Page 124 of Reading Between the Lines
The case Tallus and I had finished five weeks ago was one for the record book, and it had enraptured Nana.
“By the time they brought the twins in, the detectives had interviewed the other teens involved in the murder club. Chett admitted that Weston had come to him with suspicions about their teacher and concerns about certain aspects of the club and what they were doing.
“Atlas claimed Loyal had always been sadistic and unhinged, so when we started poking around, asking questions, he thought it entirely possible Loyal had done something to Weston, although he didn’t know specifics.
“And Duke conceded to helping Loyal rig a tree to land on the Jeep. He claimed Loyal was concerned we were snooping around too much, trying to pin a murder on them, and we needed to be stopped. Duke said it was meant to scare us.
“Londyn caved in her interview, and when the police offered her immunity for the whole truth, she spilled the beans about everything. Her father. Her brother. Her involvement in the murder of her mother. Loyal was pissed and said his sister was always weak.
“It turns out Hugh Abercrombie orchestrated Weston’s murder after learning the teen had grown suspicious. The town drunk making raving claims was one thing, but Weston was a levelheaded, university-bound student who the police might not ignore. He encouraged his son to make his first solo kill. He’d been grooming his children for years, preparing them for this moment. What they didn’t expect was Weston to survive and Delaney to claim it was anything but an accident. We became a thorn in his side.”
A nurse came into the room with a cheery, “Good morning, Hazel. How are you feeling?”
“Oh, I’m just lovely, dear. Have you met my grandson?”
“I have.” She winked at me, and I encouraged Echo to scoot out of the way so the nurse could perform her morning checks.
“Today is the day, Hazel. Are you excited?” the nurse asked Nana.
“Oh yes. I am. What day is that, dear?”
“If the doctor gives you the green light, you get to go to your new home.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. I’ve been missing my shows.”
“Well, I have a good feeling you’ll be out of here in time to catch the afternoon soaps.”
Tallus stirred and stretched, blinking at the commotion in the room. “Is it morning?”
“Yes.”
“Damn. I fell asleep.”
“You needed it. You’ve been running yourself into the ground.”
He got to his feet and pecked a kiss on my waiting lips. “Worth it.”
We went into the hallway to give Nana privacy since the nurse would need to assist her with her toileting.
“We should call the home so they know to expect her today,” I said.
“Her stuff is at our place. Birdie packed everything, and Costa went with me to pick it up after work last night.”
“Thank you. Was Dad there?”
“Yes, but he didn’t say anything.”
“Good.”
Echo stuck close to my side, tongue lolling as she stared up at me with happy dog eyes. She wore her service-dog-in-training vest proudly. We’d been going to regular classes, and the instructor was amazed at her progress.
Since I suffered from PTSD and a slew of other debilitating mental health struggles, I qualified for an emotional support animal, and although I didn’t recognize my need for such things,Tallus had seen right away what a perfect match Echo and I would make.
Tallus contacted Nicholas McConaughy after we closed the case in Port Hope, and Echo came home with us that very day. We started service dog training classes immediately, bonding more than I ever expected.
Fucking Tallus was right. I loved the stupid dog, and for some fucked up reason, she loved me too.
Delaney had rewarded us with an astronomical amount of money for not only believing her but for solving her son’s murder. She said goodbye to Weston the day Loyal was officially charged.
