Page 98 of Our Lips Are Sealed
“I can do that.”
A seagull perched on one of the fence posts, screeching its head off. Liam grimaced at the thing, already having learned how disgusting they were from his short time at the townhouse.
“He’s a little far from the beach.”
Samuel glanced towards the inlet, where a group of the bird’s friends hovered over the water, coasting in the mid-morning breeze. “There must be a storm coming in off the water. The gulls stay back, wait until it passes, and then scavenge through what’s left.”
Continuing to watch the flying rats, Liam nodded. “That’s what my dad does. He picks through the pieces, scavenging for hints of what’s leftover in people like Toby. Always trying to figure out what makes the monster, a monster.”
“And in doing so, he helps people like you find them.”
“Yes, but by the time I come on scene, the damage is done, the lives are lost, and everyone hurts,” Liam replied. “I hate to say this, but as time goes on, I’m beginning to feel that the best way to find true justice is not in a court of law, but in an empty forest, with no one watching.”
Samuel sipped at the coffee in his hand, seemingly unfazed by what he was hearing. “That’s pretty fucked up coming from a fed, but I get it,” he said, finally. “We both want to believe we’re good men, and we might be to an extent, but the truth is neither of us would hesitate to use the ways of bad men to get what we want. Especially if we’re protecting what’s ours.”
“I figured you would get it.”
Samuel straightened off his car. “Listen, I say we leave the world’s moral compass in the hands of people like your father, while you and I keep doing what we do. Life doesn’t always have a level playing field, and like I said yesterday, north isn’t always the right choice. Sometimes it takes bent principles on a crooked path to lead you to do what’s right and protect those that are important.”
“Speaking of bent principles, try to remember that when someone takes your statement later.”
The shrieking of the gulls grew louder, piercing the air as they flew off towards the dark swamp on the opposite shore.
“Toby is awake,” Liam said, watching the birds disappear. “The doctor at the hospital said he’s possibly blind in one eye and has several permanent facial fractures that could disfigure him for life.”
“Pity.”
“The other good news is he really likes to talk. Mathis went to see him last night. I thought a local touch would be a nice way to begin.”
“Aren’t you clever, Agent Cohen.”
Liam inclined his head at the compliment. “I figured using a familiar face from the past would add fuel to Toby’s fire, so to speak, and I was right. The egotistical prick bragged to Mathis about what he did to Cecilia. He also went into detail on what he had planned to do with the girls.”
Samuel’s eyes hardened. “And?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
Surprising him, Samuel thought about his answer. “Yes.”
“Toby killed Cecilia this past winter. He kept saying Merry Christmas, so we’re assuming it was in the December time frame. The body we found is definitely hers, by the way. He admitted to bringing her home first, and then killing her somewhere in the swamp across the water over there.”
Liam paused, hoping for some insight with this next part. “Toby said she didn’t follow the rules. Do you have any idea what a Snow White Apple is?”
Samuel’s brow furrowed. “Manchineel fruit. It’s toxic, and the tree it comes from grows on the shore around the mill ruins.”
“Yeah, Jamison told me about them.”
“Ty didn’t want us to go near them when we were kids, so he told us they were the apples that killed Snow White.”
“Toby claims Cecilia ate one before he caught her.”
Samuel’s shoulders slumped. “Jesus Christ, CeCe.”
“I guess she thought that was a better end than what her brother was going to do to her.”
The phone in Samuel’s pocket pinged, and he pulled it out. “Abe says he needs my help to deal with Selah, but I want to hear the rest first.”
“Have you told Selah that Toby was responsible for the car wreck?”
