Page 51 of Fire Harbor

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“I am. I can see it now. Your booking photo goes viral. The headline reads: Miss Goody Two Shoes Finally Gets Caught in Crime Spree.”

“Oh, shut up. I’ll remember this the next time you want me to spy on Henry and keep him busy while you go through his phone.”

The two women arrived at Derrick’s house on Tidewater Avenue—a modest frame bungalow nestled on a corner lot—around nine-thirty.

“Let’s make this quick,” Greta said. “What’s the plan?”

“I just want to get a good look at the backyard,” Lake explained, getting out her phone. “Wait here.”

“Gladly.”

Lake took a deep breath before opening the car door. After glancing up and down the street to make sure the coast was clear, she headed toward the backyard. She reached the gate without encountering anyone in the quiet neighborhood and quickly surveyed the area. She spotted the upturned patch of soil Abby had mentioned near the back corner of the yard. But it didn’t look big enough to hold a body.

Looking around for anything she could use to dig, she noticed a shovel leaning against a metal shed. With a sense of urgency, she ran over and grabbed the spade. As she began to work the soil, she realized how shallow the hole was. After excavating halfway down, maybe two feet, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

“What are you doing?” Linus hissed.

“There’s something buried here,” Lake replied, her heart pounding in her chest. “It smells awful.”

“Yeah. It would. Stop.”

“It’s probably where he buried the trophies.”

“Stop, Lake. I spoke to Derrick this morning.” Linus stilled her digging by putting his hand on the shovel. “Stop. Derrick buried his twenty-pound Flemish rabbit here two weeks ago after she died. He’s had Bella—yes, that’s her name—for ten years. I checked with Cord, who confirmed Bella died of old age fifteen days ago. Derrick’s planning on putting up a marker right where you’re standing. He just hasn’t gotten around to it yet because of work.”

“What? A rabbit? Are you sure?”

He took the shovel from her hands. “Yes, I’m positive. What Abby heard that night was Derrick crying because he’d lost Bella.”

“Oh. So Derrick’s not—”

“A serial killer? No. He’s a broken-hearted pet owner who lost his beloved rabbit.”

Lake looked down at the hole. For the first time, she saw tuffs of brownish fur sticking out through the dirt. “By any chance, was Bella a fawn-colored rabbit?”

“Yep. Litter-box trained, too.”

Lake sucked in a breath. She heard a noise behind her and spotted a laughing Greta holding her phone. “Keep going. This will make perfect blackmail material for at least five years.”

“I can’t believe I spent my morning re-burying Derrick’s pet rabbit,” Linus fumed, standing in the middle of Tidewater Avenue. Greta had already taken off, out of the line of fire. He glared at Lake.

“I said I was sorry,” Lake muttered, her face flushed with embarrassment. “And technically, I reburied the rabbit, not you. Don’t you think I’ve been humiliated enough for one day? I was trying to help you solve a mystery, trying to act on a problem instead of taking my time to think it through.”

“That makes no sense. If you’d listened to me in the first place, you wouldn’t be in this spot. You’ve likely given Greta entertainment fodder for the next five Christmas parties. I can see it now—the video of you digging up that rabbit playing on a loop. Part of me hopes she torments you for the next five years.”

Lake blinked in disbelief. “You want her to torment me? Wow. That’s blunt. What can I say? I got caught up.”

“And I told you that I knew Derrick. But would you listen? No.”

“How did you know I was here?”

Linus put his hands on his hips. “The next time you decide to trespass, try checking to see if your target has a Ring doorbell cam. Derrick called me to ask why my girlfriend was digging up his backyard.”

Realizing the magnitude of her mistake, she let out a sigh. “Crap. I didn’t think of door cams.”

Linus could see the regret in her eyes but chose to remain silent, letting the weight of her foolishness settle in.

---