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"Hell, Vivian. You look like shit," said Finn.
She flipped him off.
"Ooooh, she's sooo tough," Gregory responded.
Willem shoved him. "Leave her alone."
"Better not let Gabe know you're still sweet on her," Gregory told him.
"Yeah. He'll kick your ass," Finn said.
Willem spat at his twin. Finn dodged the wad.
Rafe hadn't spoken a word. He just stared at her with a look of smug amusement on his face. Ulf stood beside him fidgeting.
"What's happened here?" Vivian asked gruffly.
Ulf finally spoke. "They found a body behind the Dumpster." His voice was squeaky. "Some guy."
Vivian felt a cold lump in her gut.
"We didn't get to see it," Willem told her. "But there's a lot of blood."
"A goddamn river of it down to the drain," Gregory added with relish. "I heard some cop muttering about wild animals." He cackled with delight.
Across the street an ambulance took off quietly. One of the police cars followed. Lucien Dafoe came around the corner. That didn't surprise Vivian; Lucien was Tooley's best customer. He leaned against the door-jamb of the bar entrance and grinned at all the activity. He should have the sense to look shocked even if he didn't care.
Vivian realized then that Rafe had asked her a question. "What?"
Rafe folded his arms and cocked his head. "I said, did you see anything, Viv?"
"Huh?"
"Down here. Last night. I saw you in your wolf-skin under the bridge. You were heading this way."
The sun scorched her head, setting her skull on fire. Her tongue felt thick, and it was difficult to talk. "Was I?" She tried to sound nonchalant.
Rafe chuckled, but his eyes looked cold and eager.
"Got something to tell us, babe? Something we should know about? Huh?"
"You're full of shit, Rafe." She had to get away before the trembling inside broke loose. She couldn't let them see her panic. "There's nothing more to see here. I'm sure Esmé will fill me in on the details after her next shift." She turned to go.
"Don't think you're any better than us, Viv," Rafe called after her. "We saw what you did to Astrid."
She walked back the way she had come, in the knife-sharp, white summer heat, through a neighborhood as alien as the landscape of her dreams.
It wasn't me. It couldn't be me, she thought. But the blood she had scrubbed from under her nails proclaimed her a liar.
Chapter 20
20
When Vivian woke on Sunday, the air in her room was cool and sweet, and the sunlight that stole between the curtains was pale and innocent. She could hear the radio playing softly downstairs. It was all a dream, she thought, and took a long, deep breath. Aiden still loved her. There had been no blood on her face.
The moment she entered the kitchen Vivian knew she'd been lying to herself again. There were dark circles under Esmé's eyes and her hair was haphazardly gathered back in a single comb. She was still in her nightgown. "Feeling better, baby?" Esmé asked vaguely, and stared into the distance as she sipped her coffee.
"What's wrong?" Vivian asked, dreading the answer.
