Jez ignored the nosy glances and the judgment that came with the “volunteers,” and summarised the events to date for the benefit of the newcomers.There were no pleasantries.They hadn’t been slammed back together out of choice, and she wanted to get this over with as fast as possible.
“We’ve divided the territory into sections.Nolan, you and Zach can work together, and Grey, you go with Brax.”
Dawson was no fool, Ari and Chase were both reasonably capable, and Jez trusted Spider and Sin with her life.They’d be fine on their own, if Sin could just get Kermit out of the damn car.
“What exactly are we looking for?”Grey asked.
“A body.Possibly a shallow grave, but I doubt it—the ground’s been frozen for weeks.So much for global warming.”
“Climate change, my dear.Not global warming.”Grey took his position on the Environment subcommittee seriously, a rarity among congresspeople.
“Whatever.If my theory is correct, the body won’t be too well hidden.”
“Unless she’s well-wrapped, you’ll smell her before you see her,” Spider put in, and Grey turned a faint shade of green.
“Can’t you get the cops to do this?That’s their job.”
“Firstly, they’ve fucked up just about every aspect of the investigation so far.And secondly, I want to check out the body before they do.”
“Why on earth would you want to do that?”
For Jez to see if she was right.To see whether Amie’s killer had staged her to resemble Ruby.If they found a body all the way out here, then good news—Justin was clearly off the hook.He simply wouldn’t have had the opportunity to drive out to Culpeper on the evening Amie disappeared, not with Jessalyn acting like a limpet.But with Justin removed as a suspect, this might be the only chance they got to take a good look at the body.Sure, Echo could rustle up a copy of the autopsy report, but that would show someone else’s observations.A snapshot rather than immersion.Jez needed to see the scene for herself.
Because even if Justin was eliminated from the investigation, she wasn’t walking away.Levi was fucking with them.And unless somebody showed him the error of his ways, he’d try again.
“Because I know CPR,” she said.
“Are you fucking kidding—” Grey started, but she held up a hand.
“You’re wasting time.”
“I wasn’t even there when Ruby died.”
“We know.You never stop reminding us.But you did get catfished by an undercover reporter, ran your mouth, and basically told her Ruby was a slut.”
“That wasn’t inaccurate.”
“She was dead, and she was our friend.Did you have to destroy her reputation as well?”
And it wasn’t just Ruby he’d insulted.No, he’d told Wendy Turner from theRichmond Chroniclethat Jez was a bitch, Justin was dull, Brax was ruthless, Zach was a manwhore who never took anything seriously, Nolan was uptight, and Dawson was too nice to make it in business.None of which was untrue, and Grey swore she’d embellished his words, but it still hurt to see those words from “a source close to the investigation” splashed across the front page.At least he’d been smart enough to leave Echo out of it, although if he hadn’t, he’d be living like an eighteenth-century monk because she’d fuck with every electronic gadget he owned.
“I said I was sorry.”
“Now you can show it.”Jez dismissed him with a flick of her wrist.“Get to work.”
Sin put a set of boots on Kermit, and a waterproof coat, and bribed him with snacks, and the dog finally deigned to join the hunt.He looked about as enthusiastic as Jez felt.As Grey cursed and tried to pull a borrowed boot out of the mud, Jez trooped into the trees, wishing she’d put a bullet through Levi Sykes’s head a decade ago when she had the chance.
CHAPTER34
JESSALYN
I’d escaped one nightmare, only to fall headlong into another.As I peeped between the drapes and spotted a hand holding a phone hovering above the fence, filming the house, I began wishing I’d stuck with the car camping.Sleeping in the back of the Altima would have been less stressful.
The police had just left, not only the officer I’d spoken with at the police station last week but a contingent of detectives and a full forensics team.They’d rummaged through the house, bagged a bunch of stuff, and left the rest of the place in a mess.Some of the items they’d taken were Justin’s, and others belonged to Melanie, plus they’d loaded both of his vehicles onto trucks and driven them away for further examination.When Shiro growled at an officer, they’d threatened to take him away too, and yes, I’d freaking cried because my entire life had turned to crap and that was the last freaking straw.Justin’s lawyer had told them to leave the dog alone, and I’d shut Shiro in my bathroom so he couldn’t get into any more trouble.
Oh, and then to add insult to injury, Special Agent Rimer followed me into my bedroom and acted all kind and caring.And yes, I knew it was an act because how could she be genuine when she was being so mean to Justin?Instead of accepting that he was a good man who’d spent the days after Amie’s disappearance helping me, she’d basically accused me of being brainwashed and suggested I was confused about the timings on the evening Amie went missing.
That maybe I’d shown up at Justin’s home a little later than I thought?
