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“Basically, but in much smaller concentrations than, say, actual Ratsak. These pills were being fed to cancer patients, which, coincidentally, kind of, sort of, bounced off the cancer and changed the biological makeup of the disease. This is how they could claim its efficacy. But beneath all the party words and nose bleeds was a sickness, and that sickness was still killing its hosts.”
“And the creator of Evicta?” I growl. “Will they be held responsible for poisoning already vulnerable people?”
He snorts. “Dude’s already dead. He’s one of our forty-seven. Except he lives in Portland, Oregon. M.E. over there caught the case, tapped it into a database and called me to add to our grand total.”
“How did our killer poison our vics? It’s not in the air, right? We already established its not in the air-conditioning systems.”
“Right.”
“And it’s not a contact thing, since none of the hotel staff were killed.”
“Agreed, so that leaves us with food and beverage. I’ll talk with the event coordinator again today, ya know,” he yawns, “during business hours. She might be able to shed some light on what the fuck is going on and how the exposure was so carefully contained. Then I’m putting it away for a couple of days. Mia and I have a date, and I have no interest in dealing with dead people while it’s family time.”
“Yeah, right. What time are you heading out?”
“Um…” He pauses again, as though to check the time. “Only gonna put in an hour or two at the station, then I’m done. How are you doing on the wedding front?”
I laugh. “Well, she found out about the money yesterday.”
“All of it?” I don’t see him, and yet, I know his eyes widen. “Like,allof it?”
“Yep. Got no secrets now,” I sigh. “Well, except for the fact I’m running a case with my best friend andnottelling her about it. She knows about the house in Copeland, too.”
“Yeah?” Soft laughter rolls along the line. “She moving in with you anytime soon? I could probably mow your lawns if you want. Ya know,” he drawls, “for pocket money. Since some of us are poor and forced tonotlive on mafia money.”
“You’re whining. And I’ve offered you help a million times, asshole. You want some cash? You take it. That’s basically what I said to my shithead wife; I didn’t earn it. So why the fuck wouldn’t I share it with the people I love?”
“How’d she takethatnews?”
“She asked for a divorce.”
“Yeah.” His voice remains entirely neutral. Unsurprised. “I expected that. She’s as proud as I am, and neither of us are gonna take a free ride.”
“Right. Well while you idiots are over there eating your ramen and being proud, I’ll sit on my superyacht and wave from the Caribbean.” I glance over the railing again. Just in case. “Timothy Malone was a Grade A asshole, Fletch. The things he did were unforgivable. And that’s why he died the way he died. No one loved him. No one misses him. And now, because of him, I have all this blood money sitting in the bank and no one to spend it on. So whatever.” I turn and rest against the rail. “I bet Moo can’t wait for Uncle Arch to buy her first car.”
He chuckles. “Don’t you dare.”
“And her first pony.”
“Definitely don’t,” he snarls.
“Archer?”
“I’m done with this conversation.” I shove off the railing, my heart in my throat because Minka’s voice carries on the wind. “The amount of times I’ve snuckawayfrom my wife on my honeymoon, Fletch… it ain’t healthy.”
“Go. I’m gonna make some coffee and wake up properly. Then I’m heading over to the station and searching for a killer. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yep.”
“Archer?”
“See ya,” I whisper. Hanging up and dropping the phone into my pocket, I move to the stairs and start down, skipping every second step and risking my leg on the eve of my second wedding. “Hey!” I emerge onto the deck and smile as Minka spins back around and her eyes lock on to my face.
She’s a suspicious woman by nature. Her chosen field of work, more proof she prefers a puzzle to solve. So of course, she looks to the stairs and narrows her eyes. Then back to me as I stride closer and hope to occupy all of her thoughts. “Where were you?”
“Just getting some sun.” I wrap her in my arms and pray she doesn’t figure me out. It’s not that Iwantto lie to her. I just don’t want her to work while she’s on honeymoon.
She’s supposed to be resting.
