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She gives the scarf a little bit of slack, and I can breathe again. “How is that?”
“Better. Now, let’s go. It’s only a matter of time before someone finds the bodies.”
The shrill noise of sirens in the distance cuts through the silence in the park.
“Fuck. Too late.” Valerie’s eyes grow wider as she stares in the direction of the mayor’s house. We’re hidden from view, but we did leave footprints on the snow.
I get up and grab her chin, making her look at me. “They won’t catch us. I promise.”
Her gaze hardens. “You’re right. They won’t.”
While she grabs the bike’s handles, I shove her arrow into the backpack. The bow I’ll have to carry in my hand. We can’t leave it behind since it has Valerie’s fingerprints all over it.
She can’t ride the bike until we’re out of the snow and on the street. We move as fast as we can. It’s a little easier to walk now that my wound is bandaged. Once we reach the asphalt that’s clear of snow, Valerie starts to pedal, and when she has momentum, I jump on the back of the seat sideways.
“Where should we go?” she asks.
“Home. No one saw you going in the mayor’s office, right?”
“No, I was careful.”
“Then there’s no reason for them to suspect us.”
“What about your blood on the snow?”
That might be an issue, but I don’t want Valerie to worry about it.
“They can’t know it was the blood of the killer. It could have been from another victim. Besides, I never left any DNA behind before. The police won’t have anything in their system to compare to.”
“I take it Hansen wasn’t your first kill.”
“No, he wasn’t.” She doesn’t say anything for a couple beats, and my heart shrivels. Unable to help myself, I ask, “Does that bother you?”
“No. But it explains a lot.”
“Oh yeah? What?”
“Why I was so drawn to you.”
I stop breathing for a second. “Was? In the past?”
“Eric, do you really want to talk about our relationship now?”
“No time like the present. Go on, spill the beans, kitty cat.”
She sighs. “You’re a dog with a bone, aren’t you?”
“When it comes to you? Yes.”
“Why? Are you in love with me or something?”
Damn it. I wish I could see her face. Her tone is too casual, and I don’t know if she couldn’t care less if I was in love with her or if she’s just trying to downplay her interest.
“What if I am?” She doesn’t answer, but her spine visibly tenses. “Val?”
“I can’t talk about this now, Eric.”
It’s not the answer I was hoping for, but it’s also not a complete shutdown. I bite my tongue for the time being. As we put distance between us and the crime scenes, I begin to relax. But we’re not out of the woods yet. We’re still in the mayor’s neighborhood, and pretty soon all these streets will be crawling with cops.
