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“Had some fun, did you?”
Oh, fuck. He can smell Jedrik all over me. My face heats and I spare a glance in the alpha’s direction. Sure enough, Jed has caught on to what happened and has a smug expression, further admitting to what happened. I suppose this will be my life from now on, my alphas knowing when I’m intimate with one of them.
“We did,” Jedrik answers for me. “I couldn’t help myself. She’s too damn irresistible.”
“That she is,” Kyle agrees. “I must admit, I find myself jealous.”
Jedrik pats him on the back. “It’ll be your turn before you know it.”
The reassurance seems to raise Kyle’s spirits, especially after he felt shut out by my other alphas. If they found another body, and the victim was killed while Kyle was with us, then that surely means he’s officially cleared, right?
And if that’s true, then Ryland is cleared, too. My Ry can come back to me.
Turning on my toe, I make my way out of the conservatory. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go,” I say with a little too much excitement, and quickly wince when I catch it. I realize how much I shouldn’t be happy knowing they’re cleared when it comes at the expense of someone’s life.
Kyle wraps an arm around my shoulders and kisses the side of my head. “Don’t worry, Peardrop, I had the same reaction too,” he whispers under his breath for my ears alone. It makes me feel a little better, and I lean into his side.
We’re mostly quiet as we rush to the second floor, where Andrik is waiting for us. As we round the corner, entering the study, I find Emmett kneeling next to the body with Andrik standing behind him. “How did Emmett know to come?” I question under my breath.
Kyle hears me anyway. “I went to get him first. Sorry, I forgot to tell you.”
No wonder he was so out of breath.
Emmett seems to tug something out of the body, and after a second, it comes fully into view. I catch the silver meat thermometer’s sharp end before quickly glancing away. I don’t need to see any other details. Knowing it came out of his body is enough. A shiver of revulsion crawls along my spine.
“Liver temp, taking into account the thermometer difference this time, puts the time of death at thirty minutes ago. You had to have come across him right after he was murdered,” Emmett announces.
He wraps the thermometer in a paper towel and places it in the bag beside him. Next, he takes out a flashlight and inspects the victim’s head. I take a few more steps into the room and finally get a good look at who it is.
Chad… Once again, an alpha who was a total and complete dick. Someone who deserved a reality check but not death.
“Why was Chad even here? I thought you guys took him to the eliminated bunkhouse. Aren’t they locked in?”
“We did,” Jedrik says, wrapping an arm around my waist. “And he should’ve been locked in. We need to check into how he got out. It means any of the eliminated contestants are now suspects as well.”
Andrik runs a hand through his hair. “Fuck, our list suddenly got way bigger.”
“At least we have less to search for this time.” Jedrik points to a wrench on the floor next to Chad. “Seems the killer left the weapon behind. And we clearly have the room it happened in.”
“The wound on the side of the head matches the wrench,” Emmett tells us.
“Seems the killer found a method that worked the first time and decided to keep with it,” Kyle comments.
“Why change something that isn’t broken?” Andrik adds.
“It’s a little different.” Emmett lifts Chad’s arm, studying it. “This time it was the side of the head instead of the back. He also has defensive wounds. There’s some blood under his fingernails, suggesting he scratched the killer.”
“We need to save that evidence. Here, take these baggies to put over his hands so we can gather scrapings later.” Jedrik grabs a few Ziplocs from the satchel he’s carrying and hands them to Emmett.
At the same time, Andrik takes a few steps toward the desk and bends down to pick something off the floor. “Wish we were allowed to have our damn phones. Removing evidence without photograph documentation feels so wrong. Hey, Jed, can you hand me another baggie?”
“I’m right there with you, brother,” Jedrik says, handing him the item. “What did you find?”
“It’s a crushed yellow pen, one of those Heat Paradise branded ballpoints.” Andrik picks up multiple shards of the busted pen and puts it in the Ziploc. “At least the ink didn’t bust.”
“I’ve seen Karen with one of those pens constantly within reach. She practically always has a similar one tucked behind her ear,” I remind them.
“Yeah, but with it being a branded pen, anyone could have it.” Andrik stands and hands the evidence to Jedrik to put with all the other items.
