Page 75 of No Merciful Corruption

She closes her eyes and presses her palm against her forehead. She leans forward and I wrap my arms around her as she melts into my embrace.

“This is a problem.” She murmurs.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“Alex, you don’t understand. Brent’s parents are wealthy. Affluent. They have powerful connections here and will poke holes in whatever story we come up with.” She pulls away to look at me. “Karina won’t be able to hide her pregnancy for much longer and they’re going to know Brent isn’t the father. It’s going to look like she did it because she had an affair and wanted a divorce.”

“We won’t let that happen.”

Her gaze drifts to the hallway and suddenly she’s a million miles away. “I’m afraid for her. I don’t know if she’ll be able to keep it together for much longer.”

“How did this happen? Why was he here?”

“He must still have access to the security cameras around the house because he showed up maybe fifteen minutes after we did. It was incredible…we didn’t even hear him come in…” horror seeps into the cracks of her voice. “One minute we were standing in Karina’s room and the next…”

“What did he do?”

“Karina was trying on a shirt she wanted to take with her. All she has at my house are heavy winter clothes and thick sweaters. I told her the shirt was pretty but her bump was visible. And then⁠—”

I feel it when a shiver travels down her spine. Dahlia pulls away completely and says, “Come on. We have to do something about the body.”

* * *

“What did she tell you?” my brother asks.

I glance over his shoulder and through the archway leading into the dining room. Karina and Dahlia sit knee to knee, heads bowed, and whispering intently. All of a sudden Karina starts shaking her head and her voice raises but Dahlia shushes her and they carry on conspiring.

“She was evasive.” I confess.

“So was Kay.” He rubs his jaw. “Why do I get the feeling they’re hiding something?”

From where we’re standing in the kitchen I have a mostly unobstructed view of the blood trail leading from the staircase. Brent has been hidden behind the kitchen island and is covered from head to toe by an enormous floral bed sheet.

“I don’t know. Why don’t we ask the body?” I say.

There’s no way such a short fall caused such a bloody mess. If Brent had landed the wrong way, he could’ve broken his neck but a fall from that height is more likely to cause a few broken bones than be fatal.

I kneel beside the cadaver and reach for the corner of the bed sheet when I hear Karina’s voice.

“Don’t touch him!”

Dahlia has a hand on her cousin’s shoulder and Karina is surprisingly fierce and composed when she speaks. “Do not. Touch him.”

Diego and I exchange looks.

“He’s still my husband and I do not consent to you poking around his body like crows feasting for a meal. He’s already dead. Leave him alone.”

Dahlia tugs on her arm and Karina plops down in her seat once more. The cousins descend into a fit of whispers, this time more impassioned and intense than before.

I rise to my feet but Diego disobeys Karina’s orders. With the tip of his shoe, he lifts the corner of the bedsheet and I pull him away.

“Don’t. At least not right now.”

What could the two of them be hiding? It doesn’t make any sense. Dahlia is no stranger to…well. This. As for Karina I can only imagine Dahlia is trying to shield her from this side of Diego and me. Then again, that doesn’t make much sense either. How is Dahlia explaining our presence to her? It’s obvious there won’t be any police involvement and Karina must be wondering how we’re going to make this all go away. And if she’s wondering, then she must have other unanswered questions…

“I think we should call Lettie.” Diego tells me.

“For what?”