant.”

  “What’s going to happen next?”

  “We’re going before the judge. The state will overturn the conviction.”

  “And then?”

  “Then you’re free. And the prosecution has no recourse. There’s no case without the hammer and shoes.”

  “What happens to Officer Pilgrim?”

  “He’ll lose his job, for sure. You can sue him. Him and the department. Tampering with evidence, planting evidence, false arrest, this is big.”

  “I’m not going to sue him.”

  “But he set you up, Mr. Fabler. You’ve spent almost two years in prison.”

  “Lori is his little sister. I would have done the same thing.”

  (awkward staring)

  “Mr. Fabler… we’ve still never talked about… that night.”

  “And I’m not going to talk about it.”

  “I’ve been your attorney through all of this.”

  “You know all you need to know.”

  “So, if your wife is missing, like you insist…”

  “You’re wondering where she is. Why she hasn’t shown up.”

  “Yes.”

  “That isn’t relevant to my case.”

  “You’re not a lawyer, Mr. Fabler. You can’t determine if—”

  “No, I’m not a lawyer. (eyes narrowing) You know what I am.”

  “What are you telling me, Mr. Fabler?”