What Have You Done(44)

Inside the spray bottle was luminol. He sprayed each boot, covering every inch of surface and sole, a process he’d done countless times at countless crime scenes. Now he was doing it in his own home. He rushed back to the bag and pulled out a black light that he plugged into the wall next to the side table and knelt down. He took a deep breath and then turned on the light.

Luminol was a substance that bonded with the hemoglobin in blood and created a light-producing chemical reaction that made traces of blood glow. Without special chemicals to thoroughly wash it away, blood could remain on things for years. Liam watched helplessly as both boots glowed in the black light, the blood illuminating his guilt. A feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him. How could he be innocent? After everything he’d found, how was it possible at this point?

“What’re you doing down there?”

Liam quickly straightened up. “Nothing,” he replied. “Cleaning my boots.”

Vanessa was at the top of the stairs, watching him. “With what?”

“Leather cleaner.” He cleared his throat. “That was a quick shower.”

Vanessa came down a few more steps. “I had to get my brush from my pocketbook.” She was at the bottom landing now. “What’s with the light?”

“Nothing. I wanted to make sure the waterproofing stuff I put on hadn’t come off. It’s an old trick I learned from work.”

“So you need a black light for that?”

“It helps.”

“Is all that glowing stuff the waterproofing?”

Liam shut the light. “Yup.”

Vanessa stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, then shrugged and pointed. “You missed a few spots.”

“I know. That’s why I was checking with the light.”

She walked over to her pocketbook and retrieved her brush. “What happened to the Chinese?”

“I thought I had a few minutes. I’ll order it now.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Liam replied, forcing a grin he knew looked both fake and stupid. “Why?”

“You look like you’re about to have a panic attack or something.”

“I’m fine. Sometimes the fumes from the cleaner get to me. Hard to breathe.”

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Of course.”

“Whatever might be bothering you. We can talk. That’s what we need to do to keep us going. If you need me, I’ll be there for you. From now on I’ll always be here for you. You’re all I have, Liam. You’re all that’s left in my life. If something’s bothering you or you need to talk, please. I’m here.”

Liam nodded but said nothing more. Finally Vanessa turned away and started back up the stairs.

“I’ll meet you upstairs. With Chinese.”

“You got it.”

He watched her as she went and then listened for the bathroom door to close again. When it did, he threw his shoes back in the closet, unplugged the black light, and placed the items back in his bag. He ran to the television and turned it on, flipping through the memory on the DVR until he got to Saturday night. Just as Vanessa had said, Jaws had been viewed from nine thirty until eleven thirty. He dropped the remote and fell onto the couch. His life was crumbling, and he had no idea how to stop it. His boots had Kerri’s blood on them. With everything else, what more proof did he need? How could there be any doubt? His only hope was to find something when he traveled to Delaware tomorrow to look at the other victim. But he was clearly running out of tomorrows.

It looked as though Liam could, in fact, be guilty of murder.





32

The screams sent shivers down his spine, freezing him in place as he sat up in bed. Even with his eyes still half-closed and his mind still somewhat dormant, he knew it was Liam. He was having another nightmare.

Sean pulled the covers away and hopped onto the floor as his brother’s cries pierced the otherwise quiet house. He half jogged, half stumbled out of his bedroom and down the narrow hall, pushing himself to keep moving forward when what he really wanted to do was cover his ears, curl up in a ball, and yell at his brother to shut up. But he knew he couldn’t do that. His grandmother hadn’t been feeling well this past week, and getting woken up like this wouldn’t be good for her. It was Sean’s job to get in there and stop the screaming. It always was.

Sean threw Liam’s bedroom door open and rushed inside, his bare feet slipping on tiny Matchbox cars and hard plastic superhero figures that were scattered across the floor. He fell onto Liam’s bed and took his brother by the shoulders, shaking him.

“Liam! Liam, wake up! Wake up. It’s just a dream.”

Liam continued with a few more screams that then turned into whimpers.

“Wake up, buddy. You’re okay.”

A ten-year-old Liam finally opened his eyes and focused on his big brother. Perspiration matted his hair to his forehead, his skinny chest rising and falling with deep, ragged breaths.

“Sean?”

“You were having another bad dream.”

“Did I wake Grandma and Grandpa?”

“I don’t think so.”

“And this is real life?”

Sean smiled. “Yeah, this is real life.”