Page 83 of Out to Get Her
“Looked there already. You’re supposed to know where he kept stuff.”
There was a long pause and Samantha didn’t dare a glance, even though she desperately needed to know how he was filling that silence.
Footsteps.
“No clues. No cash. And say bye-bye to Sam.”
Crap. He was using her as leverage against Erin. Samantha was supposed to be the one helping Erin. Instead, she’d made herself a liability.
She squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to blink away the pain radiating from the back of her skull.
With her head still slumped forward, pretending to remain knocked out, she squashed her guilt and retraced the last things she remembered.
Putting Dexter in the bathroom.
Zach aiming the gun at her and ordering her to put the dog in there.
Zach telling her to get the dog.
Zach telling her not to move.
Zach’s voice in the dark.
The barrel of that gun pressed against her head.
The books.
The books.
He was looking for something. Something Mr. Sonnier hid in this house. More prescriptions maybe? Proof of his involvement?
Samantha wasn’t even sure the extent of his involvement yet. All she knew was that he and Dustin were connected to this somehow. Dustin hid the evidence. Zach had access to the house. He’d probably been looking around here for weeks before Erin returned.
Samantha shouldn’t have just walked into a trap like that. She should have known better. Should have done better. Been better.
No. That was her mother’s voice in her head.
Samantha hadn’t wanted to tip him off. She had no way of knowing he’d turn on her so quickly. So violently.
All of her evidence so far had told her she’d most likely find him back in the kitchen making snacks. She’d assumed he’d just gotten in over his head. Gotten paid to find or help hide evidence.
And now she knew who killed Paul.
It had been the one piece of the puzzle she’d been looking for. The missing corner piece that held everything together. Because she always knew Nathan didn’t have it in him to get his own hands dirty. But Zach—this Zach—clearly did.
Plus, Zach was a vet tech with access to the drug that killed Paul, and he knew how to use a syringe. Where to place it. How to administer it quickly and efficiently before his patient or victim had a chance to realize what was happening and struggle. He had the means and opportunity since he was the caretaker here.
Motive in this case was irrelevant. Probably money. It was always money around here. Money meant leverage. Or escape. Either way, Zach was obviously her missing corner piece.
Now she just had to take him down.
“Listen,” Erin said. “I told you. He had a million different places where he kept things. And he rearranged his system all the time. I don’t know if he was bored or paranoid, but apparently, he had good reason to be paranoid.”
“Erin.” Zach’s voice was cold and insistent.
Samantha wanted to fly across the room and strangle him for the implied threat in just Erin’s name.
“I’m looking, I’m looking.”
