Page 129 of Hard Evidence
“Uh, farther along the path.Past the other dead body.”
“What other dead body?”
“I th-th-think he killed Amie.”
“The shit’s hit the fucking fan here.”I realised Dawson was wearing an earpiece.“Jessie’s okay, but the dog’s missing.Two dead.Okay.Yeah, good.”
“What’s happening?”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and guided me over to a nearby rock as a helicopter flew overhead.
“Where’s your gun?”
“Here.”I tried to pull it out of my waistband, but Dawson grabbed my hand in a heartbeat.
“Careful.We don’t need anyone else getting shot today,” he said.“Especially you.”
“It’s empty.There’s nothing left.”
Much like my freaking soul.
CHAPTER46
JESSALYN
“Stay here,” an officer told me as Greenway Park descended into chaos.Sirens, shouting, and thethumpof rotor blades threatened to drown out his words.“We have everything under control.”
Violet jumped out of the way as a purple-haired teenager whizzed past on a hoverboard, live-streaming as he went.“I’m not so sure about that.”
The police were trying to round up the podcasters, who’d joined forces with Dawson and the Wednesday Walkers to search for Shiro.Six camera-toting fame-seekers had turned into fifty as word of the tragedy spread, and it wasn’t every day a celebrity chef shot the man who’d murdered her estranged husband.Several show hosts tried to interview me in their quest for ratings, but Violet told them to back off unless they wanted to ride home in a body bag, and that went viral too.
Ten minutes ago, Jerry had sauntered past with Ari, ducked under the crime scene tape a cop was stretching between trees, and disappeared into the gloom.The cop took two steps in their direction, then stopped and shrugged.
“They don’t pay me enough for this,” he said.
I wanted to go with them, but my ankle was the size of a softball and swelling bigger with every passing second.A medic told me I should get it checked out at the hospital, but I didn’t have money or insurance, so I’d waved them away.Now I was regretting that decision.
“I need ice,” I said to Violet.
She waved at a cop standing nearby.“We need ice.”
“Do I look like a waiter, lady?”
“Asshole,” she muttered.
Then she pulled out her phone and told her three million BuzzHub followers that the police had left me sitting on a rock in the freezing rain with a swollen ankle, and I got ice, a blanket, and an umbrella.
Special Agent Rimer finally showed up, and she looked stressed.Good.
“What happened?What the hell happened?”
Violet squared up to her, hands on her hips.“You arrested the wrong person for Amie Carlson’s murder, and the right person just tried to kidnap my friend.”
Rimer looked past Violet to me.“So you shot him?”
“He took my dog to lure me out of the yard, he murdered my husband in front of me, and he was chasing me with a gun.What in the hell did you expect me to do?”
“Why would he?—”
