Page 80 of Love Always

“Shit, it’s hot in here.”

“Cold at the cabin?”

He winces. “It needs more insulation. Next year.”

It’s amazing Bryce is talking about “next year” in terms of any woman.

“What have you got?”

Leaning forward I wipe my face with a hand. “I’m not sure. But I’m getting a real uneasy feeling about Colleen’s case.”

“Your gut?”

In the field there were “gut” decisions and “informed” decisions.

This one is all “gut.” I pause. “Here’s the thing. There is no motive—”

“Well. None that we know of. Carlson is under no obligation to loop us in. I think including Colton Security only goes as far as what will benefit the case.”

“Let me finish. I almost feel like we have two different cases. First the frame went around to Chris Proctor. That proved a failure. Why? He lived, timelines didn’t match up and there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime. So why was the gun in her car? From the very beginning?”

Bryce shrugs. “I don’t know. You’re the mind guy. You’re the profiler. Maybe the perp wanted it to look like a love triangle to throw us off sniffing out a drug-related murder.”

Shaking my head, I reinforce with, “I don’t think so. I think that was an attempt on Chris’s life. I’m not sure it was a simple OD. There was fentanyl in his system too.”

“Nearly 30,000 people are killed every year from this crap. It would be impossible to prove even with chemical markers.”

“Exactly. So frame him for Colleen’s murder, case closed.”

“Well … that would depend on the parents. They could push back.”

“Even so, it makes it a lot easier to pin something on a dead guy. Especially from someone who’s going to mastermind fake texts.”

Bryce winces. “I’m not sure ‘mastermind’ is the right word to use here.”

I nod. “Okay, setting the freshwater versus saltwater thing aside, why try to frame Laurel?”

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” says Bryce.

“I think someone might be putting pressure on the perp to make it look like Laurel.”

“Like a third party who has nothing to do with the murder?”

“I don’t know.

Bryce strokes his chin with a thumb. “It’s messy,” he says.

I look at him. “Sometimes things are messy.”

“Maybe I should be visible?”

“No. I think that’s the problem. I’m too visible. You need to be invisible.”

“You are really worried about this. It’ll be fine.” Bryce claps a hand on my shoulder.

“I can’t help thinking a dead suspect is easier to frame than a live one."

“Stop thinking that way, Bud. This isn’t that.” He pauses. “But you do think there’s a connection with campus?”