Page 100 of The Wedding Party

Lana has her share of guilt in all that has happened, no doubt, but now that she’s dead, I don’t know if we will ever know if she had any part in Oliver’s murder.

But I still believe Carrie held that knife and stabbed Oliver.

I’m not done with this case until I prove it, either.

Chapter Eighty-Nine

I barely sleep that night.

For hours on end, I scour documents, researching Carrie’s past and her father. The bastard wasn’t just a serial killer. He raped them. The really sick part was he worked as a sexual abuse counselor. And thanks to my father, and his contacts, I’m able to find the truth behind Carrie’s adoption. Her mother was raped by her serial killer father and couldn’t bring herself to keep Carrie. Her father was, and is, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, which rings a little too true of Carrie. I wonder if she was always one trigger from becoming her father, and that trigger was the day her brother died. Or maybe she was just born this way, and she really did push her brother into traffic.

Through all my studies, Lana’s life and death are in the back of my mind. Nothing about her says killer. Perhaps it’s just space and time, allowing me to feel the loss of a friend, but I still can’t shake the idea that I can buy a vindictive side of Lana but not a killer. I don’t believe that, which is exactly why I want to talk to her ex, but he’s not taking my calls, and I send Boone to talk to him.

He’s nowhere to be found.

Apparently, we aren’t quite done with this case.

The hunt is on.

It’s a full week after Oliver’s funeral when Lana’s body is officially cleared for release to the family. After a difficult conversation with Lana’s mother, in which she cries and I feel gutted—I’m apparently not as cold as I feared—I plan to meet the family upon their local arrival.

Turns out that decision leads to an interesting development.

Derrek, the ex, shows up with them, when they told us they hadn’t seen him. I meet them at the coroner’s office and manage to find a moment with the ex alone without much effort. He steps out of the bathroom as I’m about to enter the ladies’ room myself. He’s a tall man, with dark hair and a fit physique. Today his blue eyes are bloodshot. “Agent,” he greets me, his voice gravelly. “I was hoping to talk to you.”

“I tried to call.”

“I know. I was just not okay. I’m still not okay.” His voice cracks. “I know we broke up, but I loved her.”

I motion to the sitting areas just beyond where we stand.

He steps into the hallway and halts. “This won’t take long. I just thought you should know a few things.”

“Such as?”

He swallows hard. “I wasn’t faithful to Lana. I slept with Carrie. It meant nothing, but it was a fuckup that cost me my marriage.”

“How’d she find out?”

“Someone saw us together. It was stupid. I’m never going to get over how that led us here. She would never kill anyone,” he adds vehemently.

“She followed Carrie here.”

“I know. I’m shocked. I didn’t even think she loved me. Maybe she didn’t. Maybe she just hated Carrie that much. But not her husband. Nothing about any of this makes sense to me.”

“Why wasn’t Lana at the convention?”

“Her mom came into town. But she ended up coming, the morning after I was with Carrie. It was a hellish situation. I was destined to get caught and pay for my stupidity.”

My mind goes to the video of Lana cozying up to Oliver. I don’t think she was trying to sleep with him, but maybe warn him? She didn’t kill him. As if he reads my mind, he says, “Lana didn’t kill Oliver. You were friends. She talked about you. She knew how good you are at your job. She didn’t come here, and connect with you, to kill someone.”

“I never said she killed anyone.”

“I’ve heard murmurs.”

“From who?”

“Here. A couple ladies didn’t know who I was or that I was behind them. I heard them gossiping. I heard what they said about her with her body right here in the building.” He all but growls out those last words.