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Johnny steps back, giving me space to get up, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse, right?
Maybe it’s a telemarketer, trying to sell me some extended car insurance.
The contact on the screen sets my heart racing.
I glance back at Johnny, hoping that looking at him will somehow erase the panic now racing through me.
There was only one other thing left in limbo, threatening to ruin us.
The lethal dose of poison I used on Griffin.
The whole room goes silent, as if sensing the new danger.
I swallow the lump in my throat, click the green button, and drag the receiver to my ear. “Hello.”
“Miss Cooper. This is Officer Donovan. How are you?” His usual formalities.
I force myself not to stammer. “I’m fine. You?” I keep my eyes trained on Johnny’s.
“I’m well.” His tone immediately shifts. “Listen, I don’t want to take up any more of your time than I already have, but I wanted to call and let you know.”
Oh God, this is it. He’s going to warn me that the authorities are on their way. Or that they’re starting an investigation based on the chemical they found dancing around Griffin’s bloodstream. That it wasn’tcomplicationsand something much crazier that happened. That Griffin didn’t die from an accident, that he was murdered.
I force the thought of being taken from this group of people before me away.
Even if the eye drops showed up, surely what’s left of Luciano’s organization is powerful enough to help me make this go away.
But that would be wrong. I killed Griffin. And I deserve to face the consequences that come from taking his life into my own hands. I’ve already shed enough blood.
“It appears I was correct in my preliminary assessment.” A bit of static comes through Donovan’s end. “Griffin Thomas died as a result of his injuries. His heart gave out.”
His heart. The thing that the poison impacts. It causes a decreased heart rate and lowers the pressure, eventually killing a person if the dose is large enough and it goes untreated.
I did, in fact, kill Griffin. It just went completely undetected, like I had planned all along.
“Anyway, I know this experience has been traumatic, and I do regret that I was unable to get the justice that you and many others deserved.”
Little does he know I got it for all of us.
“Miss Cooper, are you still there?”
I blink, throwing myself back into reality. “Yes, sorry.”
“No worries. I understand this is a shock. If there’s anything I can do, feel free to reach out.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
“Take care, Miss Cooper.”
“You, too.”
And with that, the line disconnects, severing the last major uncertainty in my life.
Johnny makes his way to me within a second, his hands gripping my face. “What did he say?”
I should have thought to put it on speakerphone, but then I’d have to explain the entire situation, and I think my best friend has had enough of me being a murderer for one day.
“It was complications. He died from complications.”
