Page 154 of Trouble Comes in Threes

“What?” I practically screeched. “Is the prosecutor dropping the charges?”

“No, Derby Sloan and his buddy were found hanging in their cells this morning.”

“What?” I croaked out. “They—” I glanced back at the kids. got out of the car, and shut the door. “They hung themselves? Both of them?”

“That’s the way it appears.” But I could tell he wasn’t buying it.

“Then what happened?”

“The video in their section of county lockup suddenly and conveniently went on the fritz,” he said in disgust. “So God only knows.”

“You think someone else is responsible?” I asked in shock.

“I have no proof, but yeah, I think this was staged.”

I leaned my back against the car. “Are we still in danger?”

“If the person whom I suspect is behind it truly did it, then no.”

“Wait,” I said, realizing what he was suggesting. “You think Dermot arranged this?”

“I think Derby Sloan and his buddy knew too many things they could have used in a plea bargain.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I was still in a state of shock.

“I’m still supervising the investigation here at lock-up, but let me know when you get to the office so I can come see you.”

“Okay,” I said, struggling to wrap my head around what Joe had told me. “I’m about to head into the daycare now.”

We hung up, and I opened the back door and unbuckled the kids. Once we were outside, I realized their bags were in the back too. I made the girls stay with me, holding hands, while I dug out their backpacks and Liam’s diaper bag from the back. It took another ten minutes to get everyone settled in their classrooms.

I was pretty frazzled by the time I pulled up in front of the office. I sent Joe a quick text to let him know I had arrived. One peek through the window at the trashed interior sent me hurrying to the coffee shop a few doors down, in equal parts procrastination and the need for a caffeine boost. I considered locking myself in the office straightaway, but if Joe was right, Dermot wouldn’t hurt me.

Was Dermot responsible? I was still trying to make it fit the man I knew, but then again, he was a crime lord. It made sense that he’d played a role in this mess.

The coffee shop was pretty busy for a Monday morning, so I had to wait several minutes before I could place my order.

“No crazy coffee order for Neely Kate today?” one of the baristas asked after I ordered my latte.

“Not today,” I said as I paid for my order. “But I’m sure she’ll want something tomorrow.”

After my order was ready, I headed to the office and let myself inside, stopping in the doorway to take in the carnage. The place had been totally destroyed.

The desks were overturned. Papers were everywhere. Chairs had been flung around like toys. The table we used to meet with clients had been flipped over. The person or persons who had done this had not only been looking for something but had been pissed when they hadn’t found it.

This was going to take forever to clean up.

My phone rang, and Dermot’s name was on the screen. My heartbeat spiked. I shut the door behind me, wondering if I should answer. If Dermot was responsible for those men’s murders, I needed to distance myself from him ASAP. But I didn’t know that he was, and he’d always had my best interests in mind.

“Dermot.”

“Tell me you’re still out of town.”

I stopped in my tracks. “Why?”

“I found out the name of that next-door neighbor you’ve been looking for.”

It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about. “You mean the neighbor with the box?”

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