Page 144 of We Are All Guilty Here

“I had to go slower with Madison. Build up her trust. Make her feel like she was special.” Virgil let his tongue show between his lips. “You remember what she was like. So damn prickly. I love a challenge.”

She crooked her finger around the trigger, felt the sliver of the built-in safety. She would have milliseconds to draw and fire. She couldn’t waste time.

“Girls that age, they’re so fresh and open. All they want is to be loved. They need somebody to guide them. Somebody to show them how their bodies work.”

Emmy slowly started to inch the Glock out of the holster. There were fifteen rounds in the magazine, one in the chamber.

“You were right about the video on the Nokia, too. Walton’s always been careless, but I should’ve known better. I didn’t know she was filming us with her phone. All that glorious fucking andsucking would’ve buried both of us under the prison.” His eyes scanned her face again. He wanted a reaction. “It’s one thing to say a stupid little bitch is lying, but Cheyenne had the actual proof. The second she tried to blackmail us, both of their lives were over.”

Stress caused tears to slide down Emmy’s cheeks. She mentally walked herself through drawing the Glock, pulling the trigger.

“Don’t cry, Emmy Lou. You were that age once. So young and stupid. All arms and legs.” Virgil licked his lips again. “Do you know how hard it was for me to leave you alone?”

Emmy stopped moving. She was paralyzed by the question.

“If Jonah hadn’t had you first, I could’ve shown you how good it feels to be with a man.”

Emmy took a shaky breath. Her resolve faltered. The stillness started to ebb.

“Emmy Lou,” he whispered. “Beautiful, misguided Emmy Lou.”

She was sickened by his intimacy. “What about Dale?”

“Madison and Cheyenne weren’t his type.”

“You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie?” Virgil waited for an answer that wouldn’t come. “I figured Dale out years before it happened. He did me some favors. I didn’t send him to prison.”

“We figured him out, too.” Emmy struggled to throw him off balance. “Walton drove Esther Loudermilk’s Audi to Muscle Shoals. He used Adam’s driver’s license to fly to West Virginia and back. Then he drove back to North Falls so he could abduct the girls with you.”

Virgil laughed. “God, you’re so fucking sharp. That’s exactly what he did. Adam was always leaving his wallet lying around. Dumbass had no idea Walton was using his ID. The photo outside the American Legion was my idea. And it was a good one, too. Once you saw that picture, you stopped looking at Walton.”

“Tell me where you left Paisley. Let me bring her home to Carol and Elijah.”

“Baby girl, that’s not gonna happen.” Virgil’s chest rose as he took a deep breath. “I’ll make you this promise. For Cole’s sake, I’ll leave your body where he can find it.”

Emmy felt something click inside of her head. A timer going off that she hadn’t realized was counting down. She kept her eyes locked with Virgil’s, her body as still as possible, her hand wrapped around the gun, her finger resting on the trigger.

Then she banged the heel of her boot against the box behind her.

Virgil looked down for a split second, but a split second was all that Emmy needed. She pulled the Glock out of the holster, raised it into the air and started firing as soon as the muzzle cleared.

The first bullet ricocheted off the floor. The second hit his foot. The next shattered his kneecap, then another dug into his thigh, then two more ripped open his groin and hip, another three blew apart his chest, then she lost count as Virgil’s body flailed back and forth like a boxer was beating him down to the floor.

He didn’t fall so much as sink onto his back. Emmy heard a rapid clicking. The sound echoed into the corners. The clip was empty. Her finger wouldn’t stop pulling back on the trigger. She panted out a sharp breath. She couldn’t let go of the gun. Her muscles were too cramped. The stiffness went into her arm, locked her elbow. She had to bang the back of her hand against a barber’s chair to make her fingers release. The gun clattered to the floor. Knocked into the broken Nokia. Came to rest against a cardboard box.

The stillness was back. Her training took over. She kicked the Ruger out of Virgil’s hand. Pressed her fingers to the side of his neck to make sure he was dead. Patted down his pockets to look for other weapons. Lifted her phone from her vest to call dispatch. Emmy’s mouth opened, but she couldn’t speak. Her vocal cords felt paralyzed. She texted Cole instead.

It was Virgil. He’s dead.

Emmy watched the dots bounce as Cole tried to compose an answer. Then they stopped, and the phone started to ring. Her finger hovered over the green button to answer the call, but she couldn’t press it, couldn’t even control her hand. The phone dropped. The glass cracked.

The tremble started in her chest. She felt it spread down intoher belly and up into her shoulders. She watched it move down her arms, flutter into her fingers. Everything was shaking. Her teeth began to chatter. Her eyes felt jittery. She couldn’t focus. Couldn’t see. Couldn’t even breathe. She stumbled toward the door. The rain had passed. She blinked in the sudden burst of sunlight, tried to clear her vision. Virgil’s truck was in the driveway. Emmy’s cruiser. The horse trailer.

Vomit erupted from her mouth. Emmy was doubled over. She retched into the grass. Bile splattered her boots, stained her pants. She was on her knees again. Tears wept from her eyes. All the emotions she’d kept in check came roaring out. She started sobbing. Over Cheyenne. Over Madison. Over the fact that she had killed one of the two men on earth who could lead her to Paisley Walker’s body. He had confessed. He had told her everything. But he hadn’t told Emmy how to find her.

Emmy sat back on her heels. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She looked up to the dark clouds. A gentle mist caressed her face. She could see the sun trying to come out.

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