Her Last Word(101)

“It’s important. You’re not insignificant. Everyone forgot her but you.”

Silence.

She moistened dry lips. If he were going to reject the idea outright, he’d have done it immediately. “You were one of the first reporters to cover the case. And you covered it nineteen times.”

“You read my articles?”

“You were my number-one source, because the cops wouldn’t speak to me.”

“No. They were very tight lipped about their details with me.”

Good, he was talking. And talking might build a connection with him and humanize her. And at the very least it would buy more time.

“Why did my return matter so much to you?”

“Because Gina was your family. Your responsibility. Hayward told you to run, and you did. Gina was always there for you, and you repaid her how? By leaving her to die alone.”

Tears she’d held back for so long filled her eyes. “You’re right. I don’t deserve her forgiveness, or yours.”

He shook his head, seemingly unmoved by her tears. “And you could have nailed Hayward fourteen years ago, but you chickened out. Do you have any backbone?”

“I wasn’t sure it was him.”

“It didn’t matter! You blew it! Everyone knew it was him.” He shook his head again. “He’s escaped punishment for fourteen years while Gina rotted in the cold ground.”

“You have to understand I wasn’t covering for him.”

“That was Jennifer’s and Erika’s fault, wasn’t it? They supplied the booze and drugs.”

“How did you know that?”

“Erika and I got to be good friends. She was so lonely in her big house and so tired of hiding behind walls. I approached her when she came out of yoga one day and asked to speak to her. I told her I was writing a book. She didn’t want to at first, so I made sure she found out about her husband’s affair. When I came back the next week, she agreed, and our meetings became regular. She was so ready to unburden herself and stick it to her husband.”

“What about Blackstone and Crowley? They’re Hayward’s friends. They covered for him all these years.”

“So did Hayward’s mother. She lied for him, too.”

“Are you going after them as well? How many people are you going to kill?”

“You’re the last.”

“Who else have you killed?”

“Just know I have punished the guilty.”

Sharing anything with Marcus now was a calculated risk. But she had to prove her worth to him to stay alive and buy time. “Adler told me something you don’t know.”

He looked amused.

“When they found Gina, they found another girl. She was buried in a grave near Gina.”

Marcus shook his head. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not. Adler spotted the shallow grave from a tree stand. They excavated it and found another girl about Gina’s age.”

Marcus shook his head. “Hayward killed another girl?”

“That’s what the cops think.”

He curled his fingers into a fist and pressed it to his temple. “Does his deal with the Commonwealth Attorney cover that murder?”

“No.”

“So he’s going to be punished?” He sounded hopeful and happy.

“Yes.” She leaned forward. “Neither Gina nor the other girl would have been found if I hadn’t come back.”

“It wasn’t your return that led to Gina’s discovery. It was my work. Killing Jennifer and Erika reopened Gina’s case, not your bullshit podcast project.”

She smiled. “It still makes us a team.”

“We’re not a team.”

She knew she was pressing, and he could turn on her in an instant. “Yes, we are. We’ve both wanted the same thing for fourteen years. We’re the only two people who did something about finding her.”

Anger flared in his eyes, and he crossed the room and hit her hard across the face. Pain rocketed through her head, and she could taste blood.

He’d raised his hand to strike her again when a phone rang. He pulled her phone from his pocket. “Detective Adler is calling you again. Should I text him back and tell him not to worry? Maybe I should say our interview is going long?”

“He will find you.”

“Maybe. I’m ready for that.”

When he dropped his gaze to send the text, she stepped toward him. “We can work together,” she said. “You can interview me. I can tell you all about that night. I can tell you about Gina’s hopes and fears.”

“I don’t need anyone’s help.”

“There’s no one else alive who can confirm your findings. Why would you want to burn your ultimate source?”

A loud pounding echoed through the house. It sounded like someone was beating on the front door. Oh God, it had to be Adler. Marcus had told him where to find her.

“It’s Adler.” She moistened her lips. “Send him away so we can talk. It’s been fourteen years, and I haven’t told my story.”

Again, he studied her. He touched the blood on her lip and gently brushed it away. “In the right light you look like her.”

She raised her chin. “Thank you. She was so pretty.”