Page 81 of Little Stolen Memories

If Marcus wanted to get it all out in the open, I was happy to oblige.

I was happy to shoot him too … I just needed a reason, and I hoped he’d give me one. After what he’d done, it was the least I could do.

“Xander found a gold chain in the guest room,” I said. “The same room you’re staying in, Marcus. Care to explain?”

Marcus ran a hand along his chin. “Well now, I wouldn’t know. Have you asked Xander? It’s his house, and that room is filled with his stuff. I’d say he has some explaining to do.”

“I have some explaining to do?” Xander asked. “I’d say you have some explaining to do.”

“Don’t be coy, brother. Why are you holding out on us?”

“Let me make it clear for you, Marcus,” I said. “Jackson, Aidan, and Owen were given gold chains by their football coach. Pieces of a gold chain were found at the crime scene. I saw them this morning when I stopped by to talk to the medical examiner. Care to know what else we spoke about? Aidan had skin cells beneath his fingernails.”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Marcus said. “Get to the flipping point.”

“When the murders were committed, the skin cells weren’t a match to anyone in the database. But skin cells contain DNA, as I’m sure you know. If I suspect someone of those murders, and the police get a warrant for said person, we could test that person’s DNA against the DNA collected twenty years ago. Take a minute to think about that … let it marinate. I’ll wait.”

Xander turned toward me, his voice strained as he said, “I had no idea the chain was even there until a few minutes ago. I swear.”

“I believe you,” I said.

Marcus clapped his hands together. “Well, isn’t that sweet? What do you suppose we do now?”

I lifted my shirt, showing Marcus the gun I had aimed at his chest.

“Hands up, Marcus,” I said.

“Hands up … or what?”

“Xander, call the police,” I said.

“He will do no such thing,” Marcus said. “He’s a softie. He’d need a backbone to do that, and he’s never had one.”

“Call the police, Xander,” I repeated.

Xander wiped his brow and said, “I … uhh … I don’t know … I …”

“There’s only one play here,” I said. “There’s no point defending your brother. He wasn’t going to defend you. Didn’t you hear what he just said? He was trying to blame you, to make it seem like you’re the guilty one, not him.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Marcus said.

“Both of you, be quiet!” Xander said. “I need to think.”

“There’s nothing to think about,” Marcus said. “We can solve this little predicament we’ve gotten ourselves into here and now. We can make it all go away.”

“She has a gun,” Xander said.

“So what?” Marcus scoffed. “A gun’s nothing if a person isn’t prepared to use it.”

“Give me a reason,” I said. “I’ve been waiting for one.”

“Tough words for a little lady in a flirty little skirt,” Marcus said. “You expect us to believe you’re woman enough to pull the trigger? Because I don’t.”

“Tell me something … why keep the gold chain and why bring it here, to your brother’s house?”

Marcus turned toward Xander and said, “I bet we can get to her before she gets a shot off. What do you say?”

“No,” Xander said. “We’re not going to hurt her. We’re going to let her go.”

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