Page 135 of Three for a Girl

“Just wait.”

He turned and ran back to the house. Romeo turned the flashlight on him, watching him go. He yelled after Chad, but he didn’t reply.

Chad burst through the kitchen door, leaving muddy footprints in his wake, and rushed into the make-shift incident room. The scarf was pinned to the wall underneath Carter’s grinning face. Chad yanked it free, sending the pin flying. He squeezed the scarf in his grip before turning to return to Romeo.

Chad ran his fingers along the scarf as he walked back. He squinted at the flashlight shining on him, unable to see Romeo or Carter in the field. He kept going, following the light in the darkness until he found Romeo.

“Very fitting.” he said, holding his hand out for the scarf.

Chad looked down at it, breathed in the scent of desperation and despair and handed it over. Romeo heaved Carter into a sitting position, and rested him against his leg as he wrapped the scarf tightly around his neck.

He quirked his eyebrow in Chad’s direction who nodded his approval in reply.

Romeo smiled, pushing Carter into the hole. He hit the earth with a dull thud that boomed in Chad’s chest. He took a deep breath before exhaling it slowly at the dark sky.

“Look at him.” Romeo said.

“What?”

“Just look at his face, Chad.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat before dropping his gaze to Carter in the hole. Romeo turned the flashlight on Carter, and Chad frowned. He expected regret, or shame to rear up inside him, something, but there was nothing but satisfaction that Carter was no more.

He’d caught the killer and Romeo had snuffed out his life.

Romeo started shoveling and Chad sat down in the mud, pulling his knees up to his chin. He closed his eyes, zoning out to the repetitive sound of Romeo heaving dirt onto Carter.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, listening, but warm hands on his knees roused him.

Romeo crouched in front of him. He tilted his head, studying Chad. “All done.”

“He’s gone?”

“He’s gone. Come on,” he said, helping Chad to his feet. “You look exhausted.”

“Thanks a lot.”

He hadn’t realized how utterly drained and exhausted his body was until he was trudging back to the house. Romeo lifted Chad’s arm over his neck and helped him along. Chad didn’t protest, he allowed Romeo to help him along, knew he enjoyed doing it.

“What you gonna do about the woods?” Romeo asked.

“Anonymous tip off sounds good.”

“I can phone it in, use my west country accent.”

Chad snorted. “Okay, but let’s just have a day together first. One day.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chad breathed in the smell of books, coffee, and the faint hint of Keeley’s perfume. She grinned at him from her chair, pen poised to take notes. The sun shone, but the air had cooled. Chad’s shirt wasn’t damp with sweat and his pants were no longer sticking to his legs.

“It’s a more comfortable day, that’s for sure.”

Keeley laughed, looking towards the window. “That thunderstorm was definitely needed.”

“It was … beautiful.”

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