Page 179 of The Devil We Crave
She smiles. “That’s okay.” Her brow furrows. “I hate to say it, but I think that may have just been a college guy talking shit. We’ve been looking into Mr. Santoro, especially since his abrupt disappearance, and there’s nothing linking him to Jane Doe. Nophysical or even circumstantial evidence, and he’s got iron-clad alibis for the time when we believe she was killed.”
I nod, swallowing.
“Yelena, there’s another reason I wanted to come talk to you today.” She frowns. “Did you and Kyle Santoro ever have any sort of…relationship?”
I suppress the immediate and urgent need to vomit.
“Our fathers were in business together for a time,” I say truthfully. “But that’s over. I don’t know Kyle very well. We only overlapped at Knightsblood for a year.”
She nods thoughtfully. “So him gaining access to your room here at Morvaine wasn’t because he previously had a key or anything.”
I go still.
“Um…what?”
Her brows knit. “When he—” Her eyes widen. “I amsosorry. You didn’t know that was him?”
I blink quickly, heart racing. “Excuse me?”
She smiles wryly. “A month or so ago, did you not find a threatening note written in lipstick on your mirror? And in the women’s locker room at the gym?”
My chest constricts.
LEAVE THE DEAD WHERE THEY LIE.
THE DEAD KNOW WHAT YOU DID, YELENA. THE DEAD DO NOT FORGET.
Chief Cross sighs. “We searched Kyle’s condo in town, and he had two Polaroids taped to his fridge: one of the message on your mirror in your room, and then another of…I’m so sorry to tell you this…you wrapped in a towel looking at the one on the locker room mirror.”
Jesus. And I thought I was being fucking haunted…
She frowns. “I genuinely have no idea why he was trying to scare you, especially if you had no prior relationship.” She shrugs. “Maybe something to do with the business arrangement with your fathers? Regardless, until we find Kyle, this might remain a dead end.”
Thank God.
They don’t know about Damiano stealing police evidence. Or aboutmeplanting the evidence in Lochlan Kildare’s room.Kyleseems to have known, somehow. But it’s clear Chief Cross doesn’t.
“Do you have any idea where Kyle might be?” I croak.
She tips her head side to side. “Maybe. We’re working with the FBI field office in New York to put a tap on some of his known financials, to see if we can catch up with him. But it’s looking like he drained the fund he ran before he took off, and given the sort of people who were investing with him…” She delicately clears her throat. “My guess is, he’s overseas somewhere trying to get a visa for a non-extradition country.”
I swallow. “So… He isn’t the Shoreline Killer?”
She smiles. “I can say with almost full certainty that he isn’t. It's nothing I would worry about, Yelena. Two unexplained deaths…the first of which has not yet been proven to involve foul play,incidentally…do not a serial killer make. As much as the local media want to scare everyone to sell papers.” She shrugs. “Jane Doe could very well have fallen off a boat a hundred miles from here. And the more recent victim…” She spreads her hands. “It looks like a crime of passion, which nine times out of ten means a domestic or lover’s quarrel. As soon as we can get a positive ID on him, I’m sure we’ll find his jilted girlfriend or boyfriend.”
I shiver, remembering my sheer terror when I found those messages scrawled on the mirrors.
And it was just Kylefucking with me.
“Anyway…” Chief Cross stands, as do I. “I just wanted to stop by and let you know that calling police tip linesdoeswork. The reason your tip was never escalated was that my predecessor buried it, since he was on Kyle's payroll.”
I smile weakly as I shake her hand. “But you think Kyle is…you know…gone?”
She nods. “I was a detective in the Bronx before I took the job here in Hawthorne Hollow.Everyinstinct I have tells me he’slong gonefrom the country.” She smiles. “You have nothing to worry about. But if you’d like a uniformed officer posted outside of Morvaine?—”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” I murmur.
Because I’m not staying here. I’m spending all my nights in the arms of someone who would literally kill for me.
