Page 68 of Be Very Quiet

“That disgusting pig kicked her,” Nina told him.

“Let me see.”

“Luca, it’s fine.”

When he lifted her shirt and revealed the bruising that was forming, he saw red. No one hurt his Liliana and got away with it. He was fully prepared to kill Speke when she talked him from the ledge.

When Detective Torres and the calvary arrived, he hated leaving Liliana to meet with them, but he needed to let them know what had happened.

A car horn blared, followed by the screech of tires and then a loud thump. Luca ran outside with Christian on his heels. One cop was sitting on the ground looking dazed, while others rushed to the street where a bus was stopped. Then he saw why. Douglas Speke was lying in the middle of the road several feet away, a bloody, broken heap. Luca knew without checking for a pulse that he was dead, judging from the unnatural angle of his neck, arms, and legs.

He turned to the nearest cop. “What the hell happened?”

“The perp did some type of jujitsu move or something, kicking the hell out of Officer Gaines, and then took off running. The bus hit him.”

Yeah, he got that last part. The driver looked shaken up, and Luca didn’t blame him. It wasn’t his fault, but he would have to live with the knowledge that he’d killed a man for the rest of his life.

As they returned inside the house, Luca glanced around again. Everything was too perfect, not even a speck of dust on the furniture, no dirty dishes in the sink. The house didn’t look lived in. It looked staged.

Detective Torres appeared at the top of the stairs. “Luca, I need you to come here.”

He took the steps two at a time to the second floor. A technician snapped photos in a bedroom that showed signs of someone living there. There were clothes strewn about, pizza boxes stacked in a corner, and empty beer bottles everywhere. It reminded him of Speke’s abandoned hotel room.

“We found Douglas Speke’s wallet and other things with his name.”

“This was where he was staying?”

“It appears so,” Torres agreed. He motioned with a hand. “Take a look at this.”

Luca moved to where Torres was standing next to a dresser. On top was an assortment of costume jewelry that looked similar to those taken from the prostitutes, as well as more expensive pieces. Luca took out his phone and snapped a picture.

“You think he’s the copycat?”

“We’ll test the jewelry for prints, but it’s possible. We need to get him into a room and interrogate him.”

“Yeah, you’ll need to hire the best medium around.”

Torres’s brows dipped. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Speke tangled with a bus outside. Bus won.”

Torres’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit. How did that happen?”

Heavy footsteps sounded, and then a uniformed officer appeared in the doorway. “Detective Torres, we need you to come outside immediately.”

Torres turned to Luca. “I guess I’m about to find out.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Liliana was worried about Nina. She was putting on a brave face, but she had to be terrified after her ordeal. Liliana tried to get her to go to the hospital to be checked out, but she refused.

Judging from the honking horns and shouting, something big happened outside, but Audria wouldn’t let her leave to check it out. When Luca returned, she could tell something was wrong.

“What is it?”

“Speke’s dead, and it looks like he was the copycat.”

Liliana gaped at him. “Douglas is dead? How?”

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