AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Curses on Les Kavanaugh.
If he hadn’t persisted in turning over rocks that should never have been disturbed, I wouldn’t be behind schedule. Why couldn’t the man have walked away from his job and forgotten about it after he retired, like any normal person would do?
But no. Instead, he’d not only doubled down on cases that had been a burr in his saddle, he’d called in reinforcements.
Now Bri Tucker was picking up where he’d left off.
I spat out a few words not suitable for polite company.
The newest County fire investigator was a distraction and a constraint I didn’t need.
With Kavanaugh gone, I should have been able to safely complete my mission. If Bri Tucker hadn’t started poking around, justice would soon have been done, as it should be.
Because people who did bad things didn’t deserve to go about their lives as if they were innocent. Betrayal should be punished.
The delay was maddening.
A patrol car appeared around the corner, and I let the curtain drop back into place. Retreated a step. Frowned.
Could that be a warning? A sign that I should wait longer than I’d like to move on to my next target, give the dust a chance to settle?
But the opportunity in the offing was ideal. And there wouldn’t be any connection between Kavanaugh’s death and this one. The jurisdictions didn’t overlap, and the setup wouldn’t fit my usual pattern.
Still ... there would be other windows to get the job done. Ones I could manipulate to my advantage. Ones that would allow me to develop my strategy at leisure. It was never wise to rush these things. Mistakes could happen.
As they had with Kavanaugh.
I gritted my teeth and fisted my hands.
There’d been too little time to plan that one. To think through every element, every step, every contingency.
Like what to do if the doorbell rang.
I shouldn’t have run out without closing my gym bag. Nor should I have tripped over the stupid stone edging around the garden in my haste to escape. That had complicated matters considerably.
Waterford crystal didn’t like getting up close and personal with rocks.
And hanging around to search for the missing piece wouldn’t have been wise. The FedEx truck had already been driving off, but who knew if someone else might come to call?
I pivoted away from the window, crossed the bedroom, and opened the closet. Pulled out the shoebox that had once held my well-worn Nikes. Flipped up the lid.
The clock was right on top, the largest item in the box.
I picked it up. Ran a finger over the jagged, broken corner of the base. The missing piece didn’t bother me, but the fact someone had found it did. Seeing the small fragment amid the carnage would have required an eagle eye and considerable attention to detail. Traits that could cause me problems, especially when those traits belonged to a woman who was already suspicious about the fire at the Kavanaugh house.
I settled the clock back into the box. Fingered Pookie’s ring. The nautical emblem from Larry’s cap. Adam’s monogrammed money clip. The necklace I’d given Renee.
There was just one more item to add.
Then I could bury the box, along with the painful memories, and start fresh.
I wouldn’t wait long to tie up the last loose end, either. Couldn’t wait long. I needed to be done.
Because only then would I be free.
So maybe I’d take the unexpected opportunity that had come up. After all, the risk should be low—as long as I didn’t make any other mistakes.
As for Bri Tucker ... it was a shame she’d been pulled into the middle of this. While I had no grudge against her, I couldn’t let her derail my plans.
