by Kodi Heart
He sighed, releasing his tight hold on my upper arm. “Look, I understand. It's not like I wouldn't do it, if I wasn't a cop.” Grant had his faults, but dishonesty wasn't one of them. He was one of the best cops I knew, and not just because he was Robyn's brother, or the fact that I'd had a lifelong crush on him. None of that mattered when he was just an overall good guy.
Why wasn't he seeing that about me? How could he doubt me? I hadn't killed anyone. I hadn’t done anything wrong.
My panic that I wasn’t being taken seriously must have exuded off me like a force field. He backed up, his hands aloft in the universal sign of surrender. Eyeing me a long moment, Grant stood with his arms like that.
Chest heaving, I swallowed back inevitable bile from the collective circumstances. I had to get myself under control. I could. I rubbed at my eyes, glancing toward the front of the house where my car was. I wouldn’t be accused in there. I could go and he couldn’t stop me.
As if reading my mind, he reached out and cradled my elbow in his palm as he drew me closer to the body.
I pulled back, yanking my arm from his grasp. Scowling, I challenged him with my glare.
Eyebrows raised, he squatted beside the body, his hands folded and hanging between his knees. “This is a weird way to set up a dead body. The color of the shoes and the scissors are exact. This was planned.” He glanced at me, and then dropped his gaze to my bag. “Do you have a pen or pencil in there?”
I dug inside, gripping the first writing device I felt. I handed him a ruby red pen which, ironically, matched the red of the weapons. I scrunched my lips to the side, sheepishly. “Um, sorry?” I pointed at the items after he slowly took the pen. “I was thinking the same thing. There’s something familiar, but I can't...” I shook my head. I didn't know why, but something was off.
“Give me a minute, I’m sure I’ll figure it out.” I had to remember where I recognized the scene from. As soon as I did, I would have to tell him. Because as far as Grant was concerned, I might as well have been the one who plunged the scissors into David's chest.
Chapter 4
Grant checked his watch again and then jerked his head to the side, piercing my gaze with his. “Go watch and make sure no one shows up, yet. If Davis has any pride in his job, his response time will be pretty fast.” He bent and used the pen to lift the pocket of David’s flannel shirt and peek inside.
I wobbled my head in what I hoped would pass as a nod. Swallowing, I turned and then paused. “What are you going to do?”
“I'm going to see if I can look over the scene before David gets here. He's not your biggest fan. I can see him jumping to conclusions and missing out on information because he’ll be so desperate to peg you. He might not be able to see the scene for what it is.” Grant stood and dug into his pocket, pulling out a jackknife.
He squatted again, using the now-open blade and my pen to pinch onto David’s jean pocket and lift to search inside. He switched the knife into the other hand with the pen. Covering his fingers with the tail of David’s shirt, Grant reached into David's pocket and pulled out a phone.
Careful not to disturb anything, Grant put the shirt tail back to its position.
So much work. He was taking so many risks. Time was running out, the urgency palpable. Yet, there I lingered. I had to know. “Why are you doing this? Why don’t you just let Paul have me?” My fractured words danced with the sound of the rain.
He straightened to his full height and closed the distance. He bent his head and our gazes clashed. His whisper matched my own. “You’re not a killer. I know you want to think you’re big and bad, but you’re not.” Grant reached up and tugged on a chunk of my hair. “Do what I asked. I’ll be right there.”
His dedication to me was alarming. Why had I let things end between us? What had I done to him?
My reply died on my lips. I turned without answering. Regretting my previous decisions was not something I needed to do right then. There was plenty of time for that in the nights when I laid alone in my bed and couldn’t sleep.
I somehow stumbled to the edge of the front porch, watching down the drive for any lights. If the killer was going to get me, he would get me. But I had full confidence that Grant would protect me.
His sudden presence behind me was evident even before he spoke. Heat emanated from his body as he stood only a few inches from my arm. “I found his phone.” Grant’s strong hands gripped the phone at waist level in front of us. He glanced at the road, watching for any sign of approaching vehicles. No headlights could be seen from either direction through the trees. “There are a lot of numbers in here. Looks like he had some text messages, though.” His voice was grim. “We need to go talk to Robyn.”
“Why?” Why would we need to talk to Robyn right then? I had a dead body on my porch. I needed the cops to come and free me from this noose of suspicion that I was the bad person.
He turned his face to meet my searching gaze. “She might need our help. She texted David beforehand.” He pressed a message on the touch screen with the stylus end of the red pen I’d lent him. The message read, “David, if I get my hands on you, you're dead.”
I jerked my gaze to Grant’s. She had promised him death. Not threatened. That was a clear text of intent. The text was exactly her, and I shook my head at her audacity. “That doesn't mean she did it.” I swallowed, but did it? I would hurt anyone who was stupid enough to hurt Robyn.
Anyone.
Had she done the same for me?
“She would never do something to implicate you. You’re the only person she’s one-hundred-percent dedicated to.” He avoided my gaze.
Besides him. He’d forgotten to include that. Robyn was dedicated to her older brother, too. Her feelings were what kept Grant and I at arm’s length.
He pointed at some of the other text messages. “There's another number in here, it looks like it might be his brother. He asked him for a ride. I know Robyn didn’t do this, but she might be able to help us with the timeline. Let’s go to her house and see what she knows. Also, you can’t stay here. You need to not be here when Davis gets here or you’ll never get out.” Grant tucked the cell phone into his pocket and ignored my questioning look.
I couldn't help but wonder just how possible it was that Robyn was the killer. The shock over David's death didn't hurt quite as much as the fact that Robyn might have done something that would get her into trouble.
Murder wasn't something you could apologize for or move on from. It wasn't something you paid a fine for. It wasn't even something you could laugh and joke about. Robyn had a way of doing things that made you feel comfortable even as you sat next to her on the gallows. I couldn't hide the smugness that maybe my friend loved me just enough to kill someone.
Grant narrowed his gaze. “I'm not removing you from my list of suspects, though, either. There are some text messages from you, too, inviting him out here.”
I spluttered, flailing my arms to the side. “I promise, I couldn't find my phone. It was gone. It just showed up here. You can ask people that I was with at the restaurant. What do I have to do to get you to believe me?”
Grant grabbed my upper arm just above my elbow in his tight grasp. His fingers dug into my flesh, not painfully, but enough I knew he was serious. “They’re pushing me deeper undercover in a couple weeks. I can’t do anything official here. Especially because of my relationship to the top two suspects, they won’t let me near this.”
He dug into his pocket for his keys and nodded toward my car. “You can follow me to Robyn's. We’ve wasted enough time. The bus should be here soon. You won't be able to come back for a while, do you need to get anything?” His dark eyes looked at me and the slid away.
I really was a suspect.
“Wait, yeah. I just need my laptop.” I pressed my hand to my forehand, I wasn't sure what was going on, but I believed Grant would take care of me. If anyone had my best interest at heart, it would be him.
“Is it smart to mess with the inv
estigation like this, Grant? I don't want anything to jeopardize your career.” I peered at him while I chewed on the inside skin of my bottom lip. A cop in prison wasn’t something I could even imagine.
“Run inside and grab your stuff. Don’t take longer than a minute. And it’s smart, if my sister is involved. I'm not going to let anything happen to her.” He still had his hand on my arm, and he jerked me close to him, my hands shoved against his chest.
Our eyes were inches apart. “And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Even if you did do it.”
Even if I did do it? He still didn't trust me.
Did I trust myself?
Chapter 5
I ignored the body as I rounded the back of the porch. I also ignored the fluttery feelings inside my chest from when Grant had touched me and pulled me close. All of my feelings had to stay pushed aside for the moment, or I would lose it.
Watching the lines in the vinyl siding as I walked, I didn’t keep an eye on where I placed my feet. I let out a muffled squeak when I accidentally stepped on David's elbow. I swear I wasn't trying to. I couldn't remember where I put that key.
Every second that ticked by had become measured by my heart rate.
I couldn’t be there. I had to leave. Grant would be in trouble, too.
A splinter pricked my finger as I ran my hands over the logs and moved them around. I’d placed it underneath a log back there, but logs were everywhere. Stormy had disappeared somewhere. I hoped she hadn't stepped in David's blood. He hadn't liked her anyway.
If I was going to be gone for a few days, what would I do about her? Thankfully, she was a hunter and didn’t need to be inside. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t miss her.
As much as she would deny it, if you asked her, I knew she would miss me, too. I hoped.
I was shaking by the time I remembered the key was under the fake log by the back door. I tilted the replica to the side and grabbed my key. Then I ran around the side again to the front door. Letting myself in, I closed the door and leaned back against the panel.
There wasn’t any time, but the safety of being inside rushed over me, leaving me light-headed.
Something brushed my hair. I flipped the switch beside the door, spreading light through the downstairs.
A note had been taped to the inside of my front door. Typed in Times new Roman font, it read, “You’re next.” Who used Times New Roman font anymore? There were a lot of other options.
Emotionally, I couldn’t handle anymore. I shut down and stared at the note dispassionately. There wasn't anything fancy about it. It wasn't even on stationary, like someone had hastily printed off the page from my own printer.
How had the killer known how to get into my house? Had I even told David where my key was? I couldn’t remember. The stress of the night was getting to me and I still had mere seconds to grab my laptop.
Grant gave me only a minute, I guarantee I was over that. I gripped the note in my fingers, my knuckles tight. I ran into the office and grabbed my laptop bag as well as the outlines I had for the rest of the book I was working on.
Thankfully, Robyn had everything else I needed for staying over. I even left extra clothes at her place in case of emergency.
Although, to be honest, an emergency I’d had in mind when I’d been preparing for it had been more along the lines of she was sick, so I was staying over to help, or it was Valentine’s Day and we were having an overnighter in protest. Something like this... wasn’t really on my scale of understanding.
I shot a glance around my home. The sense of safety had dissolved with my discovery of the note. I wouldn’t be able to stay in there, anyway. Not alone. I didn’t have a guard dog and my security system wasn’t locked and loaded yet. I couldn’t find Dad’s rifle.
The house would have to be fine without me. I had to get out there.
I closed the door behind me, jiggling the handle to make sure I’d locked it. That time I pocketed the key. I went to my car, my hands still shaking, but the laptop bag strap swinging from my shoulder.
From his rig, Grant rolled down the window. “Are you okay?” The rain had let up to a soft drizzle, but it was only temporary. North Idaho didn’t mess around with the weather. It gave you a warm up, like we’d had, and then the clouds would prepare for the real show.
We had minutes before the true storm would descend.
And the cops.
Whichever came first, I didn’t want to be outside when it got there.
I thrust the note towards Grant through his window, standing on tiptoe to reach. “Can we just get out of here? We can talk about it at Robyn’s.”
It took Grant less than a second to take in the note and its contents, even less time to scan my face. “I'm serious, Olivia, are you okay?” His dark lashes framed his dark eyes which peered at me with such intensity my insides trembled.
Was I okay? Horrified was more the word I was looking for. The fact that I was a suspect and Robyn was a suspect filled me with absolute disdain. We were the least violent people I'd ever met. And the note... the note didn’t help my emotional stability. All the note did was promise me something I was sure I didn’t want.
“I'm fine. I need to get out of here. Are we going straight to Robyn’s?” I side-stepped toward my car and turned back to see what his answer was. I could feel the pressure of time passing too fast.
He gave a sharp nod, checking his side mirror and out into the darkness. “Yeah, come on. We need to clear her and you. You'll both be on top of the suspect list as soon as Davis finds the phone. I just heard on the scanner he's about ten minutes out. We don't have time to mess around.”
Had Grant tossed David’s phone after I’d gone into the house? He wasn’t the type to hold onto evidence – or tamper with it for that matter.
Instead of bringing that up, I focused on the fact that he’d insinuated I would be a suspect. The mention of ten minutes helped me breathe a little easier on the time. I arched my eyebrow, small droplets of water dripping down my face. “Why the phone? Why me? I thought...”
Grant turned the key in his ignition, piercing my gaze. “You were his last text message. It said that you wanted to meet him here.” He spoke in a monotone as if he didn’t want to let me know that he didn’t trust me.
He couldn’t have taken my breath away more if he’d slugged me in the gut.
I shook my head, disbelieving as I pulled out my phone and swiped the screen. “But... I was at the diner. I couldn't find my phone. That’s not possible.” There wasn’t a text to David on my phone.
Grant tapped the side of his window, pointing at her phone. “But you have your phone now, Olivia. I'm trying to help you. Get in your car and follow me to Robyn’s. We'll deal with the rest of the details later.”
I turned to my car, my laptop bag hitting me on the hip as I spun. Yeah, I did have my phone, but that’s because it was stuck under the body. “I found my phone under David’s body, Grant. Just to set the record straight.” I tossed it over my shoulder because I didn’t want him to see how upset I was getting.
“Someone went to a lot of trouble to peg this murder on you.” Grant didn’t wait for me to comment or say anything else. He put his truck into reverse and backed up in a U until he faced down my drive.
I didn’t reply. Imminent tears threatened and I gagged them back. Throwing my laptop bag into the front seat, I climbed in and pretended I was heading over to Robyn’s for a writing night. Ignore the fact that the benign scene through the rain splattered windshield was more ominous than it ever had been.
Someone had set me up. They’d gone to a lot of trouble to make all the clues point toward me. Grant even suspected me, no matter how much he refused my questions.
If I was honest, I was starting to suspect myself with all the evidence. I turned my car on and belted in. I didn’t want to leave but another, bigger, part of me didn’t want to stay.
What else was I supposed to do?
My ex-boyfriend was dead. My best-friend
and I were the suspects. The last thing my career needed was bad press. I could see the headlines now. “Romance Author is the Killer in Love.”
The whole world would think I’d killed my ex-fiancé in a jealous rage. Except I hadn't.
I pulled in behind Grant’s truck, the red glow of the brake lights streaking through the moisture in the air. The tempest of the rain created a shield separating us from the world.
Why hadn’t he wanted to have me ride with him in the truck? I should take my car with me, but wouldn’t there be tire tracks showing we’d been there? Maybe the rain would wash them away. I had to stop worrying about everything.
First thing was first, get to Robyn’s.
Grant had said something about keeping the car at Robyn’s and not driving anywhere, so Paul wouldn’t know where I was. Not driving my car meant Robyn would be my chauffeur until further notice.
My phone buzzed and beeped as I got into better service, and missed emails joined the text messages and they warred with each other for the screen. I wondered why my phone was so quiet. Usually it was a very active, the evidence that the phone had been missing buzzing beside me.
Grant pulled slowly out of my driveway. I looked both ways into the dark. I wouldn’t be able to see anything out that far anyway. The text messages on my phone would have to wait. The emails... I wanted to shut everything off and leave it off. How much would I have to deal with in one day?
The glimpse of the email subject line from my editor was enough to cause hyperventilation. Robyn, Kami, and a few others I could deal with later. Just get to Robyn’s. No one needed to know that I’d been in danger.
Or that I was still in danger.
Chapter 6
I pulled in behind Grant on Robyn’s driveway. She had recently had it paved, and the black was strikingly shiny in the evening rain while the outdoor lights gleamed on the wet surface.
My windshield wipers thwacked on the glass and I didn’t want to get out.