Page 70 of Two for Joy

“Yeah,” Zac sighed. “You’re right.”

Romeo closed his eyes. “You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that.”

“What?”

“Just to know someone out there is on Chad’s side.”

Zac looked away. “So we’re clear. I’m here for Chad. Not for you. I hate you. I find you repulsive, evil.”

“I would be disappointed if you felt anything less.”

“I think about when I saw you in the city. I apologized to you, said I hadn’t had time to look into the graffiti on your barn and you told me—”

“Not to worry. You had more pressing matters. You thanked me for understanding, then I asked about Chad.”

“You were right in front of me, right there, and I didn’t suspect a thing. You had Chad. He was hurt.”

“I looked after him.”

“I could’ve saved him if I only opened my eyes.”

“I went into the station and complained about the graffiti. I passed many officers, looked many in the eyes, even Chad, and he didn’t know I was the killer.”

“Still… I’m always gonna feel shit about it.”

“But that is why you’re gonna help him now.”

Zac let out another long breath, then nodded. “Holly Stevenson reported a break in, ten weeks ago. Her jewelry, and purse were snatched from the property. There’d been a spate of robberies around her apartment block, it was linked to that.”

“But what if it wasn’t? What if the killer knew about the robberies and used them to his advantage?”

“For what?”

“Her laptop.”

“She didn’t report it stolen.”

“Because it wasn’t.”

Zac groaned. “You’re not making sense.”

“She was writing a feature article on me, four-page spread. She wanted to be thorough, she even wrote about my dreams.”

“Dreams?”

“I have unsettling dreams, about magpies.”

“Magpies?”

Romeo narrowed his eyes. “Yes, magpies.”

“Sorry.” Zac waved his hand for Romeo to continue.

“Holly wrote about magpies tormenting me in my sleep. I don’t know what she put exactly, but I know they feature in the article. The copycat must’ve read the article, and leaves feathers at the crime in homage to me. He sends them to me, too, a signal that he’s claimed another victim. He wants to connect with me.”

“So you think the killer broke into Holly’s apartment, made it look like a burglary so he could read her article about you, then followed in your footsteps?”

“Yes.”

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