Page 67 of Shiver

That would explain the picture in the treehouse. The killer was playing with him, playing with them all. “Mac, do me a favor and call Tony. Tell him about this guy, this Don—”

“Miller,” Mac supplied.

“Miller.” As he said the name, he knew it couldn’t be yet another coincidence. This man had to be connected to Devra.

“Tell him he knew Michelle.”

“Riley, if you’re right and Don did…” Mac’s voice broke. “I’ll kill him, Riley. I swear on everything I have, I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”

“Not if I get to him first,” Riley muttered.

No sound reached him from the other end of the line.

“Thanks, Mac. You’ve really helped.”

“Riley, there’s something else.”

Riley’s heartbeat stilled at the serious tone of Mac’s voice.

“I don’t blame you for what happened to Mom.”

“Mac…”

“I told her where you were.”

Riley didn’t speak, just tried to process the meaning behind Mac’s words. All these years and he’d never said a thing.

“She wouldn’t have gone to the park if I hadn’t told her where to find you. She died because of me.”

Riley’s throat squeezed shut and he could barely get the words out. “No, Mac. She died because of a doped-up kid. I think the two of us have been playing what-ifs for too many years and it hasn’t done either of us any good.”

Mac paused, then said, “I just wanted you to know that I don’t blame you.”

Riley took a deep breath as years of pent-up guilt broke free in his chest. “Thanks, bro. You don’t know how good it feels to hear you say that.”

“Riley?”

“Yeah?”

“Go nail the SOB who killed my wife.”

As Riley hung up the phone, he felt as if he could touch the moon. Finally, they were getting somewhere. He dialed Tony’s number, deciding to beat Mac to the punch. After he hung up, he raced back to the chief’s office. But the room was empty. “Chief Marshall,” he yelled down the hallway.

“What is it?” the chief asked as he came out of a room carrying a fresh cup of coffee.

“We’ve got a lead, a real good one.”

“Lead in what?”

“In who killed your son.”

“I know who killed my son.” Chief Marshall passed him and walked into his office.

“You’re wrong.”

“And what about all this?” He pointed to Devra’s file, to the books lying on his desk.

“I told you, she’s psychic. Somehow, she’s connected with the killer. She sees what he sees. That’s how she knows so many details. That’s why her parents think she’s insane.”

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