The Last Sister (Columbia River)(81)

“Holy shit! Don’t break my arm!”

“Don’t move.” Zander kept his knee in the center of Billy’s back, and Edwards, who’d recovered, cuffed the other wrist and then the one Zander was holding. Zander got to his feet, adrenaline still pumping and breathing hard. “You okay?” he asked Edwards.

“Yeah.” The officer was sheepish. “Haven’t had the wind knocked out of me since I fell off a swing set in grade school.”

“Worst feeling ever.”

“You can’t take me in, man! You’ve got to let me go!”

“You’re joking, right?” Zander asked Billy. “We have questions about some deaths in town that I suspect only you can answer.”

“No! No, you need to let me go. He’s going to kill me.” His voice was frantic, his head whipping from side to side as he lay on the ground.

Zander made a show of scanning the woods. “Who? Edwards here? He’s a little pissed you knocked the wind out of him, but I don’t think he’ll kill you over it.”

“Not him. I’m supposed to be gone!”

“Dead gone? Or just gone gone?”

“I’ll be dead gone if he knows you’ve got me.” Billy dug his forehead into the dirt. “Dammit. This can’t be happening!”

The hairs rose on Zander’s neck. The man was scared. Who is he worried about?

“You talking about Kyle?”

“Oh shit. He’s going to kill Kyle first if he finds out I’m still around.” Billy squirmed and pulled at his wrists.

Zander exchanged a look with Edwards, who shrugged.

Greer and Daigle arrived, both blowing hard. Greer slapped Edwards on the back. “Nice job.”

“He popped out and tackled me,” Edwards admitted. “Lost my breath, and he had his hand on my weapon until Zander took him down.”

“Important part is that we have him.” Now that Billy wasn’t sprinting, Zander noticed the white T-shirt was yellowed and grimy, and his jeans were filthy. And this wasn’t from his roll on the forest floor.

“Doesn’t your girlfriend have a washing machine, Billy?”

“Fuck off.”

“Let’s go.” Greer grabbed Billy under one arm and Daigle took the other, and they hauled him to his feet.

Billy stared wild-eyed at Greer. “You’ve got to let me go, Sheriff,” he begged.

Zander started. Are those tears?

“Knock it off,” answered Greer. “We’ve got a nice clean cell just waiting for you.”

“He’s gonna kill Kyle and Rachel if he knows I’m still here!”

“Wait.” Zander stepped in front of Billy. “Rachel’s the woman at the house here, right? Who’s gonna kill her and your brother?”

He hung his head. “I can’t tell you.”

“Dammit,” said Greer. “I don’t have time for this.” He tugged on Billy’s arm.

The man started to shake, panic in his eyes, and he abruptly thrashed, breaking Greer’s hold. He took one lunging step, and Daigle neatly tripped him. Billy landed on his side and curled into a ball, still shaking.

The three men exchanged curious glances.

Is he petrified or bullshitting us?

Zander nudged him with a foot. “We can’t help Kyle if you don’t tell us what’s going on.”

Billy moaned and coiled tighter, muttering under his breath.

“What?” Zander squatted again. His legs still ached from his sprint.

“You’ve got to promise me you’ll protect Kyle and Rachel.”

“Promised.”

Billy sucked in a deep breath, and words sped out of his mouth. “I was paid to help someone with Sean, and then I was supposed to get out of town.”

Zander struggled to speak coherently. “You helped someone kill Sean. Is that what you’re saying? But not Lindsay?”

“Yeah.” Billy seemed to deflate, sinking into the dirt.

“How much were you paid to take someone’s life?” Zander spit out.

Billy turned his face into the dirt. “Two thousand dollars,” he mumbled.

Reeling, Zander stepped away, his hands going through his hair. He’s lying. He’s got to be lying. But why? “Who was it, Billy? Who paid you?”

Billy wouldn’t look up. “I’m a dead man.”

“I’ll kill you myself if you don’t tell me what happened.” Zander’s temper hung by a thread. He sold his soul for two thousand dollars. “You’ve got two seconds.”

“Harlan Trapp.”

No one breathed.

“Bullshit,” said Greer. “You’re accusing the mayor of murder?”

Zander pictured the tall, bald man. The one who couldn’t control a community meeting.

He is our killer?

Zander struggled to wrap his mind around it.

Billy turned to look Greer in the eye. “He’s fucking evil. It was just supposed to be Sean, but then Harlan took down Lindsay too. He brutalized her.”

Greer jerked away and snarled in disgust.

“What about Nate?” asked Daigle. “Did you shoot Nate?”

Billy said nothing and curled tighter.

“You fucker!” Daigle hauled back and kicked him.