Page 136 of Say Yes to the Death

“What was that?” he snapped. His eyes bulged even wider.

“Nothing,” she said with a smile. She slowly, deliberately unbuttoned the top button of her shirt.

His hands twitched. He stared at the spot where he knew her scar was.

“Here you go.” She swept her hair off her shoulder and instead showed him the symbol of Priapus that he had carved into her neck.

“Cover it. I don’t want to see that one,” he hissed through gritted teeth. He clenched the edge of the metal table so tightly that the tension radiating across it was almost palpable.

Interesting. Maybe he and his ESA pals were less than simpatico at the moment.

“Oh, you mean the stab wound,” she said and let her hair fall back into place. Her fingers paused at her buttons. “You left me with so many charming body decorations it’s hard to pick the right one.”

She leaned forward and stared directly into the cold, hard eyes of her almost-killer.

“Tell me where the bodies are.”

“I’ll never tell.”

She glanced at her notepad. It was time to deploy some deception. Would this risk pay off, or would it be a disaster? “That’s right. You won’t. Do you want to know why?”

“What do you mean?”

“The feds have one of your friends. You know, from ESA.”

Rachel glanced up from the table. Somewhere in the building, Jack Hartley was probably throwing a chair through a window.

Barney’s nostrils flared. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do. Epsilon Sigma Alpha. The lamest frat on Venor’s campus. But anyway, the feds have picked up a—oh, what do you call them? Incinerators?”

“Eradicators,” he hissed.

Bingo. Idiot.

“Right, an eradicator. Turns out he’s taking credit for your kills.”

She held her breath. This was a gigantic, risky leap. All she had was circumstantial evidence. Was it going to pay off?

His face went from red to purple. “That’s impossible.”

Claire leaned forward. Her fingers were poised on her buttons. “As it turns out, it is possible. He’s claiming all of them. I sure hope you didn’t tell anyone where the bodies are, or nothing will stop him from taking your legacy and becoming the West Haven Widowmaker.”

Barney’s expression darkened. Silence stretched between them. The clock in the corner was practically screaming as the seconds ticked by.

“You recall Kayley Herrold,” he said.

“I do,” she said calmly, hands still on her buttons.

“Her head is buried in the state park between Victoria’s house and the West Haven Heirloom location.”

Her stomach lurched. Victoria was Barney’s fiancée. The feds had tried to use her television interview to guilt Barney into revealing body locations, but no dice.

“Where in the park?”

“I’ve given you enough.” His eye twitched.

Claire withdrew her hands, crossed her arms.

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