Page 66 of Wicked Games

Lana calls Winnie, and she jumps off my lounger, runs down the patio steps, and across the grass. I wave, hoping she knows I won’t hurt her dog, and she smiles and wiggles her fingers at me. She doesn’t try to talk, only shoos Winnie into the house.

The temperature is mild, and I change into my running clothes and go for a run. I add a few extra miles, and I’m a pleasant kind of tired when I shower and fall into bed.

The next morning, after a decent night’s sleep (though every once in a while I’d wake up, looking for Avery), I shower, get dressed, and make coffee.

I can’t be at peace with everything that’s going on, but it’s nice to know that I don’t have to deal with this alone and I’m not dreading the day or what’s going to happen next.

Sipping on a cup of coffee, I scramble eggs and make toast. Violet calls while I’m washing my plate and she doesn’t have to say a word for me to know she’s got bad news.

“Seth,” she says softly, and it’s not a good sign that LaSalle calls just then. I decline his call and keep Violet on the line.

“What? What is it?” There are still several ways those bastards could hurt me, and I rush out onto the patio and try to look into Avery’s house. The glare is there, and I can’t see anything. Winnie’s at her door, pawing at the glass, and Avery, holding a cup of coffee, slides the door open and lets her in. She catches sight of me and lifts her hand.

Relieved that she’s okay, I wave too and focus on what Violet’s saying.

“They found Brooke’s body.”

I drop down on a wicker chair and close my eyes. It doesn’t stop the picture I have of her lying on the ground like Theo, her life bleeding out of her and mixing with the dirty snow on the sidewalk. “Shit.” I shudder out a breath. “We knew that though, didn’t we? That she was dead.”

“I didn’t want to think it, but, yeah, we knew. They found her early this morning. Someone shot her, and she was sitting behind the wheel of her car in the parking lot of a closed-up bar in north Ashfield.”

“LaSalle called just after you did but I sent it to voicemail. How did you find out?”

“Walker. There’s already a leak in the police department, and it will be all over the city by lunchtime.”

She’s not wrong. Hattie wasn’t the only one in Ashfield who reported gossip. This will spread like wildfire. Christ, I feel sorry for Vale. Married for only a few days, maybe a couple of weeks at best, and he’s already burying his wife.

“Fuck. You better get a hold of the PR department. Put out another statement offering our condolences and say we’re working with the police and giving them our full cooperation.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that when we’re done. Listen, there’s something else. When the cops looked around the bar, they picked a woman up. Walker heard that she was squatting. She had a gun and they’re questioning her.”

“The gun?” I ask.

“I’m not sure. You’ll have to call Detective LaSalle back. All we know is that she had a gun and it was the same kind used to kill Theo and Hattie. It could be the same type but not the exact one.”

“With how things are going, what are the chances of that?”

“Probably none, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

“Yeah, thanks, but even if she has it, that doesn’t mean she used it or that she was involved.”

“That’s true, but this is more than what the cops had and it could be just what they need to finally make some headway.”

“Hmmm. I think your comparing the gun to a flu bug is more accurate, but you never know. It seems too easy after everything.”

She sighs. “You’re probably right, but even if she didn’t do it, she might have seen something.”

“Maybe. I thought you were off today.”

“I am, but I can still call you on my day off. Walker was picking me up to go to breakfast and he told me to call you. It’s better to hear something like this from a friend than a police detective who doesn’t care.”

“LaSalle cares, but not for the reasons you do. Hey, be careful out there, okay? I don’t want something happening to you because we’re friends. Whoever this asshole is, he could have it in for me, and—” I stop. I can’t think about this fucker targeting Violet, or Avery, or my parents, or anyone else I’m close to.

“I get it. Walker’s been great, and I’m using the car service. I’m never alone and don’t plan to be until all this gets settled. You better call Detective LaSalle and see what he has to say.”

“Okay. Violet . . .”

“I love you too. And be careful. Don’t think that just because you’re not in the city that you’re safe. Watch your back.”