Page 120 of Five for Silver

Chad gestured to the DI. “You know therest.”

“Can you think of any reason why Lucy wouldwant to harm you or James?”

“She was angry and upset.”

The DI nodded, poised to type something.“Because you hadn’t got the result she wanted. You didn’t findHarriet.”

Chad swallowed. “I’m sure she felt angry andupset about that, too, but it wasn’t the reason she wanted to hurtus. Vincent told her something.”

“What?” the DI asked.

“He told her he didn’t kill her sister,”Peter answered.

Chad frowned. “How did you—”

“He said the same thing to James, and hemarched straight out of that room not believing a word. He calledme about it from outside the hospital and I told him Vincent wasjust messing with him, and he should go home.”

“Vincent said the same to me,” Chadwhispered.

“Yet, you didn’t say anything to James orme. You kept it quiet.”

“I didn’t think it was…”

“Necessary? Important?”

The DI shook his head, glancing at Peter.“Why would Lucy have believed him? Vincent confessed.”

“I don’t know. Maybe Chad can enlightenus.”

Chad’s curled toes began to cramp. He openedhis mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“You asked for the case files,” the DImurmured.

“I … I didn’t know anything about theWhitehall murders. Harriet’s file was incomplete. So much of it hadbeen blacked out, and there were inconsistencies in Vincent’srecollection.”

“What inconsistencies?” Peter asked.

“With the others he recalled details.Specific details, but not with Harriet. He was vague, that and withthe lack of remains…”

“It made you think someone else might havebeen responsible for her death. It made you think that you werebetter than the officers of thirty years prior and could find therealkiller or even worse, you suspected a cover up by thoseofficers.”

“I wanted to know the truth.”

Peter stabbed his finger down on the table.“You had it. Vincent killed her. He chopped her into little pieceslike he did the others, then he hid her around Bardhum—”

“Then why hasn’t she been found? Why was hevague in his details?”

“He wasn’t vague.”

“He could only describe her from what hadbeen written on her missing persons posters.”

Peter leaned back in his chair and crossedhis arms. “Missing rib. Tattooed ankle.”

“Wait,” Chad squeezed his eyes shut. “Hedidn’t know that at the time.”

“Of course he did. He found out about therib for himself when he cut her up, and he must’ve seen her dolphintattoo, too. James told me.”

“No. Vincent found out because the lettersEileen wrote to him.”

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